Saturday morning they met with a realtor that Takumi had contacted during the week.
Takumi told the woman, "We don't know what we're looking for, but we'll have a baby in less than a year. So can you show us a wide variety of things, and maybe it will give us more of an idea what to look for?"
The realtor put on a neutral face that made Eri afraid she was going to refuse, but instead she asked, "What's the upper limit of your price range?"
Takumi gave her a number that made the realtor look pleased, but which made Eri whisper, "Are you sure? That's more than half again what you're already paying?"
He grinned at Eri and replied calmly, "I'm sure." However he added a qualifier for the realtor, "But I need covered parking or at least storage for my motorcycle within three blocks."
"Do you want to start looking immediately at a couple of options or would you like to schedule a time to look at a variety of things?" the realtor asked.
Takumi looked at Eri and raised his eyebrows. After a moment Eri asked, "Could we do both? Since we only have a few hours until I work?"
--
They looked at two places that morning. The first was a flat in a highrise, with some similarities to Takumi's current apartment, but no tub.
The other was a duplex that made Takumi say, "This is similar to where my parents lived until my brother was born, but not as pretty I think. I don't remember it very well, but there are a lot of pictures of me there."
Eri told him shyly, "I'd like to see pictures of you when you were little."
Takumi grinned and told her, "I'll ask my father to show you some. He'll tell you all the stories about my youth that I'd rather not have you hear too I'll bet."
Eri asked hesitantly, "Are we meeting your parents next week like your mother asked?"
"If you're willing," Takumi said hopefully.
"Okay," Eri agreed.
They told the realtor that a tub should be added to the list of requirements, and then Takumi took Eri to work.
--
Eri called Takumi when her shift was only half over and asked tearfully, "Can you come pick me up?"
He got there so fast that she thought he must have broken some speed limits. When she ran up to meet him, he quickly dismounted and hugged her anxiously.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She rubbed at her face and then did her best to explain, "Sato-san asked me jokingly if you'd knocked me up yet." She gulped and sniffed her tears back before continuing, "I guess it showed on my face, because apparently he told the manager that I'm pregnant."
Takumi caressed her cheek as he asked, "Okay? So?"
"The manager called me in on my break and told me that he was giving me two weeks notice," Eri cried.
Takumi looked puzzled. "I don't think they can fire you for being pregnant."
"If they give notice they don't need a reason," she explained a little angrily even though she had to stop to sniffle again, which kind of ruined her cold tone.
He frowned, and hugged her closer.
"But it is because I'm pregnant," Eri insisted in a muffled tone. "I pointed out that it won't even show for months and he said it doesn't matter, that I won't fit the image the business wants to present soon, so they are better off training a new person before summer!" Her tone changed as she added apologetically, "I'm sorry, I got mad and left, so now I won't even have those other two weeks."
Takumi pushed her back far enough to see her face again, and looked at her seriously. Eri held her breath, until he said, "They obviously don't deserve to have you anyway."
"I can look for another job," she agreed with relief.
"You don't have to," he pointed out.
She looked up at him and he insisted, "I'm serious Eri. I may be a bit, or even a lot, old fashioned, but I don't think you should have to work and deal with having a baby."
Her brow furrowed and she bit her lip. "I don't know…"
He bent and kissed her gently, before explaining, "I know that people do, but even my parents, as crazy as they are, took a break. Our mother took three months off before each of us were born, and our father took a whole year off afterwards, even though we still traveled together when she was on tour, so that she could breastfeed in between concerts. I can remember a little of my brother's first year." He hugged her closer and insisted, "You don't have to work, and I don't really want you to."
Eri clung to him and asked unhappily, "So what will happen? Will you give me an allowance like a little kid? How will it work if I'm not working?"
He cuddled her against him and told her quietly, "I don't know. I'm willing to do it however you want, but instead of standing in the parking lot, why don't we go for something sweet and talk about it?"
She nodded and he bundled her up into her jacket and helmet.
--
Takumi took Eri to the old Tea Gardens. She gazed out the big round windows and said, "It's beautiful."
"Haven't you ever been here?" he asked with amusement.
She thought about it for a little while and answered hesitantly, "Maybe when I was very small? But I'm not sure."
He glanced out at the gardens. "I thought this was a standard dating spot." When Eri blushed silently, he looked back and added with a quick grin, "Oh. I forgot my sweet innocent hasn't visited them all yet. What about the viewpoint? The amusement park? The new aquarium?"
Eri avoided his eyes by looking down at where their hands were clasped on the table. "Chisa and I go to the amusement park every summer, since we got old enough to take summer jobs."
"So you like it?" he asked.
She looked up at him and nodded. "I really like the roller coasters, at least, not so much the crowds."
"We should go before summer arrives while it's quieter," Takumi suggested. "My friend Sora and I used to go in the winter. We'd skip school for one day and go play."
Eri grinned at him, and he smiled back at her affectionately.
After they had cakes and a pot of tea he asked, "Do you want an annuity, or an allowance? Do you want to share accounts? What will make you most comfortable?"
"I have only a vague idea what an annuity is?" Eri told him doubtfully.
"It's what rich men give wives they don't want to deal with. A yearly living basically," he explained with amusement.
She stared at him blankly.
After a moment, Takumi added, "An allowance would work more like a stay at home wife who keeps a household account, or a divorce with an alimony settlement I think."
Eri asked hesitantly, "What would you prefer?"
"Adding you to my accounts as though we're already married," he answered promptly.
"I still don't know if I want to marry you though," she objected.
"I know, that's why I'm saying you should choose, instead of demanding you let me do what I want?" he explained gently.
She thought for a little while and then said uncertainly, "I think a household account sounds best, it sounds like something either of us could contribute to when we're working, and I still think maybe I should work a little at least during the summer?"
He lifted her hand and kissed her fingertips. "Okay, let's do that."
--
Sunday they met the realtor again, and they viewed twelve different places before they finished in the early afternoon.
Takumi complimented the realtor on the wide variety. They had viewed everything from a houseboat, to an ultra modern programmable unit, to a traditional tatami style place.
Eri said unhappily, "I don't know, some of them are okay, but I'm not sure if we even learned what to look for?"
The realtor replied cheerfully, "You both prefer a full kitchen, a river view, quiet areas, and natural wood. We've learned a lot I think. I'll try to find more places with a tub and parking that match more of those criteria."
Eri stared at her in surprise and Takumi asked, "Eri, should we try to view more during the week or wait 'till next weekend?"
She turned, looked up at him, and replied uncertainly, "I don't know, I'm surprisingly tired. I definitely don't want to try to look at this many on school nights?"
He hugged her and told the realtor, "Friday afternoon?"
They set it up and then Takumi took Eri home to take a nap, before they went to have dinner at her grandparent's place.
