Wheels of Steel Book 4 (14 page)

They went back to the church where the guests were just entering. Akita’s music was playing at a low level and it was a pleasant back drop to a sad day. Considering how quickly the seats were filling, Robin knew that the funeral was going to be crowded but the air conditioning worked--probably better than necessary. Robin sat next to Jason on one side and with Belinda on her other. Belinda was sunk down in her seat still pale, her glasses still perched on her face even though they were inside a dimly lit church.

“Still feeling sick?” Robin asked.

“Like hell,” Belinda croaked.

“Y thinks the weed we smoked was laced with something.”

“Yeah, he already laid into me this morning about it. And then Peter did. They said there is a video of you dancing sexy and singing dirty songs.”

Robin nearly leaped to her feet. “What the-?!” She barked out.

Belinda looked at her from over her sunglasses.

“You didn’t know? I didn’t look at it yet. I slept on the ride over. I’m about to sleep now if you leave me alone.”

Robin turned and stared at Jason who was celebrity watching. She poked him in the arm.

“What?” he asked.

“Uh … there’s a video of me singing and dancing?”

“Ah …” A shadow seemed to fall across Jason’s face. “You know that song by Georgia Reign called
Fuck
?”

No less than ten people turned to look at him in disapproval and his face reddened. He was not the best at whispering.

Robin remembered that the song had played yesterday. And then she remembered singing. Oh God … And now she remembered dancing.

“I want to see it.” She stated.

Jason shifted in his seat. “I’ll play it for you after-“

“No, now!” She demanded.

Peter leaned forward to look at her. “Robin this is a church. Can’t you wait until after the service?”

Belinda nudged him. “No. And mind your business, Peter. Isn’t that what you always say to me? I want to see it now, too.”

Jason grumbled and navigated to the video on his smart phone. He plugged in the ear buds that she had used earlier and then thrust his phone at her.

Robin shrugged as she watched herself grooving to the funky tune. So what? Not such a big deal. She put one bud in her ear and gave the other to Belinda who plugged it into her ear.

Oh my damn
…

She was singing the shit out of that song. Her face was becoming warm at the way she freely sang about getting fucked. She pulled the buds from her ears and thrust the phone at Jason.

“I don’t want to see anymore.”

Robin was mortified. She was about to get up and sing a gospel tune after singing and dancing raunchy the night before.

No more weed!

Robin was antsy and nervous until Jason grabbed her hand and held it—she thought it was mostly to stop her annoying fidgeting but she still appreciated the contact.

“You do this when you perform with Orange Crush, right? There’s no difference.”

She pursed her lips together. There was a difference. They always got high before they performed.

Soon the service got underway and Robin and Y left their seats in order to take their positions. She could hear the pastor doing the memorial and it brought her back home and eased a bit of her tension.

They announced her as Sweetheart from Wheels of Steel and applause went up surprising her as she walked from her place behind the curtain and to the center of the stage, beneath which was the pastor’s pulpit alongside a display of flowers surrounding a large portrait of Akita.

When Robin picked up the microphone Y began to play and as soon as people recognized the tune the church began to stir in interest. Robin began to sing, her voice low and measured at first and then increasing as she progressed. When the chorus began several people in the audience began to clap in enthusiasm. By then Robin was no longer afraid and she sang as if she was singing in front of her mirror at home.

Belting out the lyrics, Robin walked down the short set of stairs until she was directly in front of the church and she turned to face the portrait of Akita as she sang to him—not to the audience but to the man that had influenced so many musicians. And when she finished she finally heard the applause.

She bowed slightly and then gestured to the pianist. “Mr. Yagano Kurahara.” Y stood and people came to their feet, giving them both a standing ovation. Smiling in gratitude Robin and Y headed off the stage together but James was waiting there and shooing them back onto the stage.

“They want you to perform another song!” He yelled.

Robin gave Y a surprised look.

“They said not to do anything Christian. I don’t know what to sing, do you?”

