I’m Hiroko. After raising my son Tatsuya and my daughter Nami, I now live with just my husband. Years ago, Tatsuya introduced us to Chisato (then 35), a single mother eleven years his senior, and her five-year-old son, Haruki. Because my husband and I were so against it, the marriage talk fell through. But now, fifteen years later, Tatsuya says he’s finally getting married—and the woman he brought home was Chisato (now 50). When Nami told me, “It feels like you completely changed the course of my brother’s life,” I was devastated.
I’m sure it sounds hollow coming from me now. But in this moment, an apology is all I have to give. By failing to give them our blessing fifteen years ago, we didn’t just hurt Tatsuya and Chisato—we derailed Haruki’s life, too. Seeing how happy they are together now, I realize we never should have stood in their way. “She’s eleven years older,” “She’s a single mother,” “Tatsuya will be the one struggling”—those were all just superficial excuses. I am left with nothing but regret.