“Don’t slow down now, dude, you’ve got another 297 to go, no no, another 286. Ha, ha, look at this guy go.”
Sean bent low over his knees, bopping his dreadlocked head up and down to keep count, but Ryu was too fast for him.
“Ha ha ha, wow man, you’re a machine.”
Ryu looked ahead of him, using his thumb and forefingers for balance as he hoisted his body up and down from the floor. To say the least, having Mel ride his back did nothing to make his morning pushups any easier. His red t-shirt was already wet with sweat and his head felt dizzy.
“Smelvin, check out the vein on his forehead,” Sean laughed, commenting to Mel. “He must have done close to 1000 by now.” The boys were relentless.
“Hmmm, Mom,” Mel said, shoving a banana cinnamon waffle into his mouth. “Thish ish pfweety good.”
Mel took no notice of the mess he was making as he leaned forward to wave a half-eaten waffle over Ryu’s face.
“Want some?” he said with a cheeky grin. His expression dropped when he saw his mother scowl at him, but then Sean made him laugh again.
Ryu was ready to hurl. He knew it wasn’t a good idea to so thoroughly obey the pleas of two teenagers right after a mammoth breakfast. As Eliza had lain out the waffles, turkey strips, and pancakes, Ryu couldn’t help but shovel the food in. First, he slathered maple syrup over the raspberry pancakes, then he drank a thick shake along with scrambled turkey and eggs. He regretted it now, but he was on vacation, as Ken had reminded him plenty of times.
Ryu tried to speak in protest, but the pressure of Mel’s weight made him splutter. He could hear everyone laughing at him with Sean’s continued commentary describing the look on his face.
“Whoa, cowboy, I think your horse is ready to collapse,” Ken laughed, straining himself to peer over the table where the boys huddled around Ryu. “Can you believe it? Ryu - the mighty warrior toppled by two kids? I bet this oughta do it,” he said, flicking a dry piece of turkey across the limestone kitchen floor.
“Ken, no,” Eliza said, appalled at the escalating mess, but before she had the chance to say more, a loud whistle echoed from Ken’s direction.
“Oh no,” she groaned, dragging her hand over her face.
Their black Doberman entered the kitchen with its ears pricked up and alert.
“Sparky, here boy,” Ken cooed, slapping at his thighs.
With the sound of his master’s voice, the dog ran up to him at once, and snatched the meat from his hand.
“243...242...241...” Sean continued, adamant to keep count of Ryu’s efforts.
“I told you not to feed that dog junk, Ken,” Eliza said, shaking her head at his indulgence. “Dr. Sloane said that if you continue to feed him the way you do, he’ll end up obese and dead like Milton.”
Ken smirked, releasing the dog to let it explore the floor space. Ryu watched Sparky from the corner of his eye and felt his legs go weak. For some strange reason, that dog loved him.
“Get...off,” Ryu muttered in between holding his breaths, but the wet tongue licked over his already moistened face. He collapsed to the ground wrestling to get Sparky off him with Sean and Mel also on the ground, rolling in laughter.
“Ken, are you going to let them treat him like that?” Eliza said warily. She hadn’t expected their breakfast together in the house to be such a drama.
“Nah, the dog’s used to it.”
“I meant Ryu,” she snapped, pointing at her husband’s guest. “Oh, why do I even bother trying?” she said loudly for Ken’s benefit, but he seemed too busy reading the paper to even listen to her.
She yanked Sparky by the collar, yelling, “No, Sparky. Bad dog, naughty dog,” but feeling her energy level drop, Eliza released the dog before slouching into an empty chair.
“You cheated, Ken,” Ryu finally said, taking a seat beside her at the end of the table. “I only had a few more to go.”
“You whiny baby,” Ken joked. “Can’t you chill for one day?”
“Yeah well,” Ryu huffed, wiping his brow with a clean napkin. “It’s your turn now.”
Ken frowned at him. “With a full stomach? No way, I’m already getting a belly.” He lifted his shirt, exposing a tight ripped stomach. He tapped at it humorously.
