Hana

In Toronto

Meg

It is late July right now. The sun is still bright and high in the sky. I make sure that I have my wallet, sunglasses and sunscreen are in my bag, and I grab a big basket before I leave my house. My family moves to Toronto with me so we rented a house. It took me a while to settle everything in my new school, new environment, new society. Fortunately, I can talk and communicate with people with ease in English. I cannot imagine the pain and the loneliness Yuzu might have when he first arrived in Toronto.

Yuzu has been back from Japan after the last ice show in the early July. We have seen each other once or twice since then but I didn't want to disturb him for which I know he has intense training of his new programs. Plus, I think it might be disrespectful or even a trouble for me to go into the club to see him training or just to see him. Meeting him so rarely sours my heart. I can't even try to remember that a month ago, I was nearly beside him every day. But deep in my mind I know that this is way better from just a normal fan. I'm already very lucky and honored.

Today, I'm going to buy some daily food, like eggs, flours, some meat, and some herbs. It's almost Father's Festival in Taiwanese culture, so I thought it might be a good thing to cook my family a dinner. I rode buses and subways to the town and head to the market. I stride through the beef section, but I know that Dad doesn't like beef a lot so I skip to the pork section. The pork chops just look so delicious and tender that I couldn't resist to buy more than 3 pieces.
"Perhaps I can cook it for Mom and I when Dad is away for work." I give an explanation to my superabundance crave for the pork chops.
I grab several chunk of butter for the pork chop and for a delicious double dark chocolate cake with some semisweet ganache. Cocoa powder, chocolate, flour, eggs, molds, perhaps a couple grips of mint will be good as well. I select some thyme, nectarine, bell pepper and some pomegranate to make a delicious salsa as a side dish.

As I pay my money to the casher, who is expressionless, I am wondering what will Yuzu's family celebrate for father's day. I know that Japanese father's day must be the different day as Chinese father's day. Maybe I should ask him about this.

The way home is tiring. The whole bag of food is so heavy that the bag makes 2 red stripes of gravity on my arm. When I return home, Mom helpes me to put things into the fridge and I give her back the changes.

"Meg, your school will start in half a month, are you sure you got everything? Notebooks, pens," She listed things out as she counts her fingers. "Do we have to buy more? Are there enough?"
My mom is first, over-protective, second, over considerate, but overall, very heart-warming.

I give a assuring smile to her. "It's all right, mom, you've already bought a bunch of notebooks already."
"Oh, yeah. You're right." We hug each other.

"How's Yuzuru doing these days." She asks. My mom knows about my inclination and fascination on Yuzu. We often talk about him and she knows that the major reason I chose Toronto to study in is because Yuzu is training here.
"He's really busy, mom." I answer while I pull out a novel from a pile of books I bought from a local bookstore and sit on the bouncy sofa. I can stay in that bookstore for the whole day and I won't get bored. These classic novels are just amazingly beautiful and attractive to me. "He got two completely new programs for the upcoming season!"
"But didn't you say that both of you met each other already?" Mom walks to me and sit beside me.
"Well... yes... but that doesn't mean that I can interfere his training life. I have to respect his life and put his skating in the priority in our relationship." I try to explain this to my mom. Since I left Taiwan and Angel, Mom has been my biggest mental and emotional support, well, all the time.

"I can understand, you're right, Meg." She smiles at me warmly. "I still remember how you asked me to cache all the photos of Yuzuru that you cherished so much away. I was so worried about you at that time because I know how much you really love and admire him."
"Mom..."
"I'm just so glad that you can walk through the hard time and even met and know him when you went to Japan!" She traces my face with the back of her hand gently. " You have grown up so much, my girl."