Tales from Far Away

Peach Boy and Tea Girl

Once upon a time, there lived a boy whose family sold peaches. Every day after school, the boy would sit, and watch his family run their peach stall, learning the family trade. One day, when the boy was around seven, he noticed most of the other stores like his family’s were starting to disappear one by one.

A few remained, like theirs, but those that disappeared, were replaced by stores with big logos and flashy interiors. The stores that did remain, like his family’s benefited greatly from the new name-brand stores. They brought in more foot traffic and younger customers.

A good few years passed, and Yuzu was now working part-time at his family’s peach store. One day, after walking from school as usual to begin his shift, he noticed the store directly across from theirs had closed down.

‘’Even big-name stores can go under,’’ he thought.

‘’Yuzu!’’ his father called.

“Coming, Father,” he said.

“Ahh, my back,”the old man groaned with a cigarette in his mouth.

Then soon after, a new shop was already under construction. Every day, Yuzu would peek in through the windows to try and guess what kind of store it would be. One afternoon, as he was peeking in, a hand touched his shoulder and startled him and said.

“Sorry, young man. I didn’t mean to give you a fright, but if you don’t mind me asking-what are you doing?” the woman asked.

“I was just trying to see what kind of store this is going to be.” he replied.

“Oh,” she said.

”Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore. Why don’t you come inside? I can give you a little tour.”

Yuzu stared blankly.

“Don’t worry. I’m the new owner of this tea shop. That girl over there is my daughter, Mugi. She’s a bit busy, as you can see.”

“Anyway, we’re opening tomorrow. You’re welcome to come by, and please tell your parents to stop by too. We’re doing a buy-one-get-one-free on selected items.”

“Thanks for the invite, but I need to start my shift now. My family owns the peach stall right across from you.”

“Ah, I see. Spying on the new competition?”

Yuzu looked flustered “Oh, no-” he said

“I’ am teasing.”she replied with a smile.

He gave a nervous laugh.

“Thank you but. I’II be leaving now. It was nice meeting you.”

“Okay then, bye!” she replied.

He ran off quickly, afraid she might start talking again. He greeted his father and went into the storage room to change into his work clothes. While he got dressed, outside the woman said to her daughter.

“Mugi, dear, will the plumber be here before tomorrow?”

“Yes, they said someone will arrive in about an hour.”

“Good. Did you see that boy who just left?”

“Kind of”

“His school uniform-it’s the same school you’ll be attending. Maybe you’ll be classmates.”

“Maybe, he looks a little older than me though, she added.

“l can’t believe l have to start school on the same day we open.”

 Her mother said“l know. But what can we do?”

A little while after they went inside, Yuzu came out of the storage room and started helping customers, Yuzu looked across the street again. The papers covering the windows had been removed. The girl who had been speaking on the phone was now writing the word “Closed” on a board as she stood on a stool. He looked at her quietly.

In that moment, Mugi looked around, stepped down from the stool, and caught Yuzu’s eyes. She nodded in recognition. He nodded back. For a moment they just looked at each other in thought and went on again in the rhythm of life.

The next day they noticed each other while walking on the way to school soon they found themselves becoming more closer. Then after months and seasons past the high school years began.

One day, while Mugi was walking with two friends to school, we see a nervous and flushed-face Yuzu bowing forward with his arms stretched out, both hands holding what could be nothing but a confession letter.

Mugi, surprised, reached out her hand and took the letter of love, then looked at Yuzu with a loving but shy smile. Yuzu no longer bent over, sighed relieved that she accepted. Later that same day, Mugi while serving tea to a customer, she noticed Yuzu looking at her from across the street. She smiled.

Yuzu, distracted, gave a customer too much change. His father seeing this whacked him on the head with a newspaper. Mugi chuckled as Yuzu repeatedly bent over in apology.

After finishing their shifts, they met between their family stores, held hands, and walked into the city lights. And went to a carnival, where they played games, won stuffed animals, shot down cardboard ducks, and ate candy floss.

After the evening of fun, they walked with arms intertwined through the city. Store lights, streetlights, skylight, and car lights shone down on them as a sea of people moved all around.

Mugi and Yuzu walked on, their arms full of bounty from the adventure. At that moment, tucked tightly into Yuzu’s side, Mugi looked up at him as he ate his candy floss and kissed his cheek.

She kept walking silently. Yuzu, now with a silly flushed look on his face, kept walking both of them smiling with a quiet sense of knowing.

Seasons passed. Every evening, every working day, they would meet between the family stores and walk each other home-through snow, through rain, in the heat, and in the cool breeze of spring. 

Sometimes, they guided a lost stranger or helped an old man who had drunk just a little to much. Now Mugi 23 and Yuzu 24, they are both co-running the family stores, one evening, as they closed up shop, Yuzu before turning around to meet Mugi took something out of his pocket and looked at it.

It was a wedding ring box. After hiding it behind his back, he walked up to Mugi, who was waiting for him to finish up. He bent down on one knee in the cold snow and presented the ring to her. Mugi, speechless, looked at him in silence, her eyes full of emotion.

Now at Mugi’s mothers apartment we see her mother setting on her sofa, with legs crossed, and with a basket of peaches in view on her coffee table.

She suddenly choked a little on her tea as she looked at her daughter, Mugi, who was sitting on a pillow, kneeling with Yuzu by her side as he asked for her hand in marriage-sweating so much that you could clearly see the sweat stains through his dark gray suit.

Mugi looked at her mother with a loving smile, and her mother looked back with a face of shock and delight. Fast forward to the wedding day, we see Yuzu’s father fixing his tie while his mother watched as he got ready for the photo the lovely couple were wearing the kind of smiles that could make anyone's eyes look closed.

Now settling into the rhythm of their new life as a married couple-back to working and running the family business one night, while closing up shop, Mugi handed Yuzu a small white box. He looked at her with a curious expression, then opened it to find a pair of tiny baby shoes.

 As he looked up at Mugi, if you were there, you could visibly see a little life drain from his eyes. In that moment, he fainted-tipping over, the whites of his eyes gently showing mid-fall, while Mugi reached out, trying to catch him. 

Time had passed Mugi, now visibly pregnant, was sitting on her sofa in their newly moved-in apartment. Yuzu, sitting cross-legged, beside her as she eat sliced peaches while watching TV.