In Ten Yen Tokyo: A fast-paced miracle story about a runaway mom who goes to Tokyo to find herself, but discovers the strength of family and the power of love.

Ten Yen Tokyo: Spiritual Fiction

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EXCERPT: Ten Yen Tokyo

Prologue

I can’t believe I’m doing this. What kind of person am I? Leaving my own baby behind and him not yet two weeks old. It’s not that I’m leaving him in a basket by the river, or putting him in a fire truck and turning on the alarm to alert the firemen. I am leaving him with a caring father who is gaga over him and four grandparents who think he is the most precious baby they have ever seen. My mom and dad act as if he’s the reincarnation of the baby boy they lost.

Mom keeps hugging him and saying, “You are so precious, so perfect,” in a hushed voice. It makes me wonder if she thought I was going to birth a kid with the sort of severe birth defects her baby had. My brother. He only lived a few hours after birth. I’ve not said a word to Mom about how I was almost twenty years younger than she when she had Stephen and how her age might have been part of the reason for his pitiful physical condition. I admit, though, during my pregnancy, I did have a few pangs of fear and was glad when the amniocentesis was okay. Lucas is thriving and healthy.

I simply cannot become gaga over him. When I said I didn’t want him during the pregnancy, everyone ignored me or patted my back and told me not to worry. As soon as I saw him and held him against my breast, they said I’d fall in love. But I knew I wouldn’t. And I didn’t. I wanted a girl. In fact I want four baby girls who will love to dance and sing, who will straighten one another’s hair, who will giggle at night after I turn the lights out. But now I’ll not have any more babies, because what man will want to bond with me if he finds out I abandoned my first child. And I want honesty in my relationship. I don’t want secrets between my man and me.

I could, I suppose, change my name. But how will I manage that? Unless I really am the person behind the name, it will be a big lie. I need to travel far away. I think I will go to the west coast, maybe to Seattle. I could get lost in a big city easily enough where no one will ever find me. I can keep my name and social security number and get a job.

Will John try to find me? Perhaps he’ll send the police after me. They might locate me. I’ll have to leave a note telling John I have left. Forever. Explaining my love for John wasn’t enough, and I have no love at all for this baby boy. I told John to name him whatever he likes—he wanted me to choose, but I didn’t care enough. I could not come up with one single name—which is a sure sign of the depth of my feeling of, well, disinterest. I am not interested in caring for this infant. He should have been a girl and things might have been different.

How will I cope without my parents? They will be so hurt, so worried, but they have my twin sister. She is not identical but she is much more pleasant than I’ve ever been. A bit controlling maybe, but usually no trouble. Me, I was always a rebel, always giving mom and dad grief. I could change my name from the awful one they stuck with me that gave me nothing but misery growing up. Seagull. Can you imagine being called such a thing! I hated it as a child when other kids would raise their arms like wings.

But now, I see, it was right for me. I am Seagull. I am about to fly.

Oh yeah, my twin sister’s name is Sarah. Of course. She will, like the Biblical Sarah, have a baby she adores when she’s in her nineties. I suspect she may have quite a few sooner since she just married Doug who is her dream guy. Okay, he’s not an athlete, but she loves him for his geeky glasses, his sweet smile, his puny arms.

My John is so macho, so masculine. He matches me.

But I must fly. I must fly.

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