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"Hi Florrie, welcome to our home!" Patricia greeted. "We've been looking forward to your visit."
Florrie looked at the house and then at Niko. "Is this really your house?"
"Yes, this is where we live," Niko replied confused by the question.
"Come in," Patricia replied. "Niko has snacks all ready for you since we won't be eating until later."
Florrie gawked at everything as she followed Niko and Patricia to the kitchen. She had heard that people lived in nice houses, but she never thought that she would see one much less be inside of one. She took in everything so that she could keep her promise to her mother to tell her everything that happened.
"I'll never see the insides of a nice house, so you tell me everything and that includes what you ate."
"I'll show you where we wash our hands before we eat," Niko said and started to walk away.
Florrie stayed rooted where she was. She felt as if she had left her world and entered into a new one. Washing hands before eating? They never did that before they ate. They just sat at the table and ate even if their hands were dirty from playing or working outside.
Kenji stood next to Patricia and watched for several seconds before he said anything.
"Florrie, it is alright."
Both he and Patricia saw Florrie flinch when Kenji spoke. Patricia looked up at him and understood why he had looked so concerned. When Florrie finally followed Niko to the bathroom, she turned to Kenji.
"She's being hurt."
"Yes Kirei, she is and so is her mother," he replied as he put an arm around her. He was going to say more, but Niko and Florrie were on their way back to the kitchen.
When Florrie saw Kenji's arm around Patricia, she stared. She couldn't remember ever seeing her father touching her mother like that. She looked at Patricia half expecting to see fear and was perplexed when she didn't.
"Please sit down," Niko said holding a chair out for her. "I will go find Marie and we will have a snack."
"Niko, why don't you take Florrie with you?" Patricia asked when she saw the anxiety on the girl's round face. Alone again, Patricia turned to Kenji. "What do we do?"
"I don't know," Kenji replied. "Nick or Will would be better at answering that question from a legal standpoint."
They could hear Marie's happy giggles as they approached the kitchen. Once again Niko offered Florrie a chair and held it out for her and then did the same for Marie. Florrie was flabbergasted when Niko told her what the options were as far as things to drink. At her house it was usually just water.
"O-Orange juice please."
She watched mesmerized as Kenji led Patricia to the table, helped her into a chair and then kissed her head. Niko poured orange juice for her, Marie and then finally himself and served it while Kenji made Patricia a cup of tea.
The snack time was quiet at first, but by the end of it; a bright little girl had emerged and was chatting with them freely. One thing was apparent to both Kenji and Patricia- Florrie was an exceptionally bright child.
"What does Kirei mean?" She asked Niko when she heard Kenji use the term with Patricia.
"It is Japanese for beautiful," Niko explained. "Papa always calls mama that because she is so beautiful."
A dark expression crossed Florrie's face and then was gone.
"My dad never says nice things like that to my mom," she said and then stopped. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. Her mother had warned her against saying anything about what happened at home.
"It's nobody's business but ours," her mother told her that morning. "Just try to have a nice time and remember to tell me everything."
They let the statement pass realizing that Florrie had said more than she should have. Later when they were alone, Florrie asked Niko the question that had been on her mind since snack time.
"Does your dad really like your mom?"
"Of course he does," Niko replied. "He loves her- doesn't your dad love your mom?"
"I don't know," Florrie replied after a long pause. "He never said so. Does your dad get mad at you?"
"Sometimes," Niko replied.
"Does he hit you?"
"No!" Niko exclaimed appalled by the thought.
"Does he hit your mom?"
"No never-he loves us."
"What happens if you do something bad?" Florrie asked fascinated that not all fathers were like hers.
"We talk about it and then I am punished, but I am never hurt. Grandpa Nick believes in spanking, but he's never done it. Florrie-does your papa hurt you and your mom?"
"Let's read a book," Florrie said changing the subject. She didn't want to think about home. She wanted to enjoy her time in this magical world where everyone seemed to love each other.
Patricia was standing outside of the library where Niko and Florrie were talking. She wanted to check on them before she got busy with the final preparations for the picnic. Her heart broke at the conversation that Niko was having with Florrie. Like Kenji, she didn't know what they could do about it.
