Session Eleven:
Chance jumped into the room, his heart rapid upon seeing Mequi. “Hello! How’re you?”
“I’m good.” Mequi stared at Chance in surprise. It was apparent that he had not expected the young man this early. He had a book in his hands and his large round glasses were placed casually upon the lower bridge of his nose.
Standing, Mequi clapped the book shut and then set it down on the side table beside his large chair. He offered the young man a smile.
“How was your talk with the apartment manager?”
“It went well.” Chance grinned from ear to ear as he slid down onto the couch, removing his hooded sweatshirt and letting it fall down to the ground. “He’s going to let me move in in about a week…um…let’s see six days from now…so Wednesday…and then I’ll have a home again.”
“That’ll be good for you.” Mequi sighed in relief.
He had feared that Chance would be back on the streets and had been preparing himself for asking the young man to live with himself. In one sense, he was glad that Chance had managed to find a home, but, in another sense, he had wanted to ask. He knew it would jeopardize their relationship as client and doctor to be having Chance living with him, but he knew it would give them a chance to finish Mequi’s life story quicker and it would also give Mequi a chance to become closer to the young man. Still, he knew it was a bad choice to try such a thing. Chance would certainly take it wrong.
“Would you like to continue?” Mequi asked as he retook his seat. “I can imagine, you’re ready to finish this.”
“I am.” Chance leaned back, his eyes closing. “I’m ready to finish it. I want to get back to living a normal life without someone else’s consistently on my mind.”
Mequi’s heart jolted as if it had been stabbed. Chance’s words had hit a chord. “Yes, that is true. After this, you can return to your life and live it with whomever you please and however you please.”
Mequi let his gaze fall to his hands. He had grown so attached to Chance over the past eleven weeks. He could not imagine that the young man would leave him now. He had lost many people, so he was used to the feeling, but he did not want to lose Chance. Chance was the only one in the whole world that understood how Mequi felt…and Mequi had no idea how the young man felt.
“I left off with…” Chance murmured, his eyes opening to slits. “John finally agreeing to let you see your father, but, even better than that, you were given a chance to live with him for seven years…though John had thought it would be eight…”
~~*~~
John put his hand upon Mequi’s shoulder as he guided the boy up the walkway towards the door. Mequi’s heart was beating so fast, he thought it would rip out of his chest. He was finally going to meet Tohru.
“Don’t be afraid.” John growled as if the two of them were walking into un-chartered territory. “Japanese people are like wild animals: they can smell your fear.”
“Oh, really?” A singsong voice wafted into the air and they both turned to see an angelic being standing on the front lawn. His eyes were almost glowing with love and kindness and his hair was the same rusty color as Mequi’s. With soft olive skin and the most beautiful of features a human could bare, he looked almost like an angel from heaven. “Hello, Mr. Tobbinson…Mequi…it’s my greatest pleasure to meet you.”
Mequi was not sure what happened as the scene seemed to blur about him, but suddenly his arms were wrapped around Tohru’s body, his heart beating rapidly in his chest as tears streamed down his face.
“Papa!” Mequi cried, his voice hoarse and ragged. “Papa! Gomenasai! Gomenasai!”
“What’s all this?” Tohru asked, his voice liquid and dripping with honey. “You don’t have to apologize. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I’m…I’m sorry for what John and Barbara did!” Mequi sobbed, burying his face deeper into Tohru’s body. “I’m sorry that they did this! I’m sorry that they hurt you!”
“Mequi!” John yelped, stepping closer to his son and Tohru, but he dared not come to close. “Don’t say stuff like that!”
“I’m sorry, papa…” Mequi closed his eyes tightly, his body quivering as Tohru wrapped his arms around him protectively. “I’m sorry that you could not meet me until now…”
“That’s all right.” Tohru smiled softly at Mequi’s outburst. “We’re meeting now, aren’t we?”
“I…” Mequi sniffled as he tried to gain control of his emotions. “I guess, you’re…right…”
“I am.” Tohru gripped Mequi closer. “John, I want you to know that I’m not angry at you for anything you’ve done in the past. You were protecting Mequi and for that I am beyond grateful. Thank you.”
John was momentarily speechless. “Oh, uh…yeah…sure. I mean, well, you’re welcome, I guess. I really did just want to protect him. I’m sorry if I made some mistakes or…well, I’m sorry if my judgment was off…by a lot…”
“We all make mistakes.” Tohru’s smile grew. “Even us horrible wild beasts…who can smell your fear.”
John flinched. “Yeah…about that,” The man’s laugh was nervous as he tried to excuse himself. “Um…I really am sorry…I get ahead of myself sometimes and…”
Tohru held up his hand. “Don’t. I already forgive you. Take care and be safe. Don’t get hurt. I’d hate for that to happen…as would Mequi.”
