The Intruder

Asuka had locked herself in her bathroom and refused to step out. She sat there on the bathroom floor, angry and devastated. She sobbed soft tears and realized how immature she was being, but she just couldn’t seem to stop the continuous flow of tears from her sea green eyes. Her mother tapped gently on the bathroom door saying, “Asuka, get out here. What’re you doing inside? Come out and tell me what the matter is.” The woman had a strong accent, and she seemed to be struggling with her English. Asuka jerked the door open.

Her mother looked down at her and said, “There you are. What happened to you? Why are you crying?” Asuka kept quiet, but once the anger inside her began to build up again, she told her story. Her stepbrother had read her secret diary, which she had kept safely for over a few months now. He had intruded upon her privacy without her permission and she did not appreciate it the slightest bit.

On hearing this, her mother laughed a muffled laugh and spoke gently. She said, “Asuka, I will talk to your brother. Now stop crying and forget about what happened.”She then walked out of the room. Asuka felt betrayed. She had thought her mother would at least acknowledge the fact that what her stepbrother had done was wrong and unacceptable, but clearly she had thought of it as a minor issue that did not require any action to be taken. In that moment, Asuka felt disappointed in her mother, and stupid for having created such a scene.

Ever since Asuka’s mother had married the Englishman, she had divided her time equally between Asuka and Daniel, her  stepson. She had always thought of Daniel as her own son and had imagined that Daniel would become the best of friends with her real daughter, but that had not happened. Not yet atleast. Asuka had felt that the Englishman and his son had intruded upon her family and tried ever so hard to become a part of it. She wished they had been unsuccessful in doing so, but they had clearly made a place for themselves in it.  There had been a great mixing of the British and Japanese cultures, which had resulted in Asuka being unhappy and dissatisfied with the outcome.

However, the following winter, Asuka and Daniel played outside in the snow together almost everyday. They would make the most beautiful snow angels and decorate the Christmas tree together. They bonded over their favourite season and soon enough, grew accustomed to each other. Asuka had also grown fond of her new father. He paid great attention to her needs and had been helping her with her studies lately. He was paying for her English tuitions and seemed to be taking great interest in her education and welfare. Asuka began to understand why her mother loved them both so much. She no longer thought of the Englishman and his son as intruders, but as her very own family.