*****
Mai spent the morning in her room. She knew that something was happening because her father was uncharacteristically happy. Whenever he looked at her, he had a 'now I've got you' look on his face. Ani was quieter than usual. Jiro was too busy being pleased with himself about how the plans for his new business were going to pay her too much attention. If he wasn't talking about the business, he was talking about the coming baby. During those times Mai closed her ears and counted down to when her residency would be complete. She had already made contact with several hospitals on the east coast and all of them sounded promising. She only had to survive the rest of her residency. She had it planned in her head. On her last day, she would walk out of the hospital and catch the first bus or train to the east coast. She wouldn't even let her family know that she was gone. That thought kept her grounded. It was her lifeboat.
After lunch, her father and Jiro left the house. Her father instructed her to get make herself presentable and to wear her best kimono. A feeling of dread filled Mai's belly. She looked at Ani who looked away. Mai understood that Ani knew what was happening, but would she tell her? She waited until she was sure that Jiro and her father were gone before she approached Ani.
"What's going on?" she asked without preamble.
"I don't know what you mean," Ani replied as she started preparations for dinner.
"Yes you do," Mai said, "and you're going to tell me."
"Mai- I can't tell you what I don't know. All I know is that the person coming is a business associate of father's."
"I don't believe you," Mai said quietly. "You have to know something. Jiro must have told you something."
"First of all," Ani said sternly, "what Jiro and I discuss is between us. My loyalty lies with him. Secondly, I don't know what father is up to. I only know what I told you. Why he wants you here I don't know and I didn't ask. I would suggest that you do as you were told and get ready."
Mai stomped off and made a decision. She wouldn't do as she was told. She would meet her father's business associate dressed in her western clothes. As she changed, she had second thoughts about her decision. If she did as planned it would do nothing but further anger her father and at the moment; that didn't suit her needs. She put the clothes away and took out the kimono that she hadn't looked at in months. Sighing heavily, she laid the garment on the bed and looked at it. It was a beautiful garment but to her, it symbolized entrapment. In hindsight, she wished that she had made an effort make it work with Shotaro. They could have found a way to go their own separate ways, but it was much too late to be thinking about that now. He had already married the black woman in a civil ceremony.
She brushed her long black hair and then put it up in a bun. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and in that moment hated herself. She finally admitted that part of what Ani had been saying was true. Part of this was her fault. She had gone about things in the wrong way beginning with Kenjiro Takeda. As soon as she realized that he was married, she should have backed off. That he was married to a black woman was something that she would never understand even if he explained it to her. Too late she realized that he would have made a good friend. In the back of her mind, she wondered if was too late for that. It was, she decided. His wife would never allow it and if she were in her position; neither would she. Her father more than likely wouldn't be so angry if it hadn't been for her fascination with Kenji. He also might have broken the engagement between her and Shotaro had she played her cards right.
"Damn," she swore as she saw the error of her ways. She also realized that Ani was right about something else- she could have walked away and made it on her own. Thousands did it, so why couldn't she? That led to her second decision of the night. She wasn't going to wait until her residency was over to leave. She was leaving as soon as possible. The first obstacle was a place to stay. Vera came to mind and Mai was certain that she would take her in. The next thing was how to get her belongings out of the house without arousing suspicion. Her mind whirred with excitement. She was actually leaving! It was something that she should have done long ago. Now that she had a plan, she could go through the evening's charade. She would be the dutiful daughter and do everything that was required of her.
Three hours later, Jiro, her father and the house guest were at the house. Mai checked her appearance and plastered a fake smile on her lips. She left her room confident that the evening would pass slowly and without incident. Her father, Jiro and the house guest were in the living room being served sake by Ani.
"Ah there she is," her father said when he saw her. "This is my daughter- Mai- the one that I was telling you about."
Mai felt a ball of ice form in the pit of her stomach as she listened to the introduction. The man stood and politely bowed. She took in his appearance. He was about twenty years older than she was and had the bearing of someone who had been in the military. He was handsome in a stern sort of way with his salt and pepper hair cropped short. He assessed her with cool, almost disinterested eyes before turning back to her father.
