Mornings were always early for the Chikamori family. According to the Canadian Sleep Society (Yes, it's an actual organization dedicated to improving sleep for all Canadians through: support for research, promotion of high quality clinical care, education of professionals and the public, and advocacy for sleep and sleep disorders medicine), getting a full 7-8 hrs of sleep was necessary to be sufficiently well-rested and ready to attack the day. After all, if one didn't sleep well, one didn't perform very well the next day. Greta was definitely a morning person, since she was pretty much the first person up in the morning.
And then of course, the later risers trickled into the kitchen; getting their food and sitting down at the dining room table.
Since this was the weekend, Greta and Braden took some time to themselves.
...and Haruo spent time at the piano...practicing. After all one had to keep one's fingers limber if one wanted to play Bach and other composers.
He also took some time to drive some golf balls into the inlet. You know, Haruo, that's going to get rather expensive. You know just how much Titleist balls cost nowadays? A pack of 12 Pro V1 (recycled) balls ends up costing §25.00. New ones are triple the cost. I doubt belugas want to take up golf.
Yasunobu was enjoying a book...when all of a sudden something didn't seem right. It seemed as though he couldn't think and his vision went hazy...
He blinked for a moment to try to clear his vision, but it didn't work, so he got out of his chair...
It seemed as though his heart skipped several beats...and he stared at the wall...across from him; in realization...that his time was over.
There wasn't time for horror or dismay. It was that quick.
He barely heard the gasps of horror from his daughter-in-law and grand-daughter-in-law...as he floated...above the floor in his now ethereal form.
Yasunobu realized that he'd lived a long life and he was unfazed to meet Grim; there was no protest, there was no begging. He shook Grim's hand...and leapt into the urn. He'd be going to be with Susan.
Haruo was too late to see his father disappear...he ended up seeing Grim and the urn. He was absolutely heart-broken.
River was devastated too. Her father-in-law was one of the sweetest people that she'd ever known; he was the one that accepted her whole-heartedly into the family and now he was gone. It was with solemn sorrow that they laid him later on that day to his final rest.
From now on...Haruo wouldn't be able to consult his father any longer. Any problems that he had, he would have to tackle on his own.
...and his path was his now...to walk alone with his wife and his descendants by his side. He was now the "patriarch" of the family; the "oldest and the wise one"...the one who others would lay their problems at his feet and hope that he could solve them. And...that was a scary realization.
...and it was then that he realized that the torch had truly been passed down to him...and he wasn't sure if he was ready to hold that torch yet...but well...there was no choice in the matter. Such was the path of life.
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