“Well, I think I’m getting a stomach ache,” Ryu said, rubbing over his t-shirt.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed eating American food. He remembered once returning to Japan with extra weight on him. It was the perfect excuse to continue his training routine, but he was in no hurry to leave.
Since arriving in San Francisco, Ryu had developed a quick bond with Ken’s family. Mel no longer thought him scary, Sean was determined to train harder, and Eliza was the perfect hostess as usual. This was the holiday he needed so desperately to escape from his single-minded dedication. Even if he wanted to train, Sean and Mel made sure things were a little creative.
“It’s a vacation, it’s a vacation,” he mumbled to himself.
Eliza bit her lip taken aback by Ryu’s discomfort, then a sudden realization filled her with joy. For the first time in a long time, her family was sitting together at the dining table. Too often she was left alone in the house to make small talk with the house cleaners while Mel was at school, and Sean and Ken were at work. Despite her previous reservation, she felt surprised to hold such warm feelings for Ryu. His presence alone had compelled Ken to take some needed time off, and the kids were accommodating Ryu by letting him play basketball with them.
She peered at her husband with great curiosity. It was strange to see him so engrossed with reading. He rarely looked up, and he was finding what he needed on the table by feeling around with his hands.
“Anything interesting, babes?” Eliza asked him with a note of fake interest. He had been so quiet for so many minutes, whatever he was reading really had his attention.
“Nah,” he murmured, barely looking at her.
Now irritation filled her. Ken had been so busy with Ryu that he hardly noticed her. She had even dressed up for her husband by imitating Marilyn Monroe, wearing the fresh white halter neck dress he loved so much. But even that maneuver had failed.
Sean and Mel occupied themselves with the dog and Ryu had his eyes closed to the world.
Eliza sighed. She almost felt jealous of the stupid dog, which seemed to get more affection in the house than she had for months. No one had even bothered to thank her for breakfast, nor offered her a serving. With Ryu’s special visit, she had thought it would be kind to offer him home cooking instead of eating out all the time. Perhaps tomorrow she wouldn’t bother.
Fiddling nervously with her long blonde hair, she pursed her lips, not knowing what to say to Ryu. He was hardly the chatty type and they had little in common. Licking her lips, she made a start anyway.
“Got a belly ache, Sunshine?” she asked, painfully smiling at him. Ryu waved in response. Well that didn’t fire a conversation, Eliza thought grimly. She rested her head dejectedly against her hand.
“You want anything for the pain? Ginger ale, Pepto-Bismol, anything?” she tried again.
Ryu lifted his head up with a look of alarm. “I’ll be fine. Just need to sit for a bit. Thanks.”
“No way, dude, we’ve got a packed day today,” Ken interrupted, winking at him.
“Yeah, I wanna go to Pier 39,” Mel tuned in, pushing Sparky to Sean who started to annoy him. “My friend Matty is trying out as one of the street performers. I SO gotta check that out, yeah, Dad?”
Ryu noticed that Mel and Ken had the same brash smile.
“Well, kiddo, you’re the boss. That’s if it’s okay with you, Ryu.”
Ryu shrugged. “So long as there’s no boat ride.”
“Ahhhh, man,” Sean moaned a little too loudly. “That’s the best part.”
Eliza was stunned. As soon as Ken opened his mouth, the rest of the family suddenly came to life.
“Don’t you wanna know what I wanna do?” she as
ked, looking around the table, hoping that someone was interested.
“Oh, I didn’t know you wanted to come, sweetheart. It’ll be boring for you, just with the boys,” Ken claimed too casually.
“But I...” Eliza tried defending herself, but felt a kiss on her cheek. Ken smiled at her briefly then walked over to Ryu.
“Hey, gotta show you something. Let’s go to the other room,” she heard Ken whisper as they huddled in a strange mode of secrecy. Longingly, she watched the two walk off.
Smiling, she turned to Sean and Mel, curious about their plans, but before she had the chance to ask, they were out of the kitchen and calling after the dog. Eliza found herself alone with a pile of dirty dishes. The large white kitchen resounded with an eerie silence. Only the spinning fork on the table caught her attention.
“Great,” she sighed miserably. “Just great.”
*****
Street Fighter: Dream Never Ends Page 17
