Reminiscing About the Past

The next day, early in the morning.

It was still too early for the sun to be shining, but it wasn't completely dark, either.

When the faint red sunlight had brightened the room just enough for me to make things out, I got up.

Maybe it was because I was sleeping somewhere different, or because coming back to my childhood home had reminded me of the routine I used to have back then, or maybe it was simply because I'd come back early after a grueling shopping trip and gone straight to bed.

At any rate, I woke early, quietly creaked open the bedroom door, and tiptoed into the kitchen.

The moment I entered, I caught the smell of black tea.

Mom had taken a short trip to Japan during her school days. She once visited a teahouse she found there, and she said she'd been captivated by the tea ceremony ever since.

The scent of the black tea leaves and the other tea leaves mixed together in the cupboard was more pleasant than I'd expected.

'Well, pleasant smells mixed with pleasant smells aren't going to stink.'

I boiled some water in a pot and found the notes Mom had written down a long time ago...