"Kanojo wa hijo ni utsukushidesu- she is very beautiful."
Mai listened to them discussing her as if she wasn't there.
"I told you this did I not?" her father was saying, "but I also told you that she is willful and needs a strong hand."
Mai took a step backward as she understood what was happening. She saw all of her plans vanish as her father gave her away to a man that she didn't know.
"Mai come here," her father said sternly. He waited until she was standing in front of him. "This is Tamoya Ito. He is my friend and business associate."
Mai swallowed hard and bowed.
"His wife of several years died and has left him childless and alone- he has agreed to marry you..."
"No! Father please..."
"It has been decided," he said his voice cold. "You will spend the evening becoming acquainted as the wedding will be in two days' time."
Tamoya Ito looked at Mai and grinned. "Come, sit and let us get to know each other."
Mai frantically looked around hoping that just once that Ani would forget tradition and say something- anything to help her. She saw that Ani was just as surprised as she was, but that Jiro wasn't. He knew and he hadn't told Ani. Ani's eyes met hers and the looked away making it clear that she wasn't going to interfere.
"Sit down," her father said sternly.
Seeing as she had no choice, Mai sat down. She folded her hands in her lap and looked down at them. She spoke only when spoken to and offered no more information than what was required. She didn't miss the way that the man lustfully eyed her. Her mind frantically raced trying to think of a way out of her predicament. One thing was clear, if she was going to leave; it had to be tonight. She would take a cab to Vera's apartment and hide there. She would miss her rotations, but it couldn't be helped.
Finally the evening was over. Mai felt as if she was caught in a whirlwind from which there was no escape. As soon as Tamoya was gone, Mai ran into her room and tore the kimono off. She ignored the tentative tap on the door and began to stuff a small bag with her personal items. She froze when she heard a sound that she didn't recognize. The door was being locked. Her father had anticipated her reaction. Tears of anger, defeat and hatred ran down Mai's face as she listened to the hushed voices on the other side of the door. One of them was Ani; the other belonged to her father. Eventually the voices moved away from the door and all was silent. It was over- she had lost.
*****
Saul hummed his way through his shift. Nothing could destroy the good mood that he was in. His patience in dealing with Isadora was paying off. Their after church conversations were more relaxed and she smiled more easily. He rushed home to get ready for the Saturday night picnic. With any luck, he would get to sit with Isadora and Lucas Newton would stay away. Saul didn't care that the young black man glared at him or made snide comments. In fact, he didn't care what anyone thought or said. The only opinion that interested him was Isadora's. He grinned when he thought about Reggie and Joshua's reaction when he told them about his intentions toward Isadora.
"You're going to do what?" Reggie asked incredulously. "Are you crazy?"
"No...."
"Look here son," Joshua broke in, "think about this- things are hard enough as it is. Find yourself a nice white girl..."
"It's either Isadora or no one," Saul replied. "I can't tell you how I know that she's the one, but I know that she is."
It was Cora who tried to put an end to the discussion.
"Reggie and Joshua- leave him be. If he wants Isadora as his wife then so be it. He's a fine man and any woman would be blessed to have him. We need to be supporting him and not trying to discourage him from the path that he feels god is leading him. You two should be ashamed of yourselves."
Both men were quiet. They had no argument against what Cora said although Reggie tried.
"Come on Aunt Cora- you know that what we say is true."
"I'm not saying that it isn't," she replied. "What I am saying is that it isn't for us to decide what he should and shouldn't do. That's between him, Isadora and god. We can do one of three things, try to stop him, stay out of it or try to help. I for one am going to try to help. What you do is up to you."
Saul jumped out of his chair, grabbed Cora and hugged her. For some unknown reason of the three present, her opinion was the one that really mattered. Later he would realize that it was because she had become his mother. His birth mother would never understand or accept his decision about Isadora. He didn't think that she would disown him; but she wouldn't accept Isadora either. He walked in the door to see Noah Jackson sitting on the sofa sipping a glass of water. For just a moment Saul thought that he had changed his mind about sending him to school.
"Saul! How are you?" Noah greeted.
"I'm fine sir- how are you?"
