Hana's Miso Soup

Chie and Shingo met one day out of the blue. Chie came to the newspaper company where Shingo worked to request an interview for the graduate school vocal music course she was affiliated with. Shingo fell in love with Chie at first sight, taking an intense approach in starting up a relationship with her. Chie dreamed of a comfortable happiness for the two of them, but one day she was informed that she had breast cancer. Shingo was there for Chie in an affectionate way as she was terrified by this invisible fear. He was determined to marry her, so he proposed to her after convincing both of his parents. This was how these lovable two became husband and wife. As Chie’s ovarian functions were reduced due to the effects of the chemotherapy, she had given up on having children. But then on one occasion she found out that she was pregnant. Should she have the child or not? ――Having the child would increase the risk of cancer recurrence, putting her own life in danger. Shingo was overjoyed at the pregnancy. Her father told her over the phone to, “Have the child, even if it kills you.” With the support of those around her amidst a number of struggles, she resolved to have the child at the risk of her own life, and she successfully gave birth. She named her baby “Hana” with the hope that “she will be loved by everyone like a flower.” (Note: Hana = flower in Japanese) She grew quickly and healthily. However, the happiness of the three members of the family would not last long. Chie was once again attacked by the disease. Since the fundamentals of health start with eating habits, Chie reconsidered her own diet up until that point. Miso soup, brown rice, Sanriku salted sardines with fermented soybeans, and vegetables pickled with rice bran――Thanks in part to this very Japanese breakfast and a well-regulated lifestyle, her health took a turn for the better. In celebration of Chie’s improvement, her parents rushed right over and for a fleeting moment they enjoyed their first feast in a long time. But then her father, who had been ill for a while, suddenly died. In the months that followed, the family lived a quiet life, and Hana grew healthily. Then Chie had her first check-up in a while as a formality for Hana’s preschool, only to discover that the cancer had spread throughout her body. She was suddenly faced with a harsh reality, and she once again starts chemotherapy.

When Hana turned four years old, Chie started teaching her the importance of cooking and household chores so that she would be able to lead a healthy life even if her mother gone. She showed her how to make homemade miso, and miso soup, which starts from shaving dried bonito for preparing Japanese soup stock. Hana was still very young, and so her hands were unsteady. But she accepted with her tiny body each and every message from Chie. Hana’s existence served as support for Chie in that just thinking about Hana helped her to overcome the terrible chemotherapy. One day, Chie was playing the shamisen and singing “Uu-ya-fe” with her older sister Shiho humming along. (Note: It refers to a flower blooming on a rainy night.) Hana rushed home from preschool saying, “I can hear Mommy’s voice.” Chie loved songs, and her feelings had most definitely been conveyed to Hana as well.

The seasons change and it is Hana’s fifth birthday. On this day, Chie performs in a concert, something she had been dreaming about for many years. Chie was nervous in her dressing room having taken her physical strength to the limit. Then Hana came with a thermos filled with miso soup that she had made. Now it was time for Chie’s performance. And with her nervousness relieved by the hot miso soup, she sings “Mantenboshi” with feelings of gratitude to the people she loved.

And to this very day, Hana and Shingo eat a breakfast of rice and miso soup together at the table with Chie’s feelings of “Cook properly, eat properly” in their hearts. In this way, their delicious, warm, irreplaceable time continues on. There is a note of Chie’s words written on the notebook of recipes Hana received――“I was lucky.”