Tokyo Hearts: A Japanese Love Story (11 page)

Thinking that Jun and the others might be a bit peckish, Haruka decided to replenish her guests’ refreshments and without a word, headed into the kitchen, half-listening to the friendly chatter emanating from the living room. She found a packet of rice crackers on the kitchen shelf above the sink. Next, she took out one of her mother’s good sculptured wooden bowls from the cupboard above the dishwasher and poured half the packet into it. Haruka reached into the bag to steal a few for herself, wondering whether Yuriko, sitting so happily on the sofa in the next room, would dare to eat even one. Rice crackers were very low in calories, but since Yuriko had developed such an obsession about losing weight over the past few months, she would most probably frown upon placing anything between her lips.

Haruka picked up the bowl, headed back into the living room and sat down next to her mother.

‘There you are, Haruka,’ said her mother, turning to her. ‘Jun was just telling us how his father’s real estate company is set to expand overseas next year.’

‘Your family’s firm really has done very well for itself, hasn’t it?’ her mother said to Jun. ‘Do you think you’ll be travelling overseas in the future with your work?’ she asked him. Haruka’s mother had been dreaming about travel to foreign countries for a long time. Her parents had been to Paris and London many years ago, but it was a short trip, and her mother really would’ve liked to visit a dozen other countries. As her father’s hospital bills had cost them so much, there really wasn’t a lot of spare money left to be spent on travel.

‘Oh yes,’ replied Jun. ‘I may even have to live abroad if everything goes as planned.’

Haruka’s mother’s eyes lit up. The look on her face and the gushing display of enthusiasm she expressed for Jun were evidence that the idea of him as a future son-in-law was once again becoming more and more appealing to her.

Haruka’s father leant forward to pick up his glass, and just as quickly her mother jumped to her feet and perched her arm across Yuriko to pass the drink to him.

‘Stop fussing over me, woman,’ Haruka’s father barked at her. His voice was gruff, but his eyes showed both an appreciation and gentle affection for his wife. This made Haruka feel warm and fuzzy inside. In a strange way, her father’s illness had brought her parents together, so that they were a lot closer now than before the ordeal.

Haruka shifted her gaze and studied her friend Yuriko as she swayed the conversation in her direction and started babbling on to Jun and Haruka’s parents about her shopping experiences in Paris the previous year. Jun nodded attentively while Haruka and her mother watched Yuriko with concern. Her face, covered thickly with makeup, was painfully thin. Her eyes were hollow and her hip bones were jutting out from under her white jeans, giving her body the symmetry of a coat hanger.

Yuriko hadn’t touched the rice crackers Haruka had put on the coffee table, although she’d taken a couple of sips from her oolong tea. Haruka knew that her mother would probably comment on Yuriko’s appearance as soon as she left the house. Her father wouldn’t say anything. He really didn’t seem to notice much about people’s appearances. Haruka’s mother had said once before that she looked ugly and unattractive and that she was behaving like a selfish child. She believed that Yuriko was starving herself just to get attention.

Haruka knew otherwise. Yuriko was far from selfish. She had been slightly overweight in high school and the boys had teased her occasionally. On top of this, her mother hadn’t heard the cruel taunts or the bullying some of the more popular girls at school had directed at Yuriko. Haruka remembered the day she’d first spoken to Yuriko. It was Sports Day in her second year at high school and Haruka was heading to the cafeteria for lunch when she noticed Yuriko cowering up against the school gates as three older girls from the year above mocked her for being overweight. She recognised her as the new girl who had just moved into the house next door to her with her family.

Haruka ran up to them and chastised the girls for being mean. The spiteful group by this stage had already said everything they’d wanted to say and it didn’t take much for them to leave. From that day on, Haruka had a firm friend and as soon as she and Yuriko realised they both shared a love for Japanese fashion brands, they became inseparable. Many evenings were spent trawling the streets of Ginza, Aoyama and Shibuya looking for outfits to wear on the weekend and to parties. Although Yuriko would sometimes get upset with herself when she couldn’t fit into the same clothes as Haruka, that didn’t stop the two of them spending most of their free time admiring the latest looks on offer or talking about the current trends.

