Free Nightblade by Ryan Kirk Page A

manageable, and life moved forward, the great wheel slowly spinning.
     
    The cycle continued, inevitable as the rising of the sun. Her parents started fighting more. Takako didn’t always know what was said. Her parents always argued in hushed tones at night so they wouldn’t wake or disturb the children. Takako could sometimes make out snippets of conversation, but rarely enough to put together a coherent picture of what was happening. She assumed that it was about money. She was old enough to know that her father’s business wasn’t doing as well as they needed, which was why they didn’t have very much food.
    Takako wondered if all the arguing had to do with why only she and her father had come to New Haven. She didn’t understood why they were here by themselves. A visit to the city was always a big deal and always involved the whole family. For business or celebration, everyone came together. Still, she was happy to be here, feeling special that her father had recognized her for something unique. But her father wouldn’t answer her questions. That made her nervous.
    In between her excited observations of her surroundings Takako would steal glances over at her father. He smiled at her whenever he caught her looking at him, but he also seemed like he was about to cry at any minute. She didn’t understand. They had made a long journey but her father brought nothing to trade. If this was a business trip it was unlike any trip she had been on before. Instead of leading her to a specific destination her father kept asking her what she would like to do, and then they would do it. Takako tried to select activities that didn’t cost too much, but her father spent money on her without complaint. His newfound generosity scared her most.
    Takako didn’t feel like she should complain about the treatment, but it was out of character for the father she knew. Her father was by nature a frugal man. He had grown up the son of a poor merchant and couldn’t move forward his entire life despite his constant efforts. Spending money without question on his daughter was unheard of.
    As the sun set her father asked her if she would like a special treat. She said yes, and they wandered until they found a small out-of-the-way candy merchant. Takako’s father looked through the candy as if it was the most important purchase he had ever made and selected one for his daughter. Takako watched, amazed by how much money her father had handed over to the merchant. He didn’t receive change.
    They sat down on the side of a street, watching the passerby as Takako savored the candy. She had never eaten anything like it before, and seeing how much it had cost, she was set on making the most out of the experience. As she ate her father watched her, his eyes never leaving her face. She was so absorbed in her treat she didn’t even notice when he began to cry.
    “You know, when I was a child that was my favorite candy. I don’t remember how I got it for the first time. I imagine my father bought me some on a special occasion, just as I bought it for you today. But I loved it so much that every time we came back to New Haven, I had to have a piece.”
    Takako looked up at her father. “How did you get it? You didn’t have much money growing up.”
    Her father looked down at her, surprised. It made Takako angry. It was as though he didn’t realize she could put things together for herself. “You saw how much it cost.” He sounded resigned, like he had known his one attempt to be secretly generous would fail. “I worked very hard for those candies. I was about the same age you are now and I worked all the time for my father. He didn’t give me very much because we didn’t have much, but he felt I should be paid like a regular employee. He thought it would teach me hard work would be rewarded, so he always gave me a small percentage of the profits as an allowance. It was clever parenting. If I worked hard and business improved then I would