11 MAKETA TAMASHI

A retired Japanese couple, jogging so early as they do every Saturday near Omicho Market (Kanazawa), they see in the dark road lit by a lighted post a woman walking as if she does not know where to go because she goes to the same place in many times. The couple stopped and asked her, where she is going? But the woman never answer, she just repeats always, "Yoi Ichi nichi o"

The couple was worried that she will die in the cold, they hold her and bring her to their car. They bring her to their home. Ichika Takuma helps their guest to take a bath and gave her new clothes. Katsuo Takuma cooked the fresh fish from the fish market of Omicho. They ate first before they will send her to the doctor for a checkup. They asked her a dozen times repeatedly if what is her name, but she seems never remembered her name. She has nothing in her body and clothes that will identify her. No ID, No Wallet, Nothing.

"What shall we call her?" Ichika asked her husband Katsuo. " We will name her Maketa Tamashi."

They send her to the hospital, she was checked up but nothing physical is wrong, she has Alzheimer's.

The doctor asked them how they are related to her, they both said, she is now our daughter. We will take care of her. I will call my lawyers and my friends in the government how they can help us adopt her legally, Katsuo told his friend doctor.

Doctor Tanaka said that it is hard to take care of an Alzheimer patient. Both of the couple Takuma is determined, this will be our project now, how to be successful in taking care of her.

Maketa Tamashi, is not hard to take care

because she knows how to take care of herself, she can take a bath alone, eat, and go to the comfort room. She knows even to cook as long as all the ingredients are present. She can't just remember her name, who she was, and where she came from. She speaks little English, Japanese, and an unknown language to them(Filipino language).

She is good at cleaning the house. Actually, they were very happy with her. They will not give her up easily. The couple pushes diligently the adoption. On Saturdays, the three of them are jogging in the same place where they found Maketa Tamashi. There is no one who recognized her.

Katsuo has a network of friends who they have helped when he was still the President of a car company in her younger years. He is now 80 years old and her wife Ichika Takuma is 78.years old. Maketa Tamashi is estimated to be at her forties.

The couple is so gentle to her, long-suffering in her forgetfulness, and is being surprised by the good spirit of Maketa Tamashi.

In the retirement of the old couple, they never had a child. They also have no known relatives. That's the reason they developed so many friends they helped and are close to them as a family. But they developed that attachment to Maketa Tamashi. They really think of her as their daughter. They even in their one year with MaketaTamashi, they put it in their last will and testament that everything they had will be given to Maketa Tamashi, in case something happens to them.

If she can find her family, they give concrete safeguards to protect Maketa Tamashi, from those who will pretend to be her relatives later and procedure to confirm her relationship with possible claimants including DNA identification.

The Takuma couple learned and truly loved their adopted Maketa Tamashi...

They had arranged family pictures with her, introduced her to all their friends, and announced the newly approved adoption. They even became the news in their local newspaper, she is the content of their posts on their Facebook, Instagram and other social medias mentioned them because they organized and had a great dinner party in their mansion residence.

Some of the friends of the Takuma couple are jealous. They even question, why that is the extent of the attachment to the Takuma couple with Maketa? What if Maketa is related to bad persons, they will abuse them or worse. They had warned the couple and try to find fault with Maketa and discredit her. But the couple never changed their commitment to Maketa.

The jealousy and love of money of these people evolved to create a scheme to put the Takuma family in danger.

The Takumas never expected and never dreamed that they have fake friends who are capable of doing horrible things.

Maketa, the always smiling, forgetful lady loved the couple as her real parents but never had a memory of her past. She can remember the present but never the family that she loved dearly in her heart but absent in her mind. The love she shared with the Takuma couple could be the love she is expressing also to her original family and friends that she forgot.

The Takuma family, scheduled a tour every month. They went to Europe on a European cruise ship. In the Mediterranean Cruises, the three of them went to Rome, Maketa made a wish in the Trevi Fountain that God will bless all her loved ones, Ichika whispering, "Please God include the family of Maketa that she forgot", They passed Cannes, and walk the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, home of the International Film Festival. They visit Barcelona and see the Park Güell and the Basílica de la Sagrada Família, They eat pizza in Naples, and they had a lot of good memories and pictures which Katsuo posted in his Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook simultaneously. Many friends like and put a heart in the posts.

