Chapter 17- The Surprise Visit
Who's Your Baby Daddy?
*********************************************************Author's Note**************************************************
Heyoo~ Here's an unexpectedly early update. It's quite lengthy though. Hope you enjoy! :)
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“I missed you so so much, Okaa-san!”
After they broke from the hug, Inoue Yukie pinched her daughter’s glowing cheeks. “Araa~ We just saw each other a few months ago, Mao-chan. You were not like this when your father and I were away for a whole year.”
Mao hugged her mother again. “Am I not allowed to miss my mother?” She said with a beaming smile on her face. “I wasn’t expecting you to be back so soon. Is there a problem?”
“I just need to take care of some things here. I’ll be staying for just a couple of days. Your father expects me to go back to States right away after I finish what I need to do.” The lady of the Inoue household took a glance at her daughter. “Hmm... I think you gained some weight, Mao.”
“Eh?” Mao put her hands on her waist, trying to measure how much weight she did gain. “Anou... I think I’ve been stress-eating lately. With all the work that’s been pouring, the only thing that’s making me cope up with it is eating.” She tried to defend herself with a guilty smile.
“There’s no need to defend yourself, Mao-chan.” The young-looking mother let out a chuckle. “I’m actually happy you finally gained weight. The last time I saw you, you were skinny like a stick.”
The mother-and-daughter tandem continued their chatting all night through. Though Inoue Yukie was still a bit suspicious with how Mao reacted to her little comment earlier, she let this hunch pass. There was just so much catching-up to do.
***
Mao’s mother was shocked with all the ‘red’ that greeted her at breakfast. Strawberries?Strawberry pancake. Strawberry shake. Strawberry fruitbowl. The breakfast table was filled with that particular fruit.
“What’s with all these strawberries?” She asked the nearest maid who then answered with the simple fact that Mao asked them to do so.
“Oh well. Never mind.” The mother popped one strawberry into . “Bleh?!” She was shocked by how sour it tasted.
***
Hearing her stomach grumble, Mao approached the dining area. “Ohayou, Okaa-san.” She greeted her mother who had her back turned against her.
“Ohayou, Mao-chan. Breakfast will be ready in a minute.” Her mother seemed to be busy preparing something.
Mao sat down and rested her hands on the dining table. It was nice to see her mother cooking again. She can’t even remember the last time she tasted her mother’s cooking.
“Hai. Here it is.” Her mother finally turned around and moved towards the table, bearing a bowl filled with rice. “It’s just garlic rice. I know fruits are good for you but these strawberries really are so sour—”
Inoue Yukie was interrupted when Mao immediately darted towards the sink and started making gagging noises. She approached her daughter and ran her hands onto her back, trying to comfort Mao. After emptying the contents of her stomach and then cleaning , Mao faced her mother.
“Sorry about that.”
“Are you sick, Mao-chan?” Her mother motioned for one maid to come. “Fetch me some medicine. Hurry!” She bellowed to the maid but before the latter could run away, Mao held her arm. “No need for that.” Mao smiled at her. “A glass of water will do.” The maid nodded and then excused herself.
Mao tried so hard to think of an alibi. “I think I ate too much yesterday. There’s no need to be worried, okaa-san. Better out than in, right?” She beamed brightly, as if nothing happened.
“Fine. Just promise me to be wary of the things you’re eating, okay?” Inoue Yukie lightly brushed off some lose hair on her daughter’s face.
“Hai. Hai.” Mao nodded.
As soon as the maid returned with a glass of water in hand, Mao and her mother decided to finally start eating. Mao tried her best to eat her mother’s dish even though the smell of garlic truly makes her want to puke again. Good thing there was her newly-found favorite strawberry fruit shake to wash down that entire nasty garlic aftertaste.
All this act Mao’s putting up was only making Inoue Yukie become more suspicious of her daughter. Her mother’s instinct was telling her that there’s something not right. On the contrary, that instinct was also telling her to wait for the right time to confront Mao.
