Tokyo Hearts: A Japanese Love Story (10 page)

By the time they’d finished eating, it was nearly five p.m. and Takashi didn’t want the day to end. ‘Can I take you home? I’d like to see your family again. It’s not late, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen your mother,’ he said to Haruka.

‘Sure,’ she replied.

Takashi felt her hand brush against his arm softly and then pull away quickly. He couldn’t tell whether she felt that this was a good idea or not. He was so sure that they’d spent a great day together. There was a definite ease between them, they’d shared a few laughs at lunch and Haruka had been smiling all day. He’d almost felt like her husband as they wandered from here to there, enjoying a day out in Kamakura. Takashi smiled to himself as they both headed back to where the car was parked.

It was just before six p.m. when they reached Haruka’s house on the corner of a narrow street. Her home was fairly large, yet not in any way pretentious.

‘I’m home,’ called out Haruka as she opened the door and removed her shoes at the entrance. Takashi could hear her mother coming towards them from the living room.

‘Where’ve you been?’ Mrs Yoshino cried out cheerfully. ‘We’ve been waiting for you for over an hour.’

‘You knew that I was visiting Kamakura with Takashi today,’ Haruka cried back.

Takashi took off his running shoes and carefully placed them to the side at the entrance, next to a very expensive, stylish pair of men’s Italian leather shoes that did not look like they would belong to Haruka’s father. Doing so, he noticed the hole that he’d forgotten about in his left sock. He pulled at it, trying to move it away from his heel and hide it under his foot.

Mrs Yoshino rushed back to the living room as quickly as she came out of it. Takashi had expected a really big welcome from her, but when she saw him, she only gave him a slight smile and a pert nod, as if they’d only met once before and they were practically strangers. He’d often spoken to Mrs Yoshino when she’d answered his phone calls, and he’d always received a warm welcome in the past when he’d visited her home. Disappointed, Takashi hung his head. He thought afterwards that he must have looked a little like a sulking child as he followed Haruka into their large living room.

Sitting in the Yoshino’s plush leather sofa, drinking oolong tea was Yuriko. She was wearing a silver T-shirt and white jeans. She was sitting next to a man a few years older than Takashi that he didn’t know. He thought that it was probably the “ex-boyfriend” from Kyoto. Mr Yoshino sat next to them in an armchair, reading the
Yomiuri
newspaper. He glanced up and gave Takashi a pleasant smile and a nod as he entered the room. Although his hair was now white and thinning, he certainly looked a lot healthier than the last time Takashi saw him.

Mrs Yoshino had obviously been entertaining the young people while they were waiting for Haruka.

‘Hi Yuriko and Jun, how are you?’ asked Haruka.

‘Fine, thanks,’ said Yuriko and the young man beside her in unison.

‘Sorry if you’ve been waiting for me for a long time. I really wasn’t expecting you to drop around until later,’ said Haruka.

‘Haruka, you look lovely, as usual,’ said the young man called Jun with a wide smile.

‘Thank you, Jun,’ replied Haruka.

‘Jun was missing you so much that he insisted we come over earlier,’ said Yuriko.

Takashi looked at Jun’s face and then over at Haruka’s. It killed him to see that Jun was quite smitten with her.

‘You know Yuriko Makimoto, my neighbour from next door, and this is Jun Kurokawa, her cousin from Kyoto,’ Haruka said to Takashi, looking strangely embarrassed as she beckoned him to take a seat.

‘Would you like a glass of chilled barley tea?’ Haruka asked Takashi before escaping to the kitchen.

She was out of the room and down the hall before Takashi could reply, leaving him to stare blankly at Yuriko and Jun. Takashi had met Yuriko a few years ago, but he didn’t recognise her when he first walked in the room because she’d lost so much weight. He certainly wanted to know how well Haruka knew this Jun guy. He certainly spoke to her like they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Even though he was sitting down, it was obvious that he was taller that six foot. His eyes were as black as midnight and he wore a permanent scowl that lined his deeply tanned face. Jun had an unnatural look about him – his colour was definitely the effect of many hours lying on a sun bed, and when he attempted a smile, Takashi could see that his tombstone teeth had been artificially whitened by the dentist. Takashi wondered why Haruka thought he was attractive. Jun certainly had the arrogance and the look of a player.

Takashi was even more concerned when it became apparent that Mrs Yoshino found Jun captivating. She really seemed to be fascinated by Jun, leaning into him like he was the only person in the room. She sat opposite him and gave him her full attention. Takashi wasn’t the jealous type, but he was getting quite wound up watching her dote on Jun’s every word. It seemed to Takashi that the attention that he’d once received from Haruka’s mother was now being wholly directed at this Jun character.

Takashi tried to look at him now and again, attempting to be inconspicuous. Unfortunately, he did look very cool, dressed in a white T-shirt and navy chino trousers. But Takashi couldn’t help noticing that he also had a very annoying habit of running his fingers through his hair every few minutes. He was obviously very conceited.

Unfortunately, Mrs Yoshino seemed to be quite taken by this conceit. Takashi was hurt, but really not so surprised, because next to Jun, he must have looked dishevelled and sweaty from his long day out in the heat.

Haruka finally came back from the kitchen holding a long glass of chilled barley tea. She handed it to Takashi with an apologetic look.

‘That’s a lovely flower arrangement on the bookcase behind you, Mrs Yoshino,’ Jun pointed out.

Takashi hadn’t noticed it until now, but he wished that he had and that it was him paying the compliment instead of Jun, who really knew how to charm Haruka’s mother. It was upsetting Takashi quite a bit.

‘Thank you, Jun,’ said Mrs Yoshino. ‘Haruka and I take a flower arranging class every Saturday morning.’