Mequi looked up into Tohru’s face, his eyes scanning the calm and handsome features. With a faint smile, he turned and ran back to John, giving the man a hug.
“I’m sorry, John, for what I said.” Mequi whispered, his grip tightening. “I love you…I finally…can say that I love you…”
John’s chin began to tremble. “Mequi…I’m sorry too…for all that I did…please, forgive me.”
“I forgive you.” Mequi smiled as his embrace grew with more meaning. “I forgive you.”
~~*~~
“I need a moment.” Mequi stood and left the room without another word. Heading for the bathroom, he was stopped by Greg.
“What’s going on?” Greg asked, his features worried. “You look exceptionally pale.”
“Just…irony floating around.” Mequi whispered, trying to escape Greg before the man saw the tears in his eyes.
“Mequi…” Greg refused to let go of his coworker and then his features grew stark. “Hey…are you…crying?”
Mequi closed his eyes, trying to hide his feelings, but he let them escape instead as a tear ran down his cheek.
“Mequi…” Greg murmured, his own eyes growing worried. “I…I hate Chance!”
Mequi whipped around to look at his friend. “No! Don’t say that! Don’t hate him! It’s not his fault!”
“It’s his fault!” Greg shouted, his anger growing. “I hate him! I hate him! I can’t believe he’s doing this to you!”
“He’s right in the other room!” Mequi wailed, his tears flowing more freely as he clamped a hand over Greg’s mouth. “Shut up! Don’t hate him! He’s not at fault! He’s fine! He’s fine!”
Greg ripped Mequi’s hand from his mouth. “You shut up! What do you think you’re accomplishing here by letting him ruin you? He’s completely destroying you from the inside out! I hate him! I’m not afraid to say that! I hate Chance Kelly!”
“No!” Mequi cried falling to his knees as his hands still gripped onto Greg’s shirt. “Stop it…stop being so stupid…don’t hate someone that is innocent…don’t hate someone who’s done nothing wrong…don’t hate him…don’t hate him when he’s actually…saving me…so slowly…rescuing me from myself…”
“Mequi?” Greg murmured, his eyes searching the top of Mequi’s head. “What…what are you saying?”
“Just stop.” Mequi rested his head against Greg’s thighs, his body trembling. “Stop being so stupid and naïve. You don’t know anything…you don’t know anything about him…or me…or anything…you know nothing, Greg! You don’t know how I feel or how he feels or how anything is! You don’t know anything! You’re so stupid! You’re stupid!”
Wrenching to his feet, Mequi dashed back into his office and slammed the door behind him, leaning against it as he panted for breath and tried to wipe away his tears as quickly as he could.
“What’s wrong?” Chance asked, jumping up and rushing to the man. “What happened? I heard yelling…”
“It’s okay.” Mequi whimpered. “It’s all right, Chance…it’s okay…”
“No, it’s not.” Chance took Mequi’s hands and removed them from the man’s face. Slowly, he began to wipe the tears from his therapist’s eyes. “You’re lying. Everything isn’t all right. I should stop.”
“Finish this session and we’ll talk about that later.”
Chance rolled his eyes as he was escorted back to his seat. Sitting, the young man watched as Mequi poured them water and then passed his client a glass.
“You should be more open about how you feel presently.” Chance stated sternly. “I might have experienced your whole life, but that doesn’t meant that I can understand how you feel now. You’re not the same kind of person…it seems…you’ve changed so much. I haven’t had a chance to adjust to this…”
“I will be open if I feel I can.” Mequi whispered, hunching over himself. “Please, continue.”
“Well,” Chance lied down on the couch. “You enjoyed the company of Tohru more than you had enjoyed anyone else’s company. You could talk to him about anything and never had to worry about him being cruel. He was so happy to have you as a son. He was so happy to be apart of your life…school went well and you had many friends, despite the huge age difference. Though, you could never party with the friends you had made, you formed close bonds and had many good memories. It was an oasis. Whenever you visited your other family, it was always just John. Marcy refused to see you, but you were almost certain it was just because John had insisted she not be present when you were there…he knew she was hurting you…most of the years passed…it was peaceful and loving and beautiful in every possible way…”
“And…” Mequi knew what was coming.
“It was the beginning of your last year at the college.” Chance’s own voice began to choke up. “You were sixteen years old…turning seventeen in only a couple of weeks…it was December and you were preparing for your winter break…when the phone rang…”
~~*~~
“I’ve got it!” Mequi shouted as he ran down the stairs two at a time. He had grown so much over the years and his maturity had struck the chords of the hearts of everyone that met him.
Tohru peaked out of the bathroom. “Hurry! Run! Run!”
“Shut up!” Mequi laughed as he picked up the phone before it could ring the third time. “Hello, this is the home of Ruri and Tohru Tasumi, Ruri also called Mequi Tobbinson, and also the common residing place of Ethan West, Polly Task, and Aaron Coleman. May I ask who is calling and who you are seeking?”