"Good, I was hoping to take a few minutes of your time. I have something that I need to discuss with you."
Saul sat down across from Noah and waited.
"Tell me about your friend Harry," Noah said.
"What do you want to know?" Saul asked warily.
"What has he been up to?"
"I don't know," Saul replied honestly. "We haven't really talked for a long time now- why are you asking?"
"Why the change in your relationship?" Noah asked. "Wasn't he the one that you stood up for?"
"Yes, but something changed," Saul replied. "He's not the same person. He's angry about the way things are. He doesn't see the changes that are already happening-the changes aren't happening fast enough to suit him."
Noah was quiet for several minutes. He knew more about Harry's doings than his best friend did. The question was did he want to take a chance with someone who believed that violence was the way to fix things? Harry Simons definitely had the spark, but could he be redirected?
"I plan to talk to him," Noah said making his decision. "I'm also going to tell you what your friend has been into."
Saul was shocked, appalled and saddened by what he heard. The good mood that he had walked in with was gone. His friend was well on his way to destroying his life because of anger and hatred. He looked at the clock, stood up and walked out of the house leaving Noah Jackson sitting on the sofa. As he walked toward Harry's house, he spoke to all that spoke to him and nodded at those who didn't. When he reached Harry's house, he hesitated. Harry had made it clear that he didn't want to talk about what he was into. Saul walked to the front door and knocked. Harry's mother answered the door.
"Saul? My lord it's been a long time! What's been keepin ya?"
"It's nice to see you too," Saul replied with a smile. He was relieved that whatever feelings Harry had or didn't have toward him weren't held by his mother.
"Harry says you been busy- going to school and all."
"Yes ma'am- I'll be starting classes soon. Is Harry home?"
"No, he at some meeting," she replied and then glanced around. "I'm glad you came- you got a minute?"
A few minutes later, Harry's mother told Saul her concerns.
"I'm tellin you because you're his friend and maybe he talks to you. I don't know what he into, but he's so mad all the time. Don't get me wrong, he helps like he always did; but he ain't the same."
"I know," Saul commiserated, "I see the same thing. I'll try to talk to him the next time I see him." He didn't have the heart to tell her that her son was involved in criminal activity. Harry's mother thanked him and saw him to the door.
"I wish that he could go to school," she said before she said goodbye. "He's so smart."
Saul agreed but didn't tell her about Noah Jackson. It wasn't for him to do. He walked back home with a heavy heart. He knew deep in his soul that he had lost a friend.
*****
Isadora changed clothes three times before putting on the pale yellow dress that she had started out with. Maeve sat on her bed rolling her eyes as Isadora changed back into the dress. What she wanted to know was what the big deal was. She was almost positive that there was a man involved, but Isadora had adamantly denied it. Maeve believed her-almost. She was going to the church picnic with Isadora and hoped to see who it was that she was getting dressed up for. Maeve was surprised at the invite to the picnic, but hid it. Ernie was going to spend the evening applying for residency programs which left her free. Even if he hadn't been busy, she wasn't going to miss the chance to see who had caught her friend's eye.
Finally Isadora was ready- Maeve thought. When she started to change her clothes again, Maeve spoke up.
"What's his name?"
"Who?" Isadora asked.
"Don't hand me that," Maeve scoffed. "You're acting like I do when I'm getting ready for a date with Ernie."
"Speaking of Ernie, what's happening with you two?" Isadora asked seizing the opening that Maeve gave her.
Maeve wasn't fooled and called Isadora on it. "Don't change the subject- who is he? Is he tall, dark and handsome? Is he a student? What does he do for a living? Is he okay with you being a book worm?"
Isadora didn't answer. She picked up her sweater and walked out of her room leaving Maeve sitting on the bed.
***
The back yard of the church was decorated with balloons and brightly colored ribbons. The tables were already set up and covered with white tablecloths. The food table was already laden with food and more was coming. Saul helped wherever he was needed earning several sincere smiles of thanks. He felt Lucas Newton's eyes on his back but ignored him. As he worked he kept an eye out for Isadora. He had already picked a table out for them to sit at if he could get to her first.
