Mission Oyomesan.

He's gone.
I am in charge. The Decider. For 8 days.


Done it before. Will almost certainly do it again, and again...and again.
Of course it IS getting easier - my general relationship with Okaasan is much better now and I have a stock of easy-acceptable ideas for food that she'll eat.
I hope there won't be any more hiding in the second floor rooms and peeing in a trashbox as I did in "Second Floor Ghost in Nov. 2009"


Now I am a mature, sensible, calm, organised Oyomesan.
Spend a week with Okaasan? No problemo!


Well.
Maybe.


He left at lunchtime, this time being honest with Okaasan and telling her he was going to Tokyo to see friends etc. Last year he lied and told her he was going on a ski instructors' course...in one of the biggest cities in Asia....and I had to perpetuate that lie for a week.


Today I came home late afternoon and shouted basic greetings to Okaasan from the kitchen...my coming home woke her up and 30 mins later at 5 pm she set out, in the dark of course - the evening walk.
I set the crab sushi on the table, heated up the soup and put it in a flask, made a quick salad and left the "I/We are out tonight, so please have dinner alone" sign on the kitchen table. I checked on the cell phone GPS that Okaasan was only at the local supermarket, and just after 6 pm I headed back out to work.
All ok. Evening class. A quiet dinner for me with the newspaper in a local cheapo restaurant.


Got home at 8.15 pm. One cat sitting on the doorstep to greet me....with my key I opened the door locks, tried again, pulled the door.....WHAT???????????


The security chain was on the door inside!!!
Okaasan had locked both regular locks AND the security chain!!!


I had to ring the doorbell and get her staggering blearily into the hall to let me into the house!
"I thought I was on my own. I thought I should lock the door, I forgot?"
"No! no! Yujiro is away in Tokyo, but I am STILL HERE! I was just at work!"


Great. Maybe the cats will have to show me the way to jump in via the shed roof....of course with a dead rat in my mouth.


Mission Oyomesan. The first night.
Over and Out.