‘I can see that you’re both very talented,’ said Jun. ‘It’s great seeing you all again. I’m only in
fune until tomorrow afternoon, and then I have to return to Kyoto. I was telling Yuriko earlier, before we came over, that I was hoping to see you again, Mrs Yoshino. You’re originally from Chiba Prefecture, aren’t you?’ asked Jun.

‘Yes, that’s right Jun,’ she replied. ‘And you’re from Kyoto of course. Kyoto is such a lovely place.’

‘Have you been to Kyoto recently?’ Jun asked Mrs Yoshino.

‘No, we haven’t,’ Mrs Yoshino said, staring up at the crooked picture on the opposite wall. ‘We visited your parents about three years ago in Kyoto, but my husband and I haven’t been back since.’

Mrs Yoshino stood up, leaned over to fluff up a cushion and having done that, walked over to the facing wall and adjusted a picture of a seaside village scene slightly to the left. She stepped back to check and see whether it was level. ‘We didn’t get to do much sightseeing in Kyoto and I regret that,’ Mrs Yoshino continued. She adjusted the picture again a little further to the left, and having done so, came back over to sit down again.

‘Well, you should definitely come and visit my family and me in Kyoto again,’ Jun suggested. There was a strong conviction in his voice.

Mrs Yoshino’s eyes lit up. ‘Wouldn’t that be wonderful, Haruka!’ she said, looking at her daughter.

‘Yes, mother,’ Haruka replied obediently, but there was excitement written all over her face.

Jun reached for his rucksack and pulled out two presents, beautifully wrapped in distinctive orange boxes.

‘Haruka and Mrs Yoshino,’ he said. ‘I have a couple of small presents for you two lovely ladies.’ He handed each of them their gifts, looking at Takashi with a smirk drenched with self-satisfaction.

‘More gifts! This is too much,’ said Haruka, embarrassed but obviously pleased.

‘That’s very sweet of you, Jun,’ said Mrs Yoshino, opening her present.

The so called “small” presents both turned out to be extremely expensive gifts.

‘An Hermès scarf!’ both ladies cried out in unison. They opened out their coveted presents, spreading them wide so everyone could appreciate the full effect of each scarf. The rose-coloured luxurious silks were very beautiful. Within minutes, they’d tied their scarves around their necks in fashionable knots.

‘How do we look?’ asked Mrs Yoshino.

‘You both look very stylish. Aren’t they nice scarves, Takashi?’ Yuriko asked him.

‘Oh yes, very stylish,’ Takashi stuttered back.

Takashi shifted in his seat and Jun pointed at his foot, having noticed the hole in his sock.

‘Takashi, you need to buy yourself a new pair of socks,’ he said. Everyone turned to look at the hole in Takashi’s sock.

‘Yes, you’re right, Jun. Well, I have a long trip home. I better get going,’ blurted out Takashi, very embarrassed. He finished the last of his barley tea, stood up and walked to the door of the living room. Everyone said his and her goodbyes, but it was only Haruka that showed him to the door.

‘I can drive you to the station … wait for me while I get my keys,’ she said.

Takashi waited for Haruka in the hallway, listening to the conversation between her mother and Jun in the adjoining room. Jun began telling Mrs Yoshino how he thought her home was lovely and how nice it was to see them again. Hearing this, angry feelings started to well up inside him and he imagined himself rushing in, breaking up this conversation and giving Jun a piece of his mind – but of course, this didn’t happen and it wasn’t long before Haruka showed up with her keys.

‘You know what, Haruka? You must be tired. It’s only ten minutes from here to the station, and I’d rather walk. I’ll call you soon. Thanks for today,’ Takashi stammered as he made a hasty exit, leaving Haruka, mouth wide open, in the hallway.

Takashi walked down the short driveway and turned to head for the station. He couldn’t help but look at the house next door that belonged to Haruka’s friend Yuriko as he walked away. He didn’t know how he could have ever missed it before. It was a small fortress heavily guarded by huge hedges. Yuriko’s family was obviously extremely wealthy and her cousin’s family probably had an equally impressive estate. Takashi thought that if there was something going on between Haruka and Jun, she deserved to be with someone who could give her everything. He’d been conceited to think that she could have ever possibly seen him as more than anything but a friend.

On the train heading for home, he did not hear most of the overhead announcements. Takashi was in his own small, unhappy world. He couldn’t stop wondering about this Jun he’d met today and how Haruka really felt about him. He thought that the silence during lunch was a bad sign and the whole day had been a series of contradictions. Thinking back, it seemed to him that her words had often been full of encouragement, but at the same time the tone of her voice seemed to discourage him.

Halfway home, having played back over and over in his head the conversations at lunch and at her home between Jun, Haruka and her mother, Takashi started to feel a bit more positive. Surely Haruka preferred him, he thought to himself, and not this pretentious and conceited boy from Kyoto. Although he could not afford to buy Hermès scarves, he decided that he was definitely a better person. With that in mind, he returned to his apartment much happier than when he left
fune.

To become wealthy at a single bound

Haruka watched Takashi leave from the entrance of the house. He looked so despondent. Was it because of the sticky, oppressive weather? Was it because of Jun? Could it have been that they’d spent such a great day together and he hadn’t wanted it to end? She thought to herself.

This was the first time Takashi had met Jun, and Haruka could see how it had unsettled him. After the wonderful day they’d spent together, she’d hoped that he’d realise how much he meant to her as a friend. Haruka was determined not to dwell on this as she went back into the living room. No matter how much she liked Takashi, it was very flattering to receive so much attention from Jun. She paused at the doorway of the room where everyone was seated and watched her mother fawning over Jun with a quiet satisfaction.