The promise two men made at the front door during the few seconds I was away

#nana56b


Synopsis

In the living room of my parents’ house, lit by an orange light bulb, there was an atmosphere that felt different from usual—somewhat tense, yet warm.

Him, my parents, and me. The dining table, where the four of us were gathered, was set with dishes my mother had put her heart into. The conversation was pleasant. We started by catching up on recent events, moved on to reminiscing, and naturally touched on our future. My parents smiled the entire time, and I could tell they were genuinely happy about our marriage.

However, the man sitting next to me seemed somewhat restless. He kept staring at the glass in his hand and repeatedly straightening his posture. He was supposed to have come here today with a certain “resolution.” Yet, that one decisive phrase—“Please let me marry your daughter”—just wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

Every time the conversation paused, I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He would start to say something, swallow the words deep in his throat, miss his chance, and then let his shoulders slump slightly. In the end, the gathering came to a close without anyone ever broaching the subject at hand.

“…Well, I guess I’ll be heading out now.”

To see him off—he looked apologetic—I headed for the front door first. A moment later, I heard the sound of his footsteps coming from the living room.

At the front door, he bowed deeply, very deeply, to my parents. Saying only, “Thank you very much,” he left my parents’ house.


On the walk home, as the stillness of the night spread around us, we walked side by side. The light from the streetlamp faintly illuminated his profile. After remaining silent for a while, he suddenly stopped and murmured in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

“…Your dad was crying.”

Startled, I peered at his face. My father—a strict man who never shows his tears?
“Huh? Why? When…?”

Keeping his eyes downcast, he began to speak quietly.

“You went ahead to the front door, right, Aya-chan? At that moment, I… looked Dad in the eye and said, ‘I’ll definitely make Aya-chan happy.’”

I was at a loss for words. He continued.

“Then Dad squeezed my hand tightly… With a faint glimmer of tears in his eyes, he said, ‘Please take good care of my daughter.’ It was the first time I’d ever felt such a strong grip.”


A promise exchanged between two men at the front door during the few seconds I was gone.

The night breeze stung the back of my nose, and my eyes began to burn.

On my way home after parting ways with him, I kept thinking, “That strict father of mine, actually showing his tears…”

I had never seen my father cry before.

When I got home and peeked in quietly, my father was sitting with his back to me, watching TV.

I couldn’t bring myself to ask him about what I’d just heard from him.

A promise between just the two of them…

I decided to keep that gently tucked away in my heart.

Instead, I murmured in …