Antique Shop?BEAR? - Chapter 24
Chapter 24 – Forget-me-not Vase
August 1st.
?The first opening day of antique shop “BEAR”?
The first person to step into the shop was Kamata, the president of the Kamata Estate Liquidation Company that specialized in cleaning up the belongings of the dead where Kuma worked. Kamata showed up with a large bouquet of flowers. It was carefully decorated with opening gifts and decorations. He opened the door with such force that the bell swayed vigorously.
“Good evening.”
“Boss. Thank you for coming all this way.”
“What, no need to be so formal.”
Kamata directed a smile at Kuma as he stood up from the register. Coming from Mie prefecture, Kamata had an accent unique to Tokai people.
“Wow, this is quite a stylish place. Are you wearing a kimono, Kuma? It suits you.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Well, since I’m here, I might as well buy something.”
Kuma stood next to Kamata.
“Accessories? If only my wife is still here.”
Shifting his attention swiftly away from the jewelry shelf and glancing at the shelf next to it, Kamata looked at the vase with a start.
“That vase couldn’t have been my wife’s great-grandmother’s, right?”
The vase was made of white ceramic with blue flowers on it.
“Indeed. You remember that.”
“I thought that looked familiar. No, Kuma… for you to have this.”
“This vase, I’ll give it to you, boss.”
“What, isn’t today the first day of opening? Of course, I must buy it instead.”
“It originally belonged to Hitoe, your wife, and I believe it is… a cherished possession.”
“… I suppose… You took good care of it, didn’t you?”
“I’ll wrap it up for you.”
Kamata sat down before the cash register and gazed at the vase joyfully. On the cash register was a golden brass candlestick with a candle lit on it. Kamata placed the bouquet of flowers he brought next to the candlestick.
“My wife will be happy in heaven when she sees this. Since I broke the vase on the altar a long time ago, I haven’t kept any flowers for a while.”
Kuma meticulously wrapped the vase and handed it to Kamata.
“Thank you.”
“Likewise, thank you.”
Without asking any questions, Kamata put 10,000 yen on the register and rose to his feet.
“The payment is…”
“It’s a housewarming gift.”
“… Thank you…”
“Oh, and don’t oversleep tomorrow.”
Kamata was accompanied by Kuma to the storefront and exited the shop.
Kamata promptly set the vase on the altar upon returning home.
“Hitoe, Kuma still kept the vase that belonged to your great-grandmother.”
The vase was purchased by his wife, Hitoe, for her great-grandmother and had been displayed on the Buddhist altar in their old house. When Hitoe’s grandmother passed away ten years ago, they decided to demolish the house they lived in, and when they sorted through her belongings, Kuma bought the vase. To Kamata, the vase had no value. Purchases are basically for things with worth, such as precious metals, antiques, and furniture. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to encounter the vase again in this manner.
Kamata spent some time in the living room, drinking beer and eating snacks. On the television, the results of the baseball game and the news of the day were being broadcast.
Kamata’s wife, Hitoe, succumbed to breast cancer three years ago. Before her death, she had been employed at the sales office ever since Kamata established his business, but after discovering that she had breast cancer, Kamata had advised her to retire.
“Being at home and going back and forth to the hospital is so tedious.”
His wife was constantly beaming and carried on working until she was hospitalized. Kamata had a hectic work schedule and irregular lifestyle, as well as a tendency to drink and smoke, for which the doctor had cautioned him, thus he never dreamed that his wife would be diagnosed with cancer before him. After the surgery to remove cancer, Kamata took time off from work to accompany his wife as the anti-cancer treatment was initiated.
“Are you okay?”
“Absolutely! Just go to work this afternoon!”
He thought that Hitoe would make a full recovery, but the cancer had started to metastasize from the time they learned about it, and in the end, it had spread to her bones. At the time, the pain was so immense that she could not even turn over in her sleep, and she became a different person, thin and listless.
On the vigil over the dead body, Hitoe was returned to the house. Before his daughter and grandchildren arrived, Kamata secretly opened the coffin and viewed Hitoe’s face by himself. Her face was covered with beautiful make-up and it seemed as if she was asleep before her death.
“Hitoe… you did a great job!”
Kamata was completely unconvinced by the death of his thirty-five years wife, but upon touching the cold and motionless Hitoe, he realized for the first time that she had indeed passed away.
“… Hitoe…”
Kamata was overwhelmed with tears. Even after dealing with so many deaths in the past, a deep sense of isolation and melancholy washed over him.