My name is Aiko and I am the only daughter of a family with eight children. My father was a strong-willed man who ran a rather successful bakery which required a lot of employees to do the baking, packaging and distributing of the goods, and manning the store. In his mind, the best employee for his business was a relative, and that the best relatives were his own children. With that business plan in mind, he went about making his future employees.
Fortunately, my mother was an obedient and supportive wife who accommodate my father's desires by having his children, one right after the other. The first was my eldest brother, Ichiro (26), who as my father's heir and learned from an early age all of the aspects of the family business starting in the bakery by mix and baking the dough, processing the goods, then progressing to the counter for sales experience and distribution. Ichiro swiftly became the family's brains and possessed the needed business acumen especially in terms of financial management and gauging supply and demand for our family's baked goods.
A year later, Jiro (25), my second oldest brother, was born. Whereas Ichiro was the brains and upon whose shoulders the future of our family rested, Jiro was its face. He clearly dominated the front end of the business, interacting with customers and vendors as he sold our goods in our storefront and through various outlets. With a cheerful personality and likable persuasiveness, Jiro made sure that a customer never left the store empty-handed and the vendors always promoted our baked goods.
I (24) followed Jiro in the subsequent year and then Taizo (23), the strong-willed one, was born after me. He was the family business' backbone as the no-nonsense foreman of the production operations. He was forceful and had no qualms bucking heads with his two older brothers. While they argued with Taizo, they were aware that he knew what he was talking about when it came to baking goods that distinguished our family products from the competition. After making his point, Taizo readily acknowledged and Ichiro's overall management and Jiro's salesmanship. If things became stymied among three, I was called in to soothe ruffled feathers and lower manly testosterone levels.
Shiro and Shinji (22) were identical twins and thought so much alike that they often acted as one in silent dedication and efficiency. As such, they were the arms and hands that made the perfect bakery workers who took to Taizo's directions and worked long and hard to produce quality bakery goods needed by Jiro to sell and for Ichiro to work into his grand scheme of profitability.
Rokuro (21) was the sixth son of the family. He was the family jokester and had a restless crazy streak in him. As such, he could not stand the monotonous back-end production factory nor the mind-your-manners front-end of the operations. Rokuro was therefore designated as the legs of the operations, making deliveries and picking up supplies. His job had him on the road with different destinations to make, and this kept him alert, engaged, and out of trouble.
Shichiro (18) was the baby of the family and pampered by all. Because he was deliberate, reserved and studious, our parents decided that Shichiro would become the lawyer that the family lacked. This task was widely supported by his older brothers since none of them had the inclination nor aptitude to endure the necessary years of education. From an early age, Shichiro was encouraged to further his education and was groomed to become the legal expert who would protect the family in contractual and adverse legal actions. He was viewed as a long-term family invest and Shichiro accepted his lot in life.
And so, it was that everyone had a role to play in the family's business -- to include me. From an early age, my mother ingrained in me that the sole purpose in the life of a Japanese woman was to serve her menfolk. In the beginning, I tended to my younger siblings whether that involved feeding them, changing their soiled diapers, or bathing them. As I grew older, my obligations included washing, drying, and ironing their clothes, cooking for them, and providing them a warm and loving home life... something that I would continue to do as time went on but in the most unexpected way.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I can vividly recall my twenty-first birthday when my mother took me aside on one of our infrequent private sessions. "Aiko-chan, you are a young woman who is pleasing to the eye. Because of your sweet charm and manners, I have seen many young men...and even older ones...adore you with hopeful hearts. They are like bees swarming around honey, hoping for a sweet taste and for an even sweeter poke with their sharp stingers.
"Before his passing, your father and I gave your future a great deal of thought regarding the role you would perform in this family and our business. The plan that he devised and instructed me to tell you at the right moment, was not made lightly. However, before I tell you what your father's and my wishes are, I must tell you something...Aiko-chan, I have just learned that I have terminal cancer. Now, now...stop that fretting for my cancer is too far along and there is nothing you can do. I do not have long to live so you must but listen to your parents' wishes for you and obey.
"I am worn out having birth eight children and by the pain that I suffer, Aiko-chan. Since your father's passing, I have shouldered the burden of the family's business until my children were mature enough to assume their familial responsibilities as they are now. As soon as I tell you what I must, I will be free to follow your father as I did in life, always three steps behind him and one to the side.
"Ah, but I digress. Aiko-chan, do you honor this family, your parents, and our dying wishes? Do you wish our family business to prosper? Are you willing to selflessly serve and contribute to the good of all as your brothers are doing? Do you love your brothers above all others?"
"'Hai' (Yes), mother, I do."
"Good, you must remember that in the years to come. Tomorrow I will take you to Doctor Fujiwara in the city and will ask that you be put on birth control pills which you will take daily as directed. Why? Well, as your father prepared your brothers to assume their adult roles in our bakery before he passed away, so I must prepare you for you to assume your most important adult role in our family's business.
"I must tell you of the two tasks set for you by your father and agreed upon by me. The first is that you shall sacrifice yourself by not being seeking marriage or being open to love outside of the family."
"But, why mother..." escaped my lips before a sharp slap to my cheek was decisively delivered.
