Breasts and Eggs

Natsu, Makiko, and Midoriko go out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Growing giddy after several drinks, Makiko tells Natsu that the first thing she does after returning from work is to watch her daughter sleep, prompting Midoriko to write “YOU’RE GROSS” on a piece of paper and hold it up.

Another journal entry from Midoriko details a fight with her mother over money. Midoriko asked Makiko, “Why did you even have me?” (75). She feels guilty for the part she plays in her mother’s poverty, knowing it would be easier for Makiko to support herself alone. In the wake of this fight, she resolved to stop speaking to Makiko, partially out of the certainty that she would say mean things.

Midoriko recalls when a classmate spotted Makiko biking to work in her Chanel uniform and made fun of her in front of the class. Midoriko wanted to stand up for her mother, but instead she laughed along.

The group returns home, where Natsu and Makiko continue drinking. The wife of Natsu’s landlord visits to remind her that she is three months behind on rent. Makiko sympathizes; she is often unable to pay rent on time herself, and it will only get harder when