“I think we should forget about what they said yesterday.” He looked at the crowd. “
They
say we play more gospel.”

Robin asked him if he knew a song called
If I Don’t Wake Up
and he did. And people did cry when she sang it but they were happy tears and people seemed to need permission to show their feelings.

When she and Y left the stage again it was to another standing ovation. The crowd responded enthusiastically to the pastor’s sermon and it was mostly because Robin and Y had awakened them. After the sermon people came up to speak about Akita, including Jason, Peter, Belinda and Amberly of Wheels of Steel. They were met with enthusiastic applause and when Y took the stage again to speak about Akita, it took time for the applause to die down before he was able to speak.

The funeral ended to the music of Akita Tom as well as some of the tunes that James had recorded the night before of Robin and Y. She thought it was a bit underhanded that he didn’t mention he intended to use her recordings for that purpose, but Robin didn’t say anything.

When she met up with Jason again he hugged her proudly and swung her around, barely stumbling.

“Jason!” She squealed and then laughed. She got congratulations from the rest of the group as well as from people from the audience that wanted to shake her hand. Some even slipped her business cards. The group didn’t linger and went home for the second part of the funeral, which would take place there.

It was beautiful and to Robin, much more intimate and heartfelt. There were only a select few allowed to attend and Hidalgo actually cried when he stopped at Akita’s shrine and then spoke to Robert Chancellor about how much his brother had meant to him.

A mysterious woman dressed in a full black lace veil arrived and Y explained that she was the closest to a girlfriend that Akita had. It was Miss Aimi Haruto. Robin remembered the story that he’d told her about trying to blackmail Akita. Was this the secret lover that Akita had? And if Akita had been the man on the side, who was the other man? Someone famous no doubt.

Robin was happy that there were caterers to help with the refreshments and after she politely greeted and talked to several people; those she knew and some she didn’t, Robin retreated to her bedroom for a much-needed nap.

By dinnertime the funeral was finished and the house put back in order—with the exception of the new shrine, which fit nicely in the living room. 

Bob and his wife thanked them all for their help and friendship. Robin hadn’t gotten to know him but the man was quiet and humble and seemed genuinely impressed by his brother’s fame.

Jason and Peter went into the home studio to work on some tunes for tomorrow’s tribute album practice.

Belinda was still feeling under the weather so she returned to her and Peter’s room to chill.

Amberly, Y and Robin then ended up going out to the garden to relax. The temperature had dropped some and it felt comfortable being dressed in just a maxi dress that touched her ankles.

Robin thought that she might be uncomfortable chilling with Amberly but the three of them just talked about Japan and the evening ended on a peaceful note.

Jason and Peter spent endless hours in the Tokyo studio with the people who wanted to be included in the tribute album.

Robin didn’t ask how much longer they were going to stay in Japan because Jason was doing a lot from recording, going over the acquisition of Ramen records, to negotiating with Akita Tom Productions about the label deal. In addition to that, Wheels of Steel had been contacted about projects with other artists, interviews, as well as parties and musical gigs that the fellows were hard pressed to turn down.

Robin had gotten similar calls but she wouldn’t accept any offers until she knew what Jason and Peter would do—which would then determine what she might do.

Y kept Belinda, Amberly and Robin entertained. They saw mountains and waterfalls and he took them to karaoke. But it was Belinda’s idea that he take them to Kabukic
hō
in Shinjuku--Tokyo’s red light district.

  Y didn’t actually jump at the idea and Amberly assured him that it was okay. So he said he’d do it only if Jason and Peter didn’t have a problem with it.

The only problem Peter had is that he wouldn’t be able to go with them. Jason hesitated when Robin told him of their plans.

“Fine Robin. But are you planning on getting high?”

“What?” she rolled her eyes at him. “I have no plans on getting high, sheesh.”

He gave her a doubtful look, which annoyed her.

