Oyomesan Duty - Day 1

I am in charge. I AM the Decider. 
And the Moaner. And the Whinger. Probably.

Yujiro has gone away for a week on his annual visit-old-friends-near-Tokyo trip which he tries to do every year between the summer job and the ski work. He didn't go last year because my Dad died and then the cat died. He didn't go 2 years ago because he was cleaning Okaasan's house and bringing her up here. So he is well overdue a bit of Drinking With Old Buddies time.

I enjoy it, usually....a bit of me time too. I can control the TV remote. Try to eat more vegetables. Leave dirty cups everywhere and only nag myself.
This time: Oyomesan Duties in all their glory.
7 whole days of making sure she is fed and arranged. Chatting to her at dinner.

So.

Day 1.

Started with a big fat WHITE LIE.
We agreed to leave it until the day he was leaving for Yujiro to drop it on poor Okaasan that her sweet boy was leaving for a week and abandoning her to That Woman Who Can't Cook. Not point in getting her worried too early.

So I set off to work He gave her an early lunch before hula dance.
And told her.
"I'm going away to Tokyo for a week.
For ski training."
?????????????????????????????????????
Tokyo? Ski training?
WTF???
What kind of ski training is that exactly??? Even Okaasan must wonder about that!!!

He's a coward. Plain and simple. He can't just say: Going on holiday to see friends. It has to be wrapped up in some blarney about being an essential trip which is work-related??? In Japan anything work-related is acceptable as an excuse.
But this?? Baloney!!!!! Who goes ski training in Tokyo???
And now I have to feed this great porky pie this week!!!!

Anyway. Came home. Okaasan staggered in thru the rain about 5 pm.
I checked she wanted dinner and just fed her: easy dinner of chili tofu in a packet, rice, salad, soup, pickles.
I mentioned that it was lucky Yujiro had gone to Tokyo before the heavy rain...and that got her into a chain of conversation topics:
hula dance - Hawaii - souvenirs - Haneda airport - culture school classes - my husband didn't let me do culture school classes - travel - souvenirs - New York - Tokyo Banana cake - Taiwan bananas are the best in the world.....
And at Taiwan bananas Part 6 I ducked out. Grabbed some laundry from the utility room and used the excuse that it needed drying upstairs. And Escaped.
Day 1. Mission Accomplished.


AGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!