Chapter 24. Enkelkinder sind zum Verw?hnen da.

  Part 2.

  Leaving the restaurant, they made their way to the hospital to pick up Momo. After apologizing for making her wait and receiving Momo’s apology in return, for making them go out of their way to pick her up, the group finally got the pleasantries taken care of and made their way to the mall.

  And so began Tanya’s trials and tribulations.

  ~

  Tanya didn’t know when her suffering would end. She had convinced herself beforehand that she would be a good sport about the whole thing. Ever since that night Visha had broken down in tears, Tanya had been paying special attention to her friend’s emotional needs. Combined with her grandmother’s clear desire to pamper her, Tanya felt that it would be best for both of them if she gave in and played along for a bit.

  It had been fine at first, they had mostly focused on accessories, but when they had moved onto more casual clothing the two seemed fixated on making her try on various skirts and tops, as they tried out their own clothes. What made it worse was that Tanya had been expecting to be in complete control of what she ended up purchasing, failing to realize that as her grandma, of course many of her outfits would be picked out and bought by the old hag. And that was how Tanya ended up carrying more bags than the three others combined.

  At one point they had tried to enter an undergarment store, but at this Tanya put her foot down, bravely standing her ground and excusing herself to the restroom.

  There had been a moment when her grandmother after looking troubled and Tanya would even say pouty, if she didn’t know the woman better, pulled Visha and Momo aside for a private conversation. Dreading the outcome Tanya was pleasantly surprised when they entered a fabric store next and began sifting through various bolts of material testing patterns and textures. Her grandmother explained that she wanted to show them how to make a yukata after the family style, like her mother had shown her. She was both surprised and pleased to learn that Tanya already knew how to sew and tailor clothes by hand.

  Talking it over with Visha and Momo, the two bought each other’s materials, allowing Tanya to share a moment with her grandma as they each used their own money to buy matching patterned fabric for each other. With the amount of material bought they were even able to get it delivered, at a heavily discounted rate, saving Tanya’s poor back.

  Leaving the store, Tanya felt that maybe this one stop had been the highlight of the whole shopping experience so far. That was until Visha pointed out the ice cream and crepe cart that had been highlighted on her list.

  To this day no one can truly tell who arrived at the cart first between Tanya and Visha. Neither the cart owner, nor any of the passersby could remember witnessing more than a blur of motion before two young foreign girls suddenly appeared in front of the cart. Jostling each other for position and bickering about who got to order first.

  A stunned Momo and Sonoko walked over several moments later having been left in the literal dust of their companion’s mad dash.

  ~

  Visha was having a great time. After spending the late morning looking for the perfect shoes for Tanya, her and the grandmother had gotten a bit closer. With the old woman constantly encouraging Visha to speak the language and trying to correct her as much as she could. Thankfully the eight to twelve hours a day she was forced—happily spent studying seemed to have set the foundation for her to at least start to learn how to go about learning the language.

  She even had certain words and phrases memorized and the longer she spent with the older woman the more she began to understand her speech patterns and accent. Not that that meant she understood her much better but at least now she knew which phrases Tanya’s grandmother used to say, “it means, this is, you say it like this…” and so forth. The two hours they had spent together were more educational than several days of computer work. Her continued insistence on Visha speaking the language even though she was bad at it seemed to help a lot.

  They had drawn a lot of attention wherever they went, and Tanya’s grandmother didn’t seem bothered by it at all. Often encouraging others who seemed interested to talk openly with Visha. It had been a bit embarrassing at first, but she soon got over it when she didn’t detect even a hint of malice from either Tanya’s grandma or any of the passersby.

  Now they had met up as a whole group and were finally getting to the real reason they had come together today… Clothes. Visha still found herself amazed at the sheer variety of clothing and styles on display, from scandalous to properly modest or “conservative” as Momo called them. Sizes, shapes, colors, styles, various character prints competing with elegant embroidery and lacing. All of it was available to her, and she didn’t even need to have a military coupon or ration card.