***
Later that day.While Mao was enjoying a hot bath in her own bathroom, her mother, on the other hand, was getting kind of bored. Since she already made up her mind to start working the next day, Inoue Yukie had nothing more to do. Then, as of habit, the word ‘shopping’ came to mind. The mother immediately got up from her seat and then approached her daughter’s room.
She knocked three times but since Mao had the speaker blast on inside the bathroom, no one answered. The mother then let herself in, seeing that
the door was unlocked.
She was surprised to see that her daughter’s room remained unchanged even in these past years. Though of course the bed sheets and pillows were replaced, she was glad to see familiar items such as the humongous teddy bear she gave Mao for her seventh birthday. On Mao’s working table, there were also memorable pictures like the candid copy of the Inoue family portrait. The original and normal-looking copy of that one could be seen hanged on the wall of their living room. Yukie could remember how Mao forced her father to do a wacky shot as well during the photoshoot for that photo. She smiled as she browsed through some other old photos.
Mao’s sketchbook was laid on the said table. The mother couldn’t help but look inside this precious item. Once again, she was captivated by her daughter’s artistic talent. It was a good thing that she fought for Mao’s talent. Even if it meant arguing with her husband in the past, Inoue Yukie wanted the artistic side of her daughter to be enhanced and put to good use. Looking at what success Mao achieved, she couldn’t help but be proud
of her daughter and her own decision of supporting Mao as well.
Such cute designs. The mother was all smiles as she continued to browse through Mao’s raw designs.
Hmm… Wait a minute. Inoue Yukie noticed something after flipping through the sketchbook. These are all baby girls’ dresses. Guess she’s focusing on children’s wear nowadays huh?
Just as she was about to put the sketchbook back to its place, a piece of white paper fluttered to the ground. It seemed to have come from the said sketchbook in her hands. She picked it up, wanting to clip it back on. However, as fate dictated, Mao’s mother flipped the white paper and was surprised to see a familiar image.
“Eh? Okaa-san, what are you doing here? Do you need some—” Mao was indeed surprised to see her mother in her bedroom but what made her stagger was the item her mother was holding.
“What’s this, Mao? Why are you keeping a sonogram? Don’t tell me you’re…” Mao’s mother didn’t have the strength to finish her sentence. With all the emotions flooding through her whole body, her knees gave way. In an instant tears were already flowing down her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, Okaa-san.” Mao was down on her knees as well. “That’s the picture of your future grandchildren. I’m pregnant. With twins.” She was already sobbing. “I never wanted for you to know this way. I was already planning a way to inform you.”
Mao was then covering her face with her hands, feeling ashamed of herself. “I’m so sorry to have disappointed you, Okaa-san.”
Mao was taken aback with a sudden hug from her mom. She was expecting to be slapped, kicked, and even for her hair to be pulled so badly. A hug was definitely not one of those options. Her mother’s actions puzzled Mao.
Inoue Yukie broke from the hug and then, much to her daughter’s surprise, smiled as if she’d won from the lottery. “I’m finally going to have grandchildren!” She squealed in delight and squeezed Mao’s arms in the process. She helped Mao stand up and then hugged her once more. “I’m so happy for you Mao-chan!”
Her mother kept prancing to-and-fro due to her excitement. “Since when have you known this great news? You should have told me earlier. I should have given you tips. I should have done shopping. Oh boy! I’m so excited!” Afterwards, just as Mao expected, she was bombarded with questions.
“How far are you now?”
“About 12 weeks.”
“ So, do you know the gender of your babies?” Her mother couldn’t help but express her glee.
“Not yet but the doctor says she’ll be able to tell us on our next visit.”
“Well, that’s good.” Crossing her arms, her mother finally asked one question that’s been on her mind. “Does the father know?”
“Yes. Kinda…” Mao whispered the last word.
“Will I get to know him? When are you planning to introduce him to us?”
“Anou…” Mao hesitantly started. “There’s a teenie-tiny bit of a problem with regards to that.”
Though she was extremely happy with the news, Inoue Yukie had a feeling that there’s a catch with this pregnancy. “Hmm… Do tell.”
“I don’t exactly know who the father is.” Mao let out in one breath.
