Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Thoughts at the attic ❯ More books, more memories ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z, I just use its characters

Thoughts at the attic

I close the book. Finally. That was the last photograph. I turn the book around. Again, I see those letters that are supposed to spell the word `Bulma'. Finally I'm done. My hands are still trembling. I decide to put the book back in its box. I look at the other books that are in here. Should I get an other one? Or should I just leave it be?

Chapter 2

I don't want to go through the same thing I just went through. I don't know what came over me. Why couldn't I just put the book away? That sure would have saved me a lot of trouble. I look at the box. A card is attached to the box. I hadn't seen that before. My hands are not trembling anymore when I hold the card against the dim light. It read `Photoalbums'. I look back in the box. There were eight books inside now, three red books, a purple, two blue ones and two green. The book I just had was green.

I realise I want to know who these other books are from. Just one look won't harm, will it? I tell myself I won't let it carry me away like that anymore. I check once more if there's nobody around before I decide to take another book out, a red one this time. But just in case I do get that feeling again, I will open it in the middle. I don't look at the cover, I can't. I place my hand on the book. My fingers still aren't trembling. I guess that is a good sign. I open the book and I look at the photograph I see. There is a woman on it. She is shopping. She is holding a lot of bags. The woman has a big smile on her face. I remember the woman. I remember her from the first picture I saw in Bulma's album. It was her mother. I read the subscription. `I just found out I'm pregnant! Isn't that great? I'm going to have a baby! But first I'm going to buy some clothes that will fit me when I'm fat. Wow! A baby! Can you imagine?'

I wonder what she's so happy about. Like a baby is that much special. Those brats get born every day. And besides, it IS what women are made for. But then I remember when Bulma told me she was first pregnant. Her parents were on a business trip. Bulma had made something what she called `special' for dinner. I don't remember what it was; I only know that for the first time she had made me some decent food. Not something horrible like she usually did, and still does. Anyway, I of course did not complain about the food. I was thinking of making her a compliment, but I decided I'd better not do that. I didn't want her to think she was Miss Universe of Cooking all of a sudden just because she had one meal right. So instead I asked the woman why the lights were so dim. She said she had news to tell me. I had no idea what it could be but I could tell by the looks on her face she was very happy with it, but she hesitated to tell me what it was. Was she looking for the right words? Or perhaps she was afraid I wouldn't be so pleased with it? I didn't know. And I hate not knowing. So I asked her demandingly what she had to tell.

And then those words came. `… I'm pregnant… In about eight months we will have a baby.' That sure had browbeaten me. `Pregnant? But… how?' How? Was that the best I could do? I knew very well how this had happened. I could still recall that night a month ago. Her body, my hands. Her voice, my lips. That night was ours and ours alone. But before I could drift away with my thoughts, she touched my hand. I looked up in her big blue eyes. I didn't know what to say. But then I saw the happiness in her eyes and I started imagining what it would be like to have a kid, an heir, someone that would follow me in my footsteps. Someone that would look up to me. And that someone became Trunks. Though not showing it off to everybody, I sure was proud when he was born. And I still am proud of him as he has grown into a strong teenager and he will grow into an even stronger man worth being the heir to the throne, even though there is no Vegetasei anymore.

I look back at the photo in the book. Well, now I know where Bulma got her happiness. But then again, I have always known it came from the way too happy blond woman. I look at the picture beneath the one I just saw. The blondy is showing off her new clothes. I realise that this album must be hers and I notice that I'm not interested in seeing pictures of her at all. So I close the book and put it back in the box. I take the next book out, an other red one. Since I didn't have that strange feeling the last time I opened a book, I decide to just start at the first page. I open the book and I see her again, the blondy. Only now I see her man too. They are kissing each other and from the looks of it, they have no idea there is a camera near them. I look at the next picture. This one should be taken right after the picture above, for both the man and the blondy were looking straight at the camera, a little embarrassed. The blondy has her hand in front of her mouth, laughing like she always does when caught doing something when she expects to be alone. The man has one hand placed behind his head and he too is laughing with slight embarrassment.

