Light and dark

[106]

“MY BIG brother is so obstinate,” O-Hide said abruptly. Having been driven into the position of having to offer her sister-in-law an explanation, she felt in her heart even as she spoke a renewed hatred for her. She had never seen a woman so brazen and disingenuous as O-Nobu appeared to her at that moment.

“It’s true, I have a stubborn husband,” O-Nobu said, turning at once toward Tsuda. “You really are stubborn, Yoshio! It’s just as Hideko-san says. It’s a trait you really must work on.”

“What’s so stubborn about me?”

“I can’t say exactly—”

“Is it that I’ll try anything I can think of to get money out of Father?”

“That’s it, yes.”

“But I haven’t said a word about extracting money.”

“No, how could you? And even if you did, what good would it do?”

“Then how am I being stubborn?”

“It’s no good your asking because I just don’t know. But it’s there somewhere, a stubborn part.”

“Idiot!”

Notwithstanding this imprecation, O-Nobu’s smile was if anything contented. O-Hide could endure no more.

“Brother! Why won’t you accept what I brought you without protesting? Gratefully.”

“Grateful or ungrateful, stubborn or meek as a lamb hardly matters, I don’t see you offering me anything.”

“How can I offer when you won’t tell me you’ll accept?”

“From where I stand, I can’t accept anything because you’ve given me nothing to accept.”

“But if you don’t acknowledge you’re accepting something when you take it, I can’t feel good about it either.”

“Then what should I do?”

“It should be plain as day.”

All three were silent a moment.

Tsuda spoke up abruptly.

“O-Nobu, how about apologizing to O-Hide?”

O-Nobu looked at her husband as though dismayed.

“For what?”

“I think she intends to give me what she’s brought if only you’ll apologize. That’s what O-Hide is thinking.”

“I don’t mind apologizing. If you tell me to, I’ll apologize as much as you like. It’s just that—”

O-Nobu looked at O-Hide entreatingly. O-Hide interrupted.

“Brother, what are you saying? When did I say I wanted an apology from Sister? If you accuse me falsely of something like that, how will I look Sister in the eye?”

Silence descended once again. Tsuda intentionally said nothing. There was no necessity for O-Nobu to speak. O-Hide gathered herself.

“Believe it or not, Brother, I think of myself as dutiful where you two are concerned.”

O-Hide had finally managed to get this far when Tsuda abruptly interposed a question.

“Hold on a minute. Are you talking about duty or kindness? Which?”

“To me they’re the same thing.”

“Is that so? That leaves me nothing to say. And then?”

“There’s no and then! I’m speaking about because. It hurts me to have you thinking I went behind your backs and provoked Father and Mother and deprived you both of freedom as a result. That’s why I came here today, because I want to provide you with just the amount you need. The truth is, I wanted to come the minute Sister called yesterday, but there was something I had to do at home in the morning, and in the afternoon I had to go the bank on the same business and was unable to get here. It’s such a small amount of money it isn’t worth talking about; I just want to say it seems a shame that you can be so unaware of my concern for you.”

O-Nobu studied Tsuda’s face as he maintained his silence.

“Say something, Yoshio!”

“Such as?”

“Such as Thanks! Thanks to O-Hide for her kindness.”

“I don’t appreciate having my arm twisted to be grateful for such a piddling amount of money.”

“I just said I wasn’t looking for your gratitude!” O-Hide exclaimed defensively, her voice rising toward shrillness. O-Nobu managed to preserve the calmness she had begun with.

“That’s why I’m saying you should put your stubbornness behind you and say thanks. If you dislike the idea of borrowing the money then don’t take it, but thank O-Hide-san anyway.”

O-Hide grimaced. Tsuda’s mien conveyed his disgruntlement.