“Look, Jason, marijuana is eventually going to be legalized everywhere. So you need to get used to seeing it. Besides, I’m not going to smoke weed in Japan when I can just get high at an opium den-“

“Wait, what?!”

She smirked. “I’m kidding. I will not be indulging in any illegal substances.” She reached up and kissed the tip of his nose.”

“Wait, Robin is opium legal or illegal here?”

“Bye Jason,” she left the room.

To Robin, the entertainment district at Kabukic
hō
looked like an amusement park. It was evening, but the night was illuminated by the many lights displayed on nearly every shop. The skyscrapers were even sheathed in lively lights with billboards that advertised the unknown in bold Japanese letters along with pictures of handsome men and sexy women.

For the most part the people roaming the street looked as if they should be in fashion magazines. The hairstyles were exuberant, even on the men. And often times the men were just as pretty as the women. One woman, who might have begun life as a man, was dressed in a tiny kimono with sexy thigh highs and spiked heels. She spun and twirled and cajoled them.

Amberly whispered that the women were prostitutes. In fact, many of them just stood there, either on cell phones or prancing about but always waiting. Since neither Robin, Belinda or Amberly had ever been around sex workers they were intrigued by the young woman who tried so hard at vying for the attention of the single men.

“I want one of those outfits,” Belinda said while gesturing to the shorty Kimono. “Y, where can I get one of those?”

Y just shook his head with a chuckle.

As they walked down the street together, people watched them with interest—three attractive Americans accompanied by one Asian man. Belinda speculated whether they thought Y was their
host
—as in paid to escort them. Amberly was happy to hang on to her handsome husband.

“They call this Mizu-s
hō
bai,” Y explained while gesturing widely. “The water trade. It’s where you find the hostess and snack bars and cabarets. Now on the backhand is the
fū
zoku—
which is the sex trade. It’s where you find the soaplands and the image and fashion clubs; which are all forms of sex without penetration.” He playfully tapped Amberly’s nose. “And prostitution is illegal in Japan, my dear. This is not Amsterdam.”

Y looked at the rest of them. “So what would you ladies like to do first?”

“Lets go to a cabaret!” Belinda exclaimed. 

Y turned and in that second two men grabbed him. He yelled something in surprise but the men gripped each of his arms, holding them out from his body. The man holding Y’s tattooed arm twisted it roughly back and forth and then spoke sharply in Japanese. The other men shoved him when Y didn’t respond quickly enough.

Robin saw that both men appeared to be in their mid-twenties and had colorful tattoos visible on their forearms. The considerable crowd on the street gave them a wide berth but no one seemed surprised by the aggression--no one stopped to help them, either.

Amberly moved forward but Robin caught her arm and stopped her.

Y said something and he sounded pissed. He yanked his arm free of the men’s grip—neither of which tried to grab him again. And yet the strong exchange of words continued, this time with Y poking one of the men in the chest. The two men held up their hands in supplication and then backed away while Y continued cursing at them in Japanese.

Amberly hurried to her husband and Y hugged her to him while he stared after the retreating perpetrators.

“What in the hell was that about?” Belinda asked.

Y looked at the frightened women and calmed himself. “Everything is fine. It’s Yakuza business.”

Amberly suddenly moved away from Y. Her hands went to her hips and she cocked her head at him angrily.

“Yagano, that’s not going to fly!” Amberly shouted. “Why did those men accost you?”

He sighed, looking around at the attention that he’d garnered. “Let’s keep walking and I’ll explain.” They watched him as he led them away from the eyes that followed them.

“They didn’t recognize me,” he explained.

“What are you talking about?” Amberly asked in excitement.

“They saw the tats but didn’t recognize my face. So they thought I was hustling—because I was with you three.” He looked at Amberly and then the others. “All business here is handled by the Yakuza—with territory being divided by gangs. It creates turf wars. It used to be that only the Yakuza displayed intricate tattoos—but now any Japanese can. But there are some that pretend to be Yakuza and try to hustle outside of the eye of the gang that operates the territory.”