Dragon's eye

I would really and truly like to thank everyone for all of your supportive comments, whispers and the many messages and e-mails that I've received all regarding my last post. You are all so very kind, thank you so much.
As for continuing to blog here, I just cannot promise anything right now, I really do have my hands full and please understand that this is a new experience for me and I want to do my very best.

Yawns! I am so tired!
It's late and I finally have a moment to myself. The children have tired themselves out playing on the new X-box that Hiro so kindly gave to them.

So, how has it all gone so far?

In the courtroom when the final judgment was passed I felt such a wave pass though me, it was like a huge relief, it was like the thrill of the roller-coaster plunge, it was the final realization of all my hopes and dreams, my knees truly felt weak and I'm sure if Hitomi hadn't of embraced me at that very moment then I may have fallen right where I stood. I thanked my Lawyer so very much for his excellent and diligent work and also my wonderful Father who was sat behind me and who reached forward and placed his hand on my shoulder. I squeezed it and turned and bowed my head to him my thank you as the court bailiff brought my children over to me.
(Laughs!) She could hardly restrain them as they ran to me.

Outside the court on the late and cool morning we saw Keiko standing in line and waiting for a taxi. I leaned over to my children and asked them to go to Keiko and say goodbye and to thank her for looking after you, which they did.
Hitomi said that she didn't think she could have done that, with all the bad feelings inside her about this entire affair. I told Hitomi that of course I feel pain about it but I didn't want my children to see this or that I could be vindictive, vengeful or spiteful.
'Be gracious in victory my love', I said to her.
Then I too walked over towards them and I also thanked Keiko. I asked if there was anything belonging to the children that I should, if I may, collect. She said there was and if I could come on Thursday after I dropped the children to school and it would all be ready. I thanked her again and we left.
"Food treat!" Hitomi said excitedly in the car as we left Kasumigaseki, "Where shall we go?"
"KFC please." The children said together.
"Grandfather does not like KFC" I told the children.
From the front passenger seat my Father raised his finger and corrected me and said that he did like KFC but only on Sundays.
"Today is Tuesday Grandfather." Riko informed him, looking quite sad.
Dad then turned around and with a smile said "Then let's pretend it is Sunday and we'll go eat KFC."
They smiled at that and quite frankly so did I.

Later at home, we unpacked what they had and the spare room becomes theirs. My brother Hiro and Rina came around with Yoshiro and surprise, Kenjiro, my other brother and his wife Sayumi and their daughter Kiyoshi came to visit. It's important that the children know their family and feel an integral part. When I was only allowed them one weekend each month they didn't really get to know my side of the family that much and so it is still all very new for them.
Later after supper, they washed and readied for bed, we talked about school as I prepared their clothes for morning. They told me what they liked best. Sumomo likes science and home economics and Riko likes Music and Shodo (calligraphy). The school they attend is some distance from where we live and so we discussed moving schools. I told them that I understood that it meant saying goodbye to some of their friends and that they have to adapt to new ways and they'll have to make new friends but it's important to be closer to home. They were a little upset by his and I can understand it and in stressing the importance of communications I sank to a low level and bribed them. I know their dad had not allowed them phones and so I told them on Saturday we'd go to the phone store and they would have a cell phone each. This idea really pleased them but I stressed that in order to keep the phones they had to show responsibility and not talk to everyone for hours and give me phone bills the size of printing press paper rolls. Of course I'll get them a phone-plan which is suitable for children.

On Wednesday morning we had to get up early to get ready for school and drive all the way down to Sensokuike. I had to go to the school office to show my custody order and fill in a form declaring who could collect the children from this day forward. I also informed them that since they now live with me in Shibuya, I will be making inquiries to move them into a school closer to home.
Hitomi collected the children on Wednesday afternoon, more of a reason just to see if she could, while I prepared our evening meal. There was no problem in her collecting them. They both brought me a flower home which was very lovely. I asked them if Hitomi had told them to get the flower and Sumomo told me no, it was her idea. Riko, who cannot keep a secret to save her live, said Hitomi stopped at the flower shop and gave them money to choose something for Momma. Hitomi held up her hand and shook her head and said it was still Sumomo's idea to begin with, she just helped out. I can see I'm going to have my hands full with these three!
After the girls had showered and changed and completed their homework, they sat with my Dad and they were enthralled not only by his stories but also how he could make coins appear and disappear. I remember being impressed with that myself as a child and I still don't know how it's done. Sleight of hand from the magician's hand-book may explain it all but truthfully I still like the magic and spectacle of it all.
The doorbell rang just after I'd washed away the dinner plates and Hitomi answered it.
She looked at me with the receiver still in her hand and said it was Terutaka.
I looked at her and tried to decipher what I saw on her face. Since her and my little split and our coming back together again, we've grown more understanding of each other and we no longer try to put restraints on each other. We both know how far we can go.
"Invite him in or send him away but don't leave him on your door!" Dad said as we were stood a little uncertain. Hitomi invited him in and went to meet him on the stairs and for some strange reason I quickly went to check my hair and appearance. Teru respectfully greeted my father and then he congratulated me and stood a little awkwardly. Hitomi went to put the flowers that he'd brought in a vase. I held open my arms and he walked into them as I hugged him thank you. He gave the girls a gift each and they thanked him very politely and very correctly. As I have said before, Tety was a good father to them.
I made tea and we spent a pleasant hour together.

After dropping the children to school Thursday morning I visited Keiko. She no longer lived in the house that Tety had bought for us. After marrying him they moved into luxury apartment tower. She invited me in and we had tea together. I thanked her again for looking after the children and she apologized to me about Tety. I told her that I hadn't ever deserved any of the bad things he'd done to me in the past but about him choosing her over me was no reason for me to be upset with her.
I asked what she would do now that he was away for a few years and she said she would sell the furniture and move out. It just isn't economical for her to stay there alone.
Good luck to her.
I took Tety's parent's telephone number so that I can take the children to visit them and thanked Keiko once more after she helped me take the last of the children's belongings down to the car.