I groan at the picture. My bad mood I had earlier is coming back now and I really don't like looking at pictures like these. So I close this book too. I look at the cover and I read the name of the blondy. Wait a minute, I see a pattern here. I take out the red book I had before this one. I look at its cover and see that that book too belongs to Bulma's mother. I take out the other red book and check that cover too. Yes, that must be it! Books from the same colour belong to the same person. Why didn't I think of that before? That means that the green books are both Bulma's. Hmm, I wonder whose the other books are. I take out one of the two blue ones and look at the cover. So the blue books belong to her father than? I don't really think those will be interesting. All I ever see him doing is working in his lab or chatting with his woman and daughter. And of course he pets that cat, but I don't think I'll see anything new in him doing so in there. So I put that book away too.

That means there's only one book left. The purple one. I wonder whose that is. Bulma and her parents all have different colours. I take out the purple book and look at its cover. I bright silver letters I read the word `marriage'. Marriage? I've heard about that before. Isn't that what Kakkarot and his women have? Bulma has told me about that once. All I understood from the entire story is that the two mates get some sort of holy bond or something. It sounded pretty pointless to me, but to humans it seems to be important. I open the book, not knowing what to suspect.

On the first page I see a picture of Bulma's father. If I hadn't seen it with my very own eyes, I would not believe this would be possible. In fact, I still don't. The man is wearing a… SUIT! I've never seen him like this before. And when I take an other good look at the picture, I'm not disappointed I haven't. Dende, does he look ridiculous in that thing! Looking at his face I see he is pretty uncomfortable in that suit. As he should be, I think with a little evil grin coming to my face. I decide to look at the next picture before I start laughing out loud. I wouldn't want anyone to hear me do that up here. It would only bring questions I don't want to answer.

At the next picture I see the blond woman again, only now she is dressed in a big, white dress. She's wearing something on her head. I wonder why she has that. Was it raining outside that day? But if it were, this thing wouldn't have given her much protection for it looks more like wire netting than like a hat or something. The water would've gone right through there. And even if it was for protection, she could have taken it off before they took the picture. They're inside anyway.

I take a good look at her dress. It has long, tight white sleeves. The dress really shows off her upper half. I can't help but wondering how Bulma would look in a dress like that. I've seen her wearing dresses before, but not like this one. Somehow I find it hard to imagine her like that. But maybe that is because the blondy looks kind of ridiculous in that thing, just like her man does in that suit. Why would anyone want to wear those things anyway? Could that be part of that bonding thing they're doing? Must be so. If it's not, I don't see a reason for them to make a fool out of themselves wearing that.

As I turn over the leaves my assumptions get confirmed. The two mates are the only ones dressed up like that so it must be part of the ritual I realise this is. The other visitors are just dressed for a formal party. One picture really gets my attention I see the woman with her wire netting again, only this time the thing is very long. It's being carried by two young ladies as the woman walks to her man. I can't help but wondering whether this is part of the ritual or if they are just afraid the woman might slip over that clumsy long thing. I check the subscription. `Aren't they just adorable? They carried my veil so well today! Look at how proud they are!' So that's what they call that wire netting. A veil. I look at the two kids. They do indeed look proud and serious about what they're doing. It must be part of the ritual, since they seem to like it so much. Stupid thing. Now I know for sure I will never do that. I must admit I really am getting curious. I want to know what Bulma would look like in that dress. Not curious enough to dress like that though!

I continue turning over the leaves. I see a lot of things I don't understand. I see a man in some sort of dress (a man in a dress?) carrying a book., standing behind a table, waving with his arms while talking. I see the mates giving each other a ring (how peculiar, they had the same idea about the gift) and then I see them kissing. I see them having more and more fun. The book ends with photos of a big party. I close the book ant put it back. I'm glad that book's done. I don't think I understand that ritual of theirs all too well. At some points I'm even more confused than I already was.

I look at the box. I see the green books. I know I've seen the left one already. But what about the right one? I keep gazing at it for a few seconds. Do I really want to know what's inside? Do I want to go through that again? My hand starts moving towards the book. I feel how my hand takes it out, but I can't remember ordering it to do so. I look at the cover. I know what it must say and indeed it does. `Bulma'. My head is going crazy. The feeling comes back to me again, the longing. My hands start trembling as I open the book.

That was chapter two. Want more? Just Review!