Dear Ojiisama

By Mary Potts aka Queen of the Capes <queenofthecapes@gmail.com>

Rated G

Submitted May 2011

Summary: A young woman writes letters to Superman on behalf of her fiance.

Many thanks to CarolM for her quick beta. ^^

Caution: Angst

***

Dear Esteemed Mister Superman,

My name is Yamato Ume. You do not know me, but my fiance has met you once before. You may remember him; his name is Tanaka Kei, and he came to see you with his mother, Tanaka Chiyo, when he was twelve years old. I know that you do not believe that he is your grandson, but I believe him, and I know that it would mean a lot to him if you would honor us by attending our wedding. It will be on June 15th, near the Todaiji. Please come if you can.

Respectfully yours,

Yamato Ume

***

Dear Miss Yamato,

Thank you for writing! Unfortunately, Superman is a very busy man and will not be able to attend your wedding. However, he does send his best wishes to you both, and hopes that your marriage is a long and happy one.

Congratulations!

Tori Ota of the Superman Foundation

***

Dear Esteemed Mister Superman,

The letter from your foundation says you have declined the invitation to my and dear Kei’s wedding. I urge you to please reconsider. Dear Kei’s grandfather has recently passed away, and he has only his mother, two distant uncles and a friend from college whereas I have a large, close family.

Even if you do not wish to come as a relative, please at least consider coming as an honored guest. It will mean so much to dear Kei.

Earnestly yours,

Yamato Ume

***

Dear Miss Yamato,

Superman appreciates your kind invitation, but will have to decline. Your wedding is your special day, and all of the attention should be on the bride and groom. Having a superhero around would only distract people from the real stars for the day: you two!

Having lost family himself, Superman is sympathetic to your Kei and wishes him well.

Sincerely,

Tori Ota of the Superman Foundation

***

Dear Mister Superman,

If you are concerned about making too notable an appearance, then perhaps we could try to work out a solution for this; but please, it is very important that you attend. I have heard Kei’s story from his own lips, and I have seen what he can do. I know that he is your grandson, and, though he has not said as much, I know that your rejection of him years ago has hurt him deeply. As a grandfather, is it not your duty to come and show support at your grandson’s wedding?

I implore you to reconsider.

Yours Truly,

Yamato Ume

***

Dear Miss Yamato,

We at the Superman Foundation have had to field quite a number of false claims from people claiming to be Superman’s child or grandchild. Superman has been especially sensitive about the subject since the death of his son in 2024. While we are sure that you and your Kei are nice people and do not wish to debate your claim, we would appreciate it if you would accept Superman’s declination.

Thank you,

Clark Kent, Board-Member of the Superman Foundation.

***

Dear Superman,

I understand that many people have claimed to be your children. I ask you, exactly how many have claimed to be your grandchildren? And of that number, how many of them had powers like yours?

Of that number, how many of their mothers sold their possessions and spent all of their money to go see you, asking for nothing except advice on how to control the developing powers?

And of that number, how many of those children then became even stronger and grew up to float in their sleep?

If you still do not believe that he is your grandson, then please run a test on his DNA. If he is not, then I will tell Kei and we will never bother you again.

Enclosed is his comb, as well as a photograph of me and my Kei in Nara.

I await your reply,

Yamato Ume

***

Dear Mister Superman,

Much time has passed since I sent my last letter, and I have still not received a reply. Is something wrong? The wedding is in two months. Please respond soon.

Sincerely Yours,

Yamato Ume

***

Dear Esteemed Mister Superman,

I deeply apologize for the rudeness of my recent letters and ask for your forgiveness. The wedding is one month from today, and I humbly beg you to come. Please, Esteemed Mister Superman, it would mean so much to my dear Kei. Won’t you please reconsider? I await your answer.

With Utmost Respect,

Yamato Ume

***

My Dear Miss Yamato,

Please forgive my delay in replying to you. Due to the complexities involved in the test, it will not be finished in time for your wedding. However, that does not matter.

I do still remember when Miss Tanaka and her son came to see me. The pain from losing my only son was still raw then, and still is even now. I confess that I despised Miss Tanaka for tainting his memory with her talk of love-children and secret affairs. I also confess that I saw no resemblance between her son and my own.

However, there is a difference between the young boy she introduced to me and the young man in the photograph you sent, and that is that the man in the photo is smiling. I have shown the photo to my wife, and she recognized his smile without any explanations from me about the picture or your letter. We have since been in deep discussion, trying to understand our son and the choices that he made in life. We think we can guess some of the answers, but we will never truly know until we finally join him on the other side.

I wish to thank you deeply for the photo, and for your persistent invitation. Thank you for not allowing us to miss the honor of attending our grandson’s wedding. If that invitation still stands, I would like to speak to you privately about how my wife and I can attend without attracting any more attention than is strictly necessary.

My grandson has apparently chosen a remarkable woman for his bride, and it is an honor to have you both in the family.

I Hope To See You Soon,

S—.

THE END

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Dear Ojiisama