“What?!” Her mother’s voice must have been heard even from downstairs. “Why is that?”
“I do have candidates for the ‘father’ position. It’s just that I’m not really sure who he really is.” Bowing her head down in embarrassment, Mao added.
“I’ve been bad, okaa-san. I’ve done some really wild things.”
“So, are they willing to accept your children?”
“Yes. For now, they seemed to be okay with the fact that after a few months, one of them will be a father to twins.”
Inoue Yukie then immersed herself into deep thinking. This is bad. If my husband gets to know this, he’ll definitely be furious.
She held her daughter by her arm and intensely looked into her eyes. “Mao-chan, listen to me very carefully.” Her mother had never been so serious before. From the looks of it, it must be very important so Mao obliged.
“Your father must not know of this—”
“What should I not know?” A deep voice bellowed from their behind.
Much to their surprise, Inoue Seiichi was standing just beside the door. If the two hadn’t been so engrossed with all the ‘baby talk’, they should have acknowledged his appearance earlier on.
“Hello husband! I wasn’t expecting you to be back in Japan.” Inoue Yukie nervously greeted her husband.
“We-welcome home, Otou-san.” Mao stuttered as she bowed her head in greeting.
“What’s going on here?” The current head of the Inoue household did not like to be left out. “Again, what should I not know?”
Mao could not make herself to answer. Neither did her mom. Silence filled the room.
“Answer me! Don’t make me repeat my question for the third time.” He continued to bellow.
No one still answered. Becoming annoyed, Inoue Seiichi shifted his gaze from his wife to his child. Then a thing caught his attention.
His wife seemed to be holding a piece of paper behind her back. Feeling that this thing has something to do with the situation, he snatched it off his wife’s hands.
Upon examination, the paper turned out to be an image of what seemed to be a mass of some sort. “What’s the meaning of this?”
He turned to his wife. “Are you sick, Yukie? Are you planning to hide this from me?” Since his wife was the one holding the paper, Inoue Seiichi immediately concluded that she’s the one that’s ill. Holding his wife’s hands, he spoke in a low voice. “Is it cancer?”
Not wanting where this conversation was going, Mao decided to put an end to these false accusations.
“Okaa-san is not sick, Otou-san. No one is sick.”
Inoue Seiichi became more bewildered with his daughter’s words. “Then what’s this?” He pointed out, waving the picture.
“It’s a sonogram image. I’m with child. Twins exactly.”
Mao’s words echoed through his father’s mind. He was shocked. He was surprised. He was speechless. Inoue Yukie just stood in front of his family like a tree.
A dreadful silence filled the room.
Then without a word, the father stormed off the room, banging the door in the process.
From the loud footsteps softening away, he seemed to have entered the master’s bedroom. As soon as they heard him slam its door shut, Mao felt tear trickle down her cheeks. What have I done?
Seeing this, her mother embraced her daughter and tried to comfort the pregnant lady. It’s not going to be easy being a mother, Mao-chan. Be strong for the sake of your new family.
***
Days had passed and Mao’s father still acts indifferent towards her. He dared not talk to her, not even look at her in the eye. He drowned himself with work to avoid her. Mao’s mother, on the other hand, wanted to be involved with the whole pregnancy business. However since she was busy taking care of the company alongside with her husband, she contented herself with buying different kinds of baby stuff every day.With her parents being busy, the house was quiet as ever. Though this was the case, there was only one area in the house that makes Mao truly calm. This was her mother’s priced garden. It was a luscious one, filled with different kinds of flora. Among them, the white roses were now Mao’s favorite. These were conveniently surrounding the wooden swing where she stays. Mao loved the scent of these roses flirting with her nostrils as she reads baby books while on the swing.
Feeling something cover her up, Mao was awakened from her nap. Upon slowly opening her eyes, a person was standing in front of her, seemingly holding the ends of a blanket.
“I thought you’d get cold. In this weather, it’s really easy to catch illnesses if you’re not careful.” Inoue Seiichi stated in a low voice.
