It was a rather boring day. Doing surveillance on a bunch of new recruits is almost as bad as being in the office. But it must be done, unfortunately by me now that my living situation has changed. Any idiot can do this job but I agreed to do it at the time as it solved the urgent problem of where I was to live.
I go to the back end of the machiya and let myself into the very small garden. Well technically, I -could- live here but that would come with its own complications. I look around, it’s still as if no one is inside but I know she’s there. She hardly ever goes out and seems to be fine with it, after all she lived the life of a prisoner for many years. But she does go out right? Even once in a while? For food?
Looking down at the bag, I wonder to myself if my peace offering will be acceptable.
“Get in.” I look up and she’s there by the door. “Get in before someone sees you.”
I only grin at that and get inside, handing her the small bag with a box inside.
“Oh what’s this?” She looks at me, “A bribe or a peace offering?” She takes it to a table and starts unwrapping it. “Fancy, you brought cake.” She rolls her eyes.
“Don’t like cake? My children seems to like it.” I say. I’m not really sure why I brought cake to a woman who I knew wouldn’t understand.
“Oh I don’t mind cake.” She takes it out of the box and dips her forefinger into the icing and makes a long trail until there was enough to put in her mouth. She takes her finger into her mouth and licks the rest of the icing off. “I know a few “fun” things that can be done with cake.”
“Oh and where’d you learn that?”
“Come on Hajime-han.” She bats her eyelashes, “You know better than to think I’ve never had a westerner don’t you?”
I shake my head and sit by the window sill. “Well the cake is yours to do what you please.” I shrug. “And you’re right, it’s a peace offering.”
“You shouldn’t have.” She goes to sit in front of me, “Really.”
I look at her for a second and light a cigarette. “How are things?”
“I’m surprise you even ask Hajime…”
And I already knew what comes after that.
“You left me here for a month and now you ask “how are things”? Everything is fine. I had Mai to keep me company but she seems to have made herself scarce to please you.”
I only grin at that. “Well I’m glad things are fine. I wasn’t sure if…”
“I’m not so helpless Hajime. Not like when we met again.”
I nod. “That’s good.”
“Actually I thought you weren’t going to come back here. I’m sure your “Hime-sama” would’ve forbid you to come.”
I raise an eyebrow at her use of the word Hime. “She did forbid me.”
“And yet you still came?” She laughs suddenly and reaches for my cigarette and takes it from me. Puffing on it. “I must be special then, for you to risk the ire of her highness.”
I only shake my head at that. “We still have a job to do. Until that job is done…”
“Oh I thought there wasn’t a job. After all you seemed to have forgotten all about it, about me.” She lets out little circles of smoke, “Ah but I should’ve known better, you still want to go after that small time politican who aided and abetted the kidnapping of that poor little pricess of yours. You’ve not changed at all, everything is for your “Hime-sama”. I almost feel jealous.”
I sigh and take my cigarette back. After I suck on it, I remember an old game Hide and I used to play. Ah but I put that away from my mind. “She’s merely an aggrieved party, I’m after him for being corrupt and his involvement with her kidnapping is just one in a long line of iniquities.”
“Ah but you wouldn’t care so much about some small time politician who is still climbing up the ranks. He could disappear from influence at any time.”
She’s right of course. “But I’ve changed my mind. It might not be so bad to weed out the small fry.”
“So you say.” She rolls her eyes and stands up going to the small kitchen and taking a small plate. She goes over to the cake and takes a piece along with the included “fork”. I watch as she comes back but instead of going back to her seat, she instead sits on my lap. “Open up. I want you to eat this cake with me.”
I look at her again and after a moment of indecision, I threw my cigarette out the window. “Alright.”
She offers me a piece of cake and I take it. “It’s not a bad cake. Not too sweet.” I tell her. She only smiles and takes a bite herself after which she offers it to me again. And I can’t help but remember it was an old “game” that Hide and I used to play. But all it ever was… Was a -game-. Like this one.
It’s Aioi’s turn but I take the fork from her. “Here let me…” I offer her the cake and I plaster on a damn smile as she takes it happily, as if she really meant it. She is after all a master of the city in the clouds. “Looks like I’m forgiven then.” I say, the peace offering worked.
“Mostly.” She leans up, like she used to back then and I… It’s my turn to eat cake.
(To be continued)
After some time, I start getting dressed into a slightly weathered kimono. It’s time for me to get back to the Row houses.
“You look better in a uniform.” She tells me and I look back at her. “Wouldn’t your “Hime-sama” wonder why you’re coming home in -that-? And it’s late. Why don’t you stay here instead? No sense waking up your children.”
I blink at that. I could tell her I don’t live there anymore but Aioi wouldn’t even know where “there” is. “I’m going elsewhere.” I say simply and fold my uniform.
“Oh that won’t -do- Hajime-han. If you’re not staying here you shouldn’t keep your children waiting. It makes you a -bad- father.”
“What makes you think I’m a good one?” I grin a little and light a cigarette.
“I guess you do strike me as someone who likes to leave his seed all over the place.”
Somehow, that struck a wrong chord with me and I turn to her around to put her in her place, but I stop… In a way she’s not wrong. Wasn’t it only a week ago I was copulating with a woman whom I didn’t intend to make my wife? Taking a couple of puffs, I go open the window and sit by it. “Perhaps, certainly none of my children were “planned”.” Well none, except -one- but that one is under the care of Jizo-sama.
I glance back at her and think how she managed with all the men that’s made a pass at her. She smiles in a weird way, one that seems to indicate she knew what I was thinking.
“Well you should go home even if she’ll smell me on you. Children wouldn’t be able to tell the difference after all.”
I look down and then out the window, “I’ll be visiting the house this weekend. It’s Ai’s 100th day.”
“She’s that old already?” She smiles and it looks genuine. “It must be so fun to have a baby girl.”
“It’s wonderful.” I tell her truthfully. Everytime I stare into Ai-chan’s eyes and then her face, I see not only my mother but… I stop and put that thought away.
“I knew you had a soft spot and you’re likely a very good father.” She laughs but I’m not sure if she’s being playful or derisive.
“I’m -not-.” I let out a breath, getting weary of this conversation. Taking a few more puffs, I threw the half smoked cigarette away.
“Is it because you’re usually far away Hajime-han? Always “working”.” She shrugs, “One of my clients once told me, a child doesn’t have to see it’s father to know to love him. That is the mother’s job. The mother will secure the place of an absent father with her children.”
“Isn’t that swell?” I shake my head and go to her. Pulling her close to me, which seemed to surprise her. Looking down, I watch her face. “You’d look better if you didn’t put so much make up.”
“Hajime-han?”
“Just stop talking.” I go ahead and kiss her. It was the only way to get her to shut up about my children and I didn’t want to think anymore. So what if her sister said I was secretly faithful? I never wanted to be suitable just because I didn’t bed some prostitute.
(End)