Some Things Cannot Be Fixed, They Can Only Be Carried

Chapter 13) Not Likely; But Possible

"We know," Ren says with a grin; though in reality it's his sister who's grown the tallest. She's almost a head taller than him, which is really funny since they were the same height around Christmas.

I chuckle, telling them they should be proud of their grow spurts. "I stopped growing a long time ago."

"He says—" Mom appears in the doorway. "—as if he hasn't grown tall enough already." Mom walks over to me and hugs me; she has to literally stand on her toes to reach high enough to hug me. Her embrace is tight and loving, and her voice is very cheerful yet genuine when she whispers, "It's nice to have you home, Makoto." She lets go of me and steps back, smiling when I tell her I missed her.

Last time I saw her was when I was ill with the flu, but that's already a couple of months ago.

Obviously, I call her almost every day, but it always hits me how much I miss her once I see her again.

Mom turns to Haruka and pats him on the shoulder. "Nice to see you too, Haruka."

I smile even wider when I see how Ren and Ran follow her example. They walk over to the front of Haruka's wheelchair and give him a welcoming hug both at once. Something they didn't yet dare to do last time they saw Haruka, and even though it still looks like it feels a little unpleasant to them, I think it's really sweet of them to put in the effort to even greet him. It's not something everyone does.

After Ren and Ran are done giving Haruka his welcome-home-hug, we head inside. Ren and Ran have taken care of Haruka's wheelchair and made sure he's seated at the kitchen table while I walk all the way to the living room, where dad is reading through work-related documents, even on his day off. Fortunately, he's home today, so I can give him a short hug.

"I missed you, my boy." His hug is tighter and stronger than it used to be, but maybe that's because I've lost almost all of the muscles I got from swim practice; I'm just plain-out lanky now.

I hug him back, resting my head on his shoulder. "I missed you too, dad."

It's even stranger seeing dad at home, since he works so hard to earn money while mom keeps this household running. Almost every time I am over, he's at work or sleeping because of late shifts.

Dad pats me on the back, and I can feel him smiling into my shoulder as well, right before he lets go.

"Are you boys ready for lunch?" mom asks when she sees that dad and I are done having our reunion. She leads us over to the table, which she's set so beautifully, making it look colorful with all the vegetables and toppings in little bowls. "I made little buns with fish and greens, but there's also rice with topping if you prefer." Mom smiles proudly.

"Mom!" I squeak, sitting down in my chair, next to Haruka. "You didn't have to go all out!"

Mom tousles my hair and replies, "My oldest son eats lunch at home for the first time in months, of course I have to go all out." She winks when I look up at her.

I chuckle before grabbing my chopsticks and putting my hands together. "Thank you for the food!"

Ren, Ran, mom and dad do the same before we dig in. In the end everyone's eating, except for Haruka. But he will get lunch after we've finished; I think he wouldn't enjoy sitting topless at my

family table, so I'll just wait until everyone's done eating.

"This is delicious," I say, taking a bite out of one of the homemade buns with fish, dressing and lettuce. The dressing drips down my chin, but that doesn't matter; this bun is the first real meal I enjoyed eating today. I skipped my own midnight snack, and breakfast didn't taste good. Turns out that anything feels good, on a tough anniversary day, with family's company.