  ~

  Well over an hour later, Visha could see that Tanya was reaching her limit. Meeting eyes with Sonoko, as she had been asked to call the woman during the trip, Visha nodded her head towards Tanya and made a cutting motion across her neck with her hand. Sonoko looked over at her granddaughter and nodded back at Visha in confirmation. Message received, her look said.

  The two of them had had a wonderful time over the last two hours or so of picking out and trying on clothes, as well as picking out clothes for Tanya to try on as well. Many outfits were rejected outright, with Tanya refusing to even try them on, while others she grudgingly put on and spun around at their commands, turning this way and that. Momo however mostly refrained from actively participating when it came to Tanya, almost as if she feared reprisal. Visha held no such fear, after all, she had a secret weapon, she wasn’t afraid to tattle.

  What truly marked the end of their shopping spree was when Tanya’s grandfather rejoined them after having dropped them off after lunch, Visha had watched with no small amount of amusement as Tanya’s eyes had followed after the vehicle as it made its escape. Now he had returned and handed Tanya a small paper bag with a logo of a bitten apple printed on the front.

  Tanya seemed very surprised by the gift and Visha was now even more curious about its contents but couldn’t make out what everyone was saying other than the words “ready” and “on” but even Momo seemed excited by the gift.

  Tanya finally pulled an object from the bag and revealed a slim sleek device colored in black, pressing a button lit up a display screen and Visha finally realized what the object was, a portable phone. She had been seeing them used all day and had even messed around with one that one of the other girls had. She had been fascinated by the technology and was feeling very excited for her friend now that she had one.

  Tanya, for her part, immediately began tapping away on the device after thanking her grandfather profusely, not noticing the jealous glare her grandmother speared her husband with.

  Thinking the outing was nearing its end and looking forward to finally getting to try out ramen for the first time after having her date with the food delayed for so long, Visha was surprised when they arrived at a different destination entirely, but one that she almost instantly recognized for what it was.

  ~

  Tanya was interrupted by her grandmother while she was finalizing downloading the essential apps required for her phone to be useful beyond simple phone calls. Looking up from the screen for the first time since the object had entered her hands she was stunned by the sight before her.

  A photo studio? Looking over at the name of the studio, she came to the realization of what was going on, just as she read out the name on the fedora topped sign. Perry’s Photo Studio!

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  Oh, hell no! Tanya thought. She would rather go back to that crazy pharmacist’s shop and buy more feminine products than relive one of the worst childhood memories of each of her two lives.

  ~

  It went down exactly as Tanya remembered. After a lot of browsing of various portfolios and brochures, her grandmother eventually settled on a program. Then the group was ushered into the changing area, where they changed into sets of traditional formal robes and proceeded to pose for pictures in various groups and positions. Then came several other wardrobe changes and the process repeated.

  For each outfit change they took multiple photos, some with just Tanya and her grandparents. Others with the whole group or only the girls, then pairing off and switching partners between photos. Culminating in the final indignity of everyone wearing matching denim outfits and repeating the process.

  Tanya didn’t consider herself up to date in regard to fashion but even she knew that all denim outfits in a family portrait went out of style years ago. But there was no way she was going to tell her grandmother that. No, she just smiled and looked at the camera and patiently waited as her grandmother would rush over to the screen to make sure nobody had blinked before giving the all clear for the next one.

  Momo almost got out of this part but there was no way Tanya was suffering this embarrassment alone or providing the girl with ammo to use against her in the future. Now they were all in a sort of M.A.D. standoff, where everybody had blackmail material on everyone else, and no one wanted to be the first to push the button and go nuclear.

  Before leaving the studio Tanya made sure to get a copy of some of the photos saved to her phone. For insurance purposes only, of course.

  ~

  Visha was trailing behind with Momo as they made their way towards the restaurant for dinner. She was finally going to get to taste ramen, and it better live up to all the hype it was getting from Momo. Though, even Tanya had seemed excited about it, which led Visha to have high hopes for the culinary experience.

