Eiji:
“Thanks for coming Otou-san.” I tell him as we enter into one of the Izakayas near Ueno park and are led to one of the tables. It’s already dark but that’s what these places are for.
“It’ll be a first for us isn’t it?” He sweeps his eyes across the room as if inspecting the place before he sat down.
I laugh a little, “Well hopefully if this goes well, it won’t be the last?” I look at him. He seems to be better now. He was unusually quiet before we got here. Was he nervous or did something happen? I watch him light up and start smoking.
“It’s opportune.”
He sits down looking at the door as if watching the incoming and outgoing of people. He’s never at ease isn’t he?
“I’ve never seen you drink Otou-san.”
He grins slightly as if amused, “Nor have I you.”
“Should we make it a game then? Who can drink the most and still go home?”
He leans back, “Am I supposed to ensure you get home?”
“Someone has to.”
Finally the warm sake comes and I fill his cup. Should I just come out with my question or shall we just start drinking and let the cards fall where they may?
A Night of Drinking
3 thoughts on “A Night of Drinking”
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We’ve already gone through 5 bottles between us, not too bad but I find myself pouring more than he does. If this continues, I won’t be able to answer the question that’s been hanging over him since we got here. Only an idiot wouldn’t know after all.
“This is your treat yes?” I say a little loosely while grinning at him, “I hope when you go out with your friends and you’re “it”, you don’t let it last this long. You’ll end up broke.”
He chuckles and takes a sip of his sake, “No Otou-san. It wouldn’t be wise.”
I nod. “So tell me why you brought me here?”
“You looked down.”
I roll my eyes somewhat. “You scheduled this last week.”
“I did. Didn’t I…”
I sigh and take a swig at the sake. Whatever it is that he needs, I decide he needs to ask it now so I can send him home. I plan to stay here a while, now that I’m fairly comfortable that there are no patrons here that would recognize me.
“Do you want me to guess ahou?” I taunt him a little. “You ask me to come here and drink with you like grown men should and yet, you’ve clammed up on me.”
He clears his throat, “Yagi-san thought it would be a good idea to speak with you.”
“Oh you spoke to her? Asked her for advise?” I can’t help but smile at that.
“Yes but…” He looks down as he nursed the sake cup, “I thought being a woman she would let me know what to do since I didn’t know when you’ll be back but she said it was your responsibility.”
I’m surprised, “My responsibility?”
“Well perhaps more like “role”.”
I shrug but wonder why Hide didn’t feel qualified to answer his question. Well I still don’t know what his question is. “So what is this deep conundrum that I’m supposed to know the answer to?” I jest a little and look at the now empty cup. I motion to the waitress to bring us more. Eiji eyes what I’m holding but I ignore him.
Eiji leans over to me, “I’ll ask you now Otou-san, before the next bottle comes.” He looks at me seriously, “I like a girl.” He shakes his head, “No I mean a lovely young woman. I want to tell her but she’s already seeing someone else and I maybe a little too late.”
A young woman? I narrow my eyes at him. The only young woman I know that he looked to back then was my niece. I used to catch him looking at her but she was so oblivious to it. Back then they were so young I ignored it, thinking it would go away. But perhaps it’s not Yukiko? Perhaps someone he’s recently met or met while deployed.
“What would you do Otou-san?” He grips his cup a bit, “If you were in my shoes. If the girl is already spoken for?”
I sigh a little. “This isn’t a married woman is it?” I know it’s hypocritical of me to ask, after all I’m in that situation only reversed.
He shakes his head, “I think they’re bethrothed or maybe just an informal agreement.”
“You don’t even know?” I let out a sigh and light a cigarette. “How can you even say you’re serious about the young woman if you don’t know -that-.”
“Otou-san please.”
I don’t answer for a while, thinking about his question. In fact the sake was delivered and I pour for both of us. “Listen Eiji… You’re a bright young man, with a whole future ahead of you…”
“So you’re saying no.” He leans back with a forlorn look on his face, “I knew you’d say no.”
“Listen…” I suppress a hic, “A long time ago I knew a young man. He was good looking, was the illegitimate son of a Daimyo so he had money and future, very skilled with the sword. We were good friends because we were around the same age. He was not very good with women, couldn’t even flirt to save his life.”
Eiji leans back and I continue drinking, smoking and telling an old story that only I knew -now-.
“He always hung around another friend of mine, a swordsman much better than him and had the -best- luck with women and children. This guy had such a baby face that even a wily woman took interest in him but you see outwardly he was always seen with our benefactor’s daughter, a naive young woman who was head over heels in love with this genius swordsman, who had his other eye on this wily woman. He was also my friend, a great sparring partner…”
“Yes and?”
“Can’t you guess?” I chuckle and start on my next sake cup and pour one for him.
“No. Just tell me the story.” Eiji looks a little annoyed but I don’t care. I’m the one telling the story.
“Well you see Hide was madly in love with Souji, while Souji was somewhat returning her affection but the one who truly loved her was Todou.” I laugh a bit more, feeling the heat of the sake in my ears.
Is he already drunk?
“Looking in from the outside, the dynamic was quite amusing you see. My best friend was going after this wily woman and even when I warned him, he didn’t stop. Then I confirmed it to her, she didn’t listen. But you know, I much admired Todou Heisuke, he was such a gracious man that whenever that idiot friend of mine made Hide feel bad, Heisuke would be there and offer his friendship.”
He shakes his head and I can see he -is- drunk but I listen to his story. There is something for me here I think. Otherwise he’d never tell me something so personal.
“I told Heisuke he was a fool for always being there for her. She didn’t even really notice him even when he spent the whole day just trying to make her feel better by going to the animal shows, night market and such. All paid for by him of course!”
He slams his sake cup down a little, “I got so annoyed by the entire thing that one night, I confronted Heisuke and told him to tell her how he felt. Otherwise Souji was going to get her first. I saw it, the way Souji was starting to look at her and the way she looked at him. And unlike for a man, when a woman crosses that line, it’s different.”
He looks to the side for a long moment and I wonder if there’s anymore to the story. The waitress motioned if we needed another bottle but I motion for her to hold it.
“Heh… Do you know what that damn fool told me? That it wouldn’t matter. He’d still be her friend.” He drowns his sake cup, “I thought what fool! And of course he dies on me! Hide should’ve been with him. Not me or Souji.”
I swallow the last of my sake and quietly add, “Todou-san should’ve told her.”
“Yes! She would’ve been very happy had she ended up with him and maybe he’d still be alive because he didn’t seem the type to go die in battle. He was just going along with us fools.”
I look at the man who took me into his house. He’s obviously upset about something that I can only fathom what, however he gave me very good advise tonight. Now if he doesn’t remember that we spoke, I’m sure he already knows who the young lady is. There is no need to hesitate.
For now, this man needs to go home. I leave some money on the table and drape his arm over my shoulder.
(OOC: if any of the todou / hide / okita story is no good or highly contradicts her version of the background story, let me know the specifics and I will consider changes)
(OOC – no issues. Actually works well with something I’m writing lol)