Yuriko’s obsession with her weight developed not long after she returned from Paris. She joined a gym and her weight quickly plummeted. Haruka became concerned that she didn’t want to study nor did she want to work. Yuriko spent her days visiting her friends, shopping and exercising and thinking about her boyfriend Ry
. Every time Haruka had visited Yuriko at her home over the past few months, she was either just about to go to or come back from the gym, working out on the exercise bike in her room or on her treadmill in the basement of their huge house.

‘Yuriko, why don’t you try just one of these rice crackers?’ Haruka’s mother implored. ‘You used to love this type.’

‘Oh, no … I need to lose some more weight,’ Yuriko replied. ‘I’m trying to take off some fat around my calves. Everyone comments on how big my calves are.’

Haruka remembered that Yuriko used to have quite thick calves and ankles, but no one would say that they were large now.She looked across at her mother, who rolled her eyes in Haruka’s direction.

‘Why don’t we go for a walk? It’s a little cooler now … Yuriko? Haruka?’ said Jun, changing the subject as he stood up and beckoned the others to follow him.

Haruka was just as happy to avoid forcing Yuriko to face her demons and, forgetting she was tired from a long day, she willingly stood up and reached across to help Yuriko up onto her feet. Her mother gently nudged Haruka in the back all the way to the front door.

The weather outside was still nice. Although it had been a lovely day with Takashi, it was very pleasant for Haruka to hear Jun’s flattering comments about her dress and her hair as they headed away from the house.

As they turned the corner, Haruka held back a little so she could observe Jun walking slightly ahead with Yuriko. He strutted along like an army major, with a very straight back, as though he was taking charge of the girls. He hadn’t always been charming a few years back, but as Haruka looked at him now, all tanned and relaxed, she thought that he’d changed and he was being so nice that it was difficult not to find him attractive.

After about ten minutes, Haruka found it quite difficult keeping up with Yuriko and Jun’s pace in this heat. After all, she’d been walking around Kamakura most of the day.

‘You’ll have to get fitter than that, Haruka, if you want to keep up with us,’ teased Jun with a wide grin.

Haruka smiled back at him, not sure how serious he was about this comment. Anyway, she could easily forgive him for being a bit cocky, as he’d given her and her mother such beautiful scarves earlier and they wouldn’t have been cheap. The presents really had been very thoughtful, she thought to herself.

Haruka ran up to join them, trying to prove that she was a lot fitter than she actually was, but Jun and Yuriko slowed down for her, sensing how tired she was and she appreciated this as they walked along enjoying the balmy evening.

‘I’ll be in Kyoto next week for an interview, Jun … would you like to meet up?’ Haruka asked.

‘What day, because I’m quite busy next week with work,’ he replied.

‘Tuesday. My interview is at eleven a.m. … I’ll be finished by midday,’ said Haruka.

‘Sounds good. I could meet you at twelve p.m. and take you out to lunch.’

‘That sounds great,’ Haruka replied.

‘Send me a text message when you’ve finished the interview,’ said Jun.

‘I will if you promise to look at your phone – you never answer it when I try and call you,’ said Haruka.

‘It’s just that I’m so busy. I promise I’ll check my phone, Haruka,’ Jun replied.

‘Great,’ Haruka said.

They continued walking and Haruka really tried to keep up with Yuriko and Jun, but she was finding this difficult in the stifling humidity, and she really was exhausted after spending the day wandering around Kamakura. Yuriko turned around and must have caught the tired expression on Haruka’s face because she pulled at Jun’s arm and made him stop walking.

‘The cicadas are quite noisy this evening, don’t you think?’ Yuriko said.