  Looking over at her friend, Visha decided to address the awkwardness that had been floating between them all day.

  “So, Tanya spoke to you about her plans? She decided she wants to keep you around, did you agree?”

  “She… She talked to me.”

  Momo’s ears turned red, and she continued in a quiet whisper.

  “She was so forceful and brash; just told me she didn’t care about any of…that and asked me to be her friend. She gave me a dream like it was nothing, like it was her most basic expectation for me. Even though it’s something I never thought I would be able to do myself.”

  “She has a way of doing that, but it’s good that she spoke to you, it means your worth the effort. If not, you would have been categorized as dead weight, and Tanya doesn’t waste time with dead weight. She cuts it loose and leaves it behind to die.”

  Visha bumped Momo with her hip and gave the girl a smile before further saying.

  “I’m glad you’re not dead weight, and decided to stick around, I like you, you’re a good friend.”

  Momo didn’t know how to react to that statement, so she asked a question of her own.

  “What about you, it doesn’t bother you that I’m… that I’m weak?”

  Visha surprised the girl as she gave out a loud boisterous laugh. Causing several passersby to look over at them including Tanya as she turned her head to look back at them. Seeing this Visha smiled and waved her friend over to help explain some things.

  Up to this point their conversation was difficult and stilted due to the language barrier, but Visha was able to understand most of the meaning behind Momo’s words, letting her mind fill in the gaps and specific words that weren’t understood.

  Now that Tanya had joined them, Visha asked her to give Momo a little history lesson.

  “Tanya, tell Momo here what I was like when you first met me, she wants to know if it bothers me that she’s weak.”

  Tanya gave Visha the side eye, before exhaling loudly and tearing into her former self.

  “When I first met Visha, she was a pathetic, scared little worm that had just been thrown into a muddy pit surrounded by hungry birds looking to make a meal out of her. The pitiable thing had to huddle in my shadow as I dragged her around for ages before she finally grew a spine and the brains and skills to go with it.

  “But being the paragon of virtue and charity that I am, I graciously took her under my wing and slowly built her up into the powerful and capable person you now see before you. Luckily for her she turned out to be worth all the effort, I don’t know where I’d be today without her.”

  Tanya smiled and bumped Visha’s arm with her fist playfully, letting her puzzle out her words on her own.

  “That’s right if it wasn’t for the Chibi Colonel here, I’d have never made it, and she would have lost out on me constantly making her coffee.”

  Momo Looked at the two of them with a bit of confusion before decided to just roll with it and started really smiling again. Leaving behind any residual awkwardness between her and Visha.

  ~

  Catching Visha after their shower, Tanya motioned the girl to follow her as she turned to walk outside.

  “Let’s take a walk in the garden and go over some things.”

  “Sure.”

  The two walked in silence for a bit until they made it to the same location that those unfortunate pictures had been taken the first day her grandma had come. Now Tanya was left missing how easy those pictures had been when compared to the fiasco that had been the photoshoot at the studio.

  Pushing those thoughts from her head Tanya turned to her former subordinate and began the practiced speech she had gone over in her head.

  “Things seem to be moving along more rapidly than I originally thought. My grandparents readily accepting me as well as my grandfather’s help as a lawyer seem to have expedited much of not only our paperwork but also our plans for the future. Things are going to get even more hectic in the future and we may need to cut off a few frivolous things in order to keep up.”

  “Tanya, I didn’t spend years grinding myself to dust in the war only to die and then keep grinding myself down when I don’t need to.”

  “I know that!... I know Visha, but we are so close, just a little more and we can finally relax, and have the life we deserve.”

  Visha angrily threw her hands in the air and challenged Tanya’s statement.

  “How many times have I heard that before? ‘Just a little further, one more battle, one more attack and we’ll finally beat them.’ I’ve heard that said so many times, and you know what I say. When are we going to actually start living our lives instead of planning too? Why can’t we have fun and live it up a bit while we study and work hard. What’s wrong with taking a break to go shopping or to see the sights, or even to watch a little T.V.?”

