I (Hiroko) live with my husband and daughter. My son, Tatsuya (24), is in his second year of work. He landed a job at a major corporation and lives on his own in the city. He rarely shows his face back home, but I figure no news is good news and cheer him on from the sidelines. My daughter, Nami (20), is a sophomore in college. Between her part-time job and clubs, she seems to be loving campus life. Now that the kids are all grown up, I was looking forward to finally enjoying a life of my own.
Tatsuya never had a thing going on with girls. I’d never even heard a whisper about him dating anyone. So, of course, this was the first time he’d ever said, “There’s someone I want you to meet.” The girlfriend he brought home seemed like a perfectly lovely person, but…
The moment he said, “And her son, Haruki,” I felt the blood drain from my face.Wait, a son? Is she a single mother…?I was completely blindsided and didn’t know how to react.