They scheduled another tour next month, the Baltic Cruises. As the days went near, Ichika had an accident, she fell on the floor of their bathroom, she was rushed in the hospital. Katsuo had a meeting with his lawyers arranging important things for the stocks they had with some companies. Maketa carried Ichika and called 911 and requested an ambulance. Maketa can manage the present but forgot the past and some times part of the present. But she has saved Ichika by her decisive moves and Ichika was operated right away. The doctor said to Katsuo who arrived at the hospital minutes when informed by his friend in the hospital, " Ichika could have died of the pain and the fracture in her waist if not rushed to the hospital. While Ichika was operated, Katsuo sees Maketa praying, crying outside the operating room asking God for the healing of Ichika.

Katsuo cried silently, Thank you God of Maketa... thank you for sending her to us. She is a great help and she saved my wife just now... Thank you...

Ichika survived the operation, and Maketa never left her bed, assisting her in her recovery. This bonding in the hospital made a strong bond based on love in spite of their situation, and the forgetfulness of Maketa which is being medicated by the best available medicines to suspend and help her retain what's left of her memory or to regain some of the lost ones in any means possible to the medical world.

"Maketa, I want to continue our tours before I left this world...." Ichika said.

"No, don't say that Ichika, I don't want to be an orphan again," Maketa said.

"Yes my wife, we will, have a fast recovery so we can rearrange our schedule, Baltic cruises will be later, because we may not catch up before you recover, maybe we can have the Western Caribbean tour," Katsuo reassuring her wife.

"Before we will have another tour, we will have a thanksgiving, to thank the God of Maketa, for saving you, my wife. God answered her intense prayers for you. I thought I will find a Minister to say the blessings and have a message because I believe Maketa is a Christian, so I will try to invite a Christian minister this time." Katsuo said thankfully.

"Is that true Maketa? You are a Christian?" Ichika asked.

"Maketa nodded, I can't forget Jesus who saved me and answered all my prayers, many positively, some negatively and others I waited, but God answered my cries about saving you," Maketa said tearfully.

"How thoughtful of you my dear, thank you Lord that you managed to call an ambulance and carried me outside our home from the stairs, I could have died of the intense pain." I love you my child, Maketa... Ichika tearfully thanked Maketa.

They had a family hug and smiled. They had ramen and sushi in the hospital, Ichika is having a fast recovery. The doctors were amazed by the unexpected fast recovery and improvement in her health taking into consideration her age.

Katsuo called a meeting with his trusted lawyers and employees of his owned restaurant, he announced that he wants to have a great Thanksgiving dinner in his owned Japanese restaurant. "Make preparations and submit to me so we can have the budget and invitations," Katsuo said.

Katsuo hurriedly went to the hospital because Ichika will be released today. Maketa went with her in the ambulance, Katsuo arrived and joined in the ambulance going home.

In spite of their wealth, this couple is living a simple life, they helped many people now, and then, they had 100 scholars and they are creating a foundation to help those who have Alzheimer's like Maketa. They named it "MAKETA TAMASHI FOUNDATION"

This foundation will be launched during the thanksgiving to be held after the legal and other requirements for its registration and start of operations. They are having plans to build a Home for those who are affected by Alzheimer's. To be named "KatIchiKeta Takuma Home" a combination of their names.

Ichika rested in her bed, she asked Maketa to open the windows to let the sun and fresh air enter. They had tea and some biscuits... Then she said, my physical therapist, will come today to start my exercises so I can walk again. Maketa asked her: "what do you want me to do mother?" Ichika smiled, she loved to be called mother for the first time, a tear fell with deep happiness...

"Nothing, my dear just be here in my side and she hugs her."

The therapist, referred by a friend came and started the therapy. He is Arnold, with good physic he massages her and helps her stand slowly and guided in the instruments newly bought to have the therapy at home. she almost fell trying but she slowly managed to stand and sit slowly with pain, then tried the first painful step and as her muscles and nerves are stimulated and exercised, she is getting well faster and could walk up to ten steps with the help of his walking sticks. Katsuo was happy to see her wife alive and fighting. Maketa is always on her side encouraging her and tapping her back when pain is felt as she continues to recover.

"Hoping we can jog again Ichika? I miss our jogging, now three of us will jog if you are fully recovered." Katsuo said

I have let the plumber and Engr. Mae has some modifications in all our floors to avoid similar accidents, we are not getting young. The plan will be submitted to me this morning. We will temporarily stay in our vacation apartment near Teganuma Park, Abiko while you are recuperating and while the mansion is being repaired and renovated.