“Is this Mequi Tobbinson?” A familiar male’s voice stung Mequi’s ears. “It’s Sam Query.”
“Sam!” Mequi yelped, tears filling his eyes. “It’s been a long while! How have you been? I haven’t heard from you since I was nine…God…that was a long time ago…”
“You should know…” Sam muttered. “That if I’m calling you, it’s probably serious.”
Mequi stiffened as he quickly sobered. “What’s happened, officer?”
“Marcy didn’t know how to tell you.” Sam sighed, his voice heavy with emotion and much older than it had been the last time Mequi had heard it. “I don’t know exactly how to either…I mean…I was the one with your mother and I really don’t want to with your father…but…well, you’ve probably figured it out…but John had a heart attack only a couple of hours ago. He…didn’t survive.”
Mequi leaned against the wall as Tohru came down the stairs. “You’re…serious, aren’t you?”
“Do you think I would lie about something like this?” Sam barked, his voice incredibly harsh. “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overreact…it’s just that, your voice…it makes my heart melt.”
Mequi almost smiled, but knew, if he displayed any kind of emotion, that his tears would. “Thank you…for informing me, sir…I’m almost ready to come home for winter break and…”
“You’re not going back to Tohru!” Marcy’s voice broke shrill across the telephone line, causing Mequi to jump physically. Tohru flinched beside him before resting a hand upon the young man’s shoulder to steady him. “You can’t stay there anymore! You can’t! You can’t!”
“I only have this remaining year of college!” Mequi shot back, his voice becoming angry before he could halt it. “Besides! You’re not my mother! You can’t order me around!”
“I’m sorry, Mequi.” Sam’s voice was rigid and horrified. “But you can’t stay with Tohru if Marcy says so. It appears that, in his will, John signed everything over to Marcy…his home, his vehicles, his money, his savings, everything…even the right to mothering you.”
“No!” Mequi shouted, his face scrunching in anger. “No! I refuse to listen to her! I won’t move back!”
“If you don’t,” Sam’s voice was moist. “Then you’ll be charged with running away and Tohru would be charged with kidnapping. You don’t want that do you. I’m sorry.”
“No!” Mequi thundered, slamming down the phone and turning into Tohru’s body. Wrapping his arms around his father’s torso, he almost collapsed his whole body with the agony of losing his father. “They…I…John…all of this…”
“I heard.” Tohru whispered soothingly. “Mequi…you have to finish school, but you can’t stay with me. That’s the law. When you’re eighteen…no…wait…”
“That won’t work either, remember?” Mequi sighed, his chest heavy. “You will be going back to Japan when I finish school. You’re visa is up.”
“Damn.” Tohru gripped Mequi closer to him. “Then…tomorrow is good-bye.”
~~*~~
“I want to leave.” Chance whispered, startling Mequi. “I want to leave…before this gets any worse.”
“After that,” Mequi croaked, his voice hoarse and his mind jumbled. “After that, Tohru went back to Japan and I never heard from him again. After that, I went back to Marcy and she shot herself the day of my graduation from college. After that, I moved here. After that, I was working a part-time job as a banker until I could afford a home or until I could become a therapist. After that, my best friend, David Resting, confessed his love for me, but I told him I was not currently interested in a serious relationship with anyone, whether girl or boy, and he hung himself. After that, I talked with Sean Pastor and was permitted to move into this building and begin therapy lessons as a specialist for homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgender. After that, I became good friends with Greg and Danielle. After that, I went to store and I saw you for the very first time.”
Chance stiffened. “You…remember?”
“I remember.” Mequi stated, his eyes dark. “I remember that I ran into you by accident and that you looked at me like I had done something atrocious. I think, I apologized, at least, sixteen times, but you ignored me and walked away. I remember that you looked back at me from the door and your face was blank…and that you then left without another movement or anything else…and you were hit by a car.”
Mequi began to tremble.
“I found out just yesterday.” Mequi whispered. “That you were the one that died. That you were the one I watched die…that day.”
“I didn’t die.” Chance stated. “I was alive…”
“You went to the hospital and they reported that you were dead.” Mequi stated. “I saw it in the papers…but you were one of the cases where your heart started beating again after a day in the morgue. I wonder…how must that have felt?”
“I lied about how it was.” Chance whispered. “I lied about how it all happened…but that’s for next week. Today, my time is up.”
“No.” Mequi stood as if to stop the young man. “you have to tell me more! How do you know? How could you possibly know?”
“Mequi…” Chance turned to look at his therapist, his eyes fire. “Do I look like a therapist? That part is your job. You tell me how I know.”
Mequi’s mouth opened, but he could say nothing.
“I’ll see you next week.”