  “I’m not saying we can’t enjoy ourselves, I’m the one who approved the café visit after all, I just don’t think we can afford to keep taking whole days off as a distraction.”

  “This isn’t about the shopping trip, is it? Honestly Tanya please tell me it isn’t so.”

  Tanya stayed silent for perhaps a breath too long, giving credence to Visha’s statement and making her exhale an expletive in Russian that Tanya didn’t understand. Choosing to ignore the outburst Tanya soldiered on with her point.

  “I’ll admit that I did find it a bit bothersome that everyone went through such lengths to set me up for your little dress up party. Do you have any idea what it looks like to other people when you guys do that, especially given our situation and supposed history?”

  “That’s not what’s really bothering you and you know it. Just come out and say it, the Colonel I know wasn’t a coward.”

  Tanya nearly saw red…taking a deep breath, she managed to calm herself and recognize the statement for what it was… Visha was baiting her.

  “You want to be honest? Fine… let’s start with why you keep pushing for me to be more feminine, why are you so insistent that I wear the clothes you like to wear?”

  “BECAUSE YOU ARE FEMININE! Don’t you get that. I’m sorry I know this must be hard for you and very confusing, and I’ve tried to be gentle and take it slow, but you are a girl. Look I know about your past life, but putting that aside for now, you have to admit that the way you were raised in the army didn’t prepare you for actually living life as a woman, did it? What are you going to do when you actually start menstruating?”

  Tanya went from feeling angry and indignant, to flushed with embarrassment and try as she might, she was only able to sputter in response as her friend flipped the board on her.

  “Nothing? Well, how about your underwear? I saw what happened today at the mall when we went to that intimate apparel shop. We weren’t even there for you, and you froze up and ran off. What are you going to do when you develop and your boobs come in, huh? Keep running away? Well news flash, they are a part of you, so they tend to follow you around. And that school you keep prepping and planning for; well, I haven’t seen much of your country but every schoolgirl I have seen has been wearing one of those cute uniforms with a blouse and a skirt. Tell me your plans for that.”

  Tanya was stunned, it’s not that she hadn’t noticed or thought about these things. It’s just her mind tended to push them off as something to deal with when the time came. Well, it looked like that time was now, and Tanya suddenly found herself unready for it. Unfortunately, Visha’s tirade wasn’t over.

  “Hey, I’m sorry, I got a little caried away there…Honestly you called me out and I guess I was feeling a bit guilty for treating you as my personal dress up doll and lashed out defensively.

  However, I don’t think I’m all wrong, you really do need to at least get used to these kinds of feminine things. Try them out and see if you like them without letting your past life’s biases affect how you feel. If you do that and you still don’t like them, then that’s fine. You don’t have to wear them all the time, just when it’s required, but you should give it a chance at least.”

  Moving closer Visha’s voice softened even more and she continued.

  “Plus, it was so fun sharing my thoughts with you and I really like spending time with you and your grandmother shopping around. She seemed to really like it too. Plus… you did look really cute. Hey, don’t give me that look, this isn’t the army, being cute or pretty is a complement it’s a good thing.”

  Visha ruffled her hair, and Tanya didn’t know whether to feel pleased at the pleasant, comfortable sensation of her friends touch or offended by what it implied and decided to share some of her own thoughts instead.

  “I understand where you are coming from and… your arguments make sense. I have been… putting certain things off and avoiding them. I will try not to make such a big fuss about it in the future. However! Stop trying to trick me into things, just ask me to try or do things ok, if you want me to wear something, present your case and I’ll look into it, and maybe try it out.”

  Visha skipped away creating distance between them while giving her answer.

  “Sure thing, Tanya, but no promises. After all you look so cute with your cheeks all puffed out in anger, like a big fat frog, or in your case a chibi frog.”

  And with that Visha took off running, trying to make it back into the center, where the presence of others would socially tie Tanya’s hands when it came to retribution.

  ~