The Parents

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Chapter 14: The Parents

I walked Ren home on Friday.

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He didn't want me to. He said he was fine, he knew the way, he didn't need an escort. I said I was going that way anyway. He said I was lying. I said I knew.

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He didn't argue after that.

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We walked in silence through the shopping street and past the bakery and past the park. He stopped in front of a house. It was a large house, well-kept, with a garden and a gate and a nameplate that said SATO.

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"This is me," he said.

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"Okay."

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"You don't have to wait."

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"I'm not waiting. I'm just standing here."

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He looked at me for a moment. Then he opened the gate and walked toward the door. He stopped with his hand on the handle.

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His father was standing on the porch.

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He was a tall man in a suit. He had the kind of posture that said he was used to being in charge. He looked at Ren and said, "Did you study?"

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Ren said yes. His father didn't believe him.

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They argued. Not loudly. Quietly. The way people argue when they don't want the neighbours to hear.

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"You have exams in three weeks," his father said. "You should be studying, not drawing."

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"I did study."

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"I saw your notebook. It was full of sketches."

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"I studied after."

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"After isn't good enough. You know that."

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Ren didn't say anything. He just stood there with his hand on the door handle and his shoulders tight and his eyes on the ground.

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His father went inside. Ren stayed outside.

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He looked at me and said, "This is why I make jokes."

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I nodded.

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I didn't say anything. I didn't offer advice. I didn't tell him his father was wrong.

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I just stayed.

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After a moment, Ren opened the door and went inside. He didn't say goodbye.

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I walked home.

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