I’m up the next morning with a lot on my mind. I’ve ordered the ring I picked out with Lia’s help. It should get here within a day. While finalizing the purchase, I also went ahead and entered the lottery. I know my chances of winning are slim, but I could give Me-Me the wedding and honeymoon of her dreams if we won. Our entire marriage could be a honeymoon as we spend it traveling from place to place.
I find Me-Me in the dining room with her mom and dad. There’s no breakfast prepared, only some sugar cookies. That prompts me to ask Me-Me if she’d like to grab something to eat somewhere. She agrees, but we also pack up a few cookies to take with us.
Rather than trudging through the snow first thing in the morning in search of food, Me-Me and I decide to ride bikes instead. We head out the door, but Jalisa stops us before we leave.
Jalisa: I just wanted to tell you that we’ll be meeting for a family dinner tonight in Senbamachi. Me-Me, you know the place, we had dinner there the last time we visited. Will you be able to make it?
Melisa: I think I remember.
Kai: What time?
Jalisa: We want to be there by 8.
Kai: That sounds good. *to Me-Me* Is that okay with you?
Melisa: Sure. *to Jalisa* We’ll see you there, mom.
Jalisa: Great. Enjoy your day! And be careful out there.
Me-Me takes off on her bike, making me work hard on slick tires in the snow to catch up. We decide to revisit the food stand we ate at last night. As I mentioned before, there aren’t many other choices other than vending. Luckily the food is good. Me-Me and I both order ramen, which is entirely different from the instant ramen we’ve grown used to while in college. The ramen here is on a different level. We sit down at the picnic bench with our food.
Melisa: So, what do you want to do today?
Kai: Are you up for some rock climbing again? With the proper gear this time, of course.
Melisa: I guess we’d better if we hope to be good enough to climb Mt. Komo, right?
I’m anxious to get started on that – or at least be able to move on from the smaller climbs. Me-Me doesn’t sound very enthused, but maybe the idea will grow on her as our skills increase. We finish up our meal and ride back towards the rock climbing cliffs.
With climbing gear equipped, we attempt our ascent up the wall. A protruding section of rock blocks my view of Me-Me, so I can’t see how she’s doing. But I’m killing it so far. I add a bit of challenge to my climb.
Suddenly, I hear loose rocks falling and a thud to the ground.
Kai: Me-Me! Are you okay?
I can’t tell whether she’s landed her feet or something else. So I start making my way down to check on her until I finally hear her response.
Melisa: I’m okay.
Hearing her approach the wall and begin climbing again reassures me that she’s okay.
My challenge is successful. I climb back down, satisfied with the skill I’ve gained, and go over to check on Me-Me’s progress. She’s struggling a bit with the loose rocks, so I give her a few pointers.
Kai: Don’t move your feet until you’re sure your hands are secure. When you have a good grip, use your legs to push up.
She follows my directions and makes it to the top. However, she doesn’t seem very happy with her progress when she climbs down.
Melisa: I’m terrible at this.
Kai: What do you mean? You did just fine.
Melisa: Kai, I can barely walk a few feet without slipping on the ground – so how am I supposed to climb up a whole mountain?
One thing this trip has shown me is that Me-Me is very clumsy. She’s slipped and almost fallen in the snow more times than I can count. Still, I do my best to reassure her.
Kai: I slip too. You can do this! And climbing up Mt. Komorebi is a long-term goal. It’s not something we have to attempt during this trip. It’ll take a lot of training.
Melisa: I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough to try it.
Kai: Maybe we should practice on less icy rocks. Do you think that would help?
Melisa: I don’t know.
I don’t want her frustration to grow any more than it already has.
Kai: Maybe we should try something else. How about sledding?
Me-Me agrees to go sledding, so we hurry to the bunny slopes nearby. I can already see that I’ll have to tread lightly about the whole rock climbing thing. Pushing her too far too fast will be pointless, and I hate feeling like I’m trying to talk her into something that she doesn’t want to do. Climbing Mt. Komorebi is my dream, not hers. There may come a time when I’ll find myself seeking out another climbing partner and releasing her from the challenge altogether.
I climb into the sled, and Me-Me steps in and sits down in front of me. We take off down the hill, hit a few bumps that send us sailing in the air and slow down to a stop at the bottom without incident. Sledding is fun, but I’m ready for a new challenge.
(Generation 3 Chapter Summaries)
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