“Arigato.” Mao whispered. She scooted over and motioned for her father to come and sit. The father obliged.
Silence was exchanged between the two. But this time, it was not suffocating as before.
“How far are you?” Mao was surprised with her father’s interest with the pregnancy.
“I’ll be entering the 13th week.”
Though still uneasy with the topic, Inoue Seiichi wanted to continue the conversation. “Am I expecting baby girls or boys?”
Mao smiled at the thought of her father trying to concern himself with her state. “I still don’t know yet but the doctor promised to tell us on our next visit.”
Us? His father forgot the main culprit of this situation. The father. The reason for her daughter’s pregnancy. He wants to meet the bastard. “When will I meet the father?”
Mao was again unable to answer.
“We need to settle things right away. Of course the wedding should be done before your stomach starts to show.”
“I can’t get married yet, Otou-san.” Mao confessed. “I won’t allow myself to marry with the reason being only my pregnancy. Love should be the only reason for me to tie the knot.”
“Are you completely out of your mind?!” He stood up, filled with rage. “Are you seriously telling me that you’re still waiting for your prince charming to save you from a fire-breathing dragon? Stop with the fairytale crap, Mao! You’re not a toddler anymore! And basing from the fact that you got yourself pregnant, I think you’re well aware of that yourself.”
Mao could not dare retort back to his father. She chose to remain silent.
“Listen to me, Mao. This pregnancy... This new life of yours will not be an easy task. Doing this all by yourself will only make it harder for you and the babies. Wouldn’t it be best for the children to grow up with a father? Don’t be selfish. Think of what’s best for them.” With that last line, Mao gave up suppressing her tears.
“Just tell me honestly, Mao-chan. Why can’t you marry him? Is he someone you cannot marry?”
Mao continued to weep silently.
“Just give me the name. No matter what his circumstances are, I’ll make sure you’ll get married immediately.”
“Otou-san, you don’t understand...” Wiping her tears away, Mao tried to reason out. “My situation is a lot more complicated that you think. Apart from what I’ve said earlier, there’s a reason why I can’t get married. Yet.”
“Then tell me what it is so that we can settle it right away!” His father’s tension rose up again.
“I don’t really know who the father is.”
“What?!”The older Inoue turned red with anger. “Since when have you become a fan of one night stands?!” He roared. “I know you’re young and with that age, you tend to do stupid. But if you were to indulge yourself, then you should have at least used protection!”
“I know and I’m truly sorry for that. I was drunk. My boyfriend cheated on me. I was bound to really do something idiotic that night. I know it. I’ve done something that might be unacceptable to you but look what it got me.”
“It got you pregnant.”
“Yes. That’s true but more precisely, I granted my wish.”
“Wish?”
“I know I haven’t talked to you about this. And this mainly because you haven’t been really free from work to even have a talk with me. But this pregnancy, this joy of finally becoming a mother, is a wish come true.” The tears being shed at this moment turned to become tears of happiness. “It may sound really stupid, really idiotic but I hoped to become a mother even before I become a wife. I never thought Arashi would be the ones to fulfill this dream with me.”
“Arashi?”
“Arashi is an idol group composed of five men. I admit I do not know who exactly the father of my baby is but I am pretty much sure he’s one of them.”
“Idols? Those people who sing, dance and act like fools on tv? I never thought you were into those types, Mao.”
“I never said I was!”
Seeing his daughter’s reaction, Inoue Seiichi let out a light chuckle. “I like it when you’re being defensive, Mao-chan.” He pinched her daughter’s cheeks. “Fine. I won’t force you to be married now. Only because I don’t want you marrying the wrong guy. For the mean time, you have to take good care of yourself and the twins in your stomach.” He gently kissed his daughter’s head and then left the garden.
Mao smiled and caressed her stomach as she imagined her father playing with her twins.
***
After finally being out of Mao’s sight, Inoue Seiichi fished out his phone and dialed a private number.
“Hello. It’s me. I need you to investigate Arashi. I want to know who they are. I need to know their past, their families, their friends, their relationships—everything. I need to meet the bastards that knocked up my precious daughter.”
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