I live with my husband, Masato, and our three kids—Yuma (7th grade), Rei (5th grade), and Tact (2nd grade). Life’s a blur with both of us working, but Masato’s always hands-on with the kids. Then one day, we got word that my mother-in-law had been diagnosed with a serious illness. Being an only child, Masato really has no choice but to step in. Until now, we’ve had a comfortable, slightly distant relationship with his parents—but that might be about to change.
At first, I couldn’t make sense of what my mother-in-law was saying. After sixteen years of marriage, I was suddenly told that my husband has an older brother—and that he’s been living at home for over twenty years? What? Of course, I was worried about her health, but the shock of learning about this “hidden brother” completely froze my mind.
How could Masato have kept that from me all this time? And he doesn’t even work—he just stays home, “saving his energy to go out into the world someday”? Isn’t that what people call a shut-in? My thoughts were spinning, and even Masato’s apology—his quiet “I’m sorry”—barely registered.