The three of them cocked their heads to listen to the steady chime.

‘I think it would be a good idea if we started heading back now. It’s too hot and muggy to keep going,’ continued Yuriko.

‘Good idea,’ Jun and Haruka replied simultaneously.

Fifteen minutes later, Haruka returned to her house alone, exhausted and wanting a shower, with thoughts of Jun’s charming comments racing through her mind.

Her mother stopped her at the entrance as she was taking off her shoes.

‘Have you seen your father’s Mont Blanc pen? The one I bought him for his birthday,’ she said. ‘You know the one, Haruka – the silver and black one with the scratched lid.’

‘I saw it on top of the newspaper in the living room this morning before I went out,’ Haruka replied.

‘It’s not there now,’ said her mother in despair.

Haruka opened the sliding door into the living room. Her father lifted his head above his paper.

‘I can’t find my new pen,’ he announced to her. But without showing any concern, he went back to reading his Yomiuri newspaper.

Haruka watched her mother return to the living room and begin turning over cushions. Too tired to help with the search, Haruka hurried out and headed upstairs so that she could be alone. She’d bought two bridal magazines, Zexy and 25ans Wedding, a couple of days before. Sitting on the floor against the bed, she straightened her back, stretched out her legs and started flipping through Zexy. She stared at the American couple on the cover. The young girl was looking down at her beautiful bouquet of pink and white roses while her handsome new husband, with his chiselled features, gazed into her eyes with adoration. Both of them looked supremely happy, almost smug, as if this amazing wedding day was just the start of a wonderful future together, with no misgivings or worries. They looked so well-suited and so content. Their smiles gave Haruka the impression that nothing could disturb their perfect lives together.

She thought about her own life and her relationships with Takashi and Jun and how different she’d look standing next to either one of them on her wedding day. Takashi was attractive, very aware of her needs and always very kind; but he was a struggling student who could only promise her a basic lifestyle. She thought that maybe she’d get bored if she married him and start to wish she’d chosen someone who could give her so much more. On the other hand, Jun was extremely wealthy and generous, but egotistical and probably very difficult to live with. Despite these faults, she liked the idea that she could go shopping and buy all her favourite brands if she married him. She could fill her wardrobes with well-cut shirts from Yohji Yamamoto, lovely pleated skirts from Comme des Garçons and lots of handbags from Prada. She’d also be able to indulge her passion for expensive shoes and take trips to Paris and New York with Yuriko whenever she pleased. Haruka bit her lip and smiled to herself. She really enjoyed these images of travel and endless shopping days.

But it didn’t take long for her to realise that she hadn’t considered the full picture. It soon occurred to her that she wasn’t really facing the reality of the situation. Life wasn’t an endless shopping trip. Her happiness was paramount, but which one could offer her this happiness – Takashi or Jun?

Haruka had been flicking through the bridal magazines in her bedroom for about two hours, thinking about the pros and cons of marrying Takashi or Jun, when she felt a bit parched and decided to go to the kitchen for some oolong tea. She was walking down the corridor past the living room when she thought she heard her parents talking about Jun. Haruka peeped through the crack in the door and saw her mother kneeling down beside her father, talking quietly. Haruka’s father was still sitting in his favourite sofa chair, and even though he still seemed absorbed in the Yomiuri newspaper, he was nodding at his wife as she chatted away.

‘I think Jun has matured a lot compared to a few years ago,’ said her mother. ‘He really has turned into a very nice young man.’

‘Do you think so?’ replied her father.

‘Yes, and since he comes from such a good family who are obviously worth a lot of money, we should reconsider him as a future husband for Haruka,’ said Haruka’s mother. ‘I know she likes Takashi, but from what I can gather, he wouldn’t be able to really provide for her like Jun could, and did you see the way he was dressed today with that hole in his sock? The more I think about it, the more I know Jun would be a better husband for our daughter.’

‘Maybe,’ replied Haruka’s father.