Vanilla

by Guy Willard

  All along the street were colorful neon signs advertising the many love hotels in the area. As he followed the pair, Fumio was suddenly brought up short when they did an abrupt about-face. Tatsuya pretended to be surprised at seeing him there.

  “Fumio, what a happy coincidence. We were just going to take a cab to my place. Now you can come along with us and help pay the fare.”

  “Gladly.”

  “Norie-san, this is Fumio, an old friend of mine.”

  The girl was leaning heavily against Tatsuya’s shoulder, and seemed a little bleary-eyed. “Nice to meet you.”

  She was in her mid-twenties, with hair cut short in a bob which exposed her rather prominent cheekbones. The glasses she wore had thick lenses, and her eyes beneath them were narrow, with single-fold eyelids. No one would have called her a beauty.

  “Give me a hand, will you, Fumio?”

  “Sure.”

  Together the two boys led the girl to a taxi stand, where a single cab was waiting. Tatsuya gave the driver the address of his apartment in Shibuya, and all three of them got into the back seat. As soon as the car got underway, the girl fell asleep with her head against Tatsuya’s shoulder. Her knees were spread wide apart, causing her dress to hike up and expose her thighs.

  Fumio, noting the driver’s repeated glances into the rear-view mirror, felt sure that he knew exactly what the two boys were up to, so he kept his gaze fixed steadily out the window, pretending to be completely innocent.

  The traffic was fairly light at this time of night, so they arrived at Tatsuya’s apartment building in less than thirty minutes. Fumio paid the fare, and the two boys shook Norie awake and helped her out of the cab, guiding her to the entrance lobby.

  Only now did Fumio become excited at what was about to occur. When they arrived inside Tatsuya’s room, Norie went straight to the sofa and sat down on it, her head flopping back so that she was gazing up at the ceiling.

  “I don’t care what happens tonight,” she said. “After what that bastard did to me, he deserves it.”

  “Would you like to take a shower first?” asked Tatsuya.

  “Yes, I would like that.” When she got up, Tatsuya led her toward the bathroom, but she began slipping out of her jacket along the way, letting it slide down to the floor. By the time they got to the bathroom door, she was already unbuttoning her blouse. Even after she was safely inside, Tatsuya remained standing outside the door until he heard the shower go on.

  Fumio laughed. “She seems awfully upset about something.”

  “She is. She caught her boyfriend in bed with her best friend. The usual story. And she was at that club tonight to get her revenge on him by having sex with any man she fancied. What a coincidence that we should run into her on this night of all nights. She’s ripe for any kind of adventure, so it looks like you’ll get your wish, Fumio.”

  “She seems pretty drunk, though.”

  “I know. I’m worried that she might fall asleep on us. Or worse yet, get sick in the middle of it.”

  “Do you think she’ll be willing to go with both of us at the same time?”

  “It’s hard to say. Let’s try this: I’ll take her into the bedroom first, making her think you’ll be sleeping on the sofa out here. And then when you hear her start to moan, slip quietly into the bedroom. Trust me: there’s a certain point when women are open to anything.”

  “All right. You’re the master at this sort of thing.”

  Fumio felt his heart begin to race at the thought of being in bed with Tatsuya. The things he’d once been able to watch only as a spectator would now include him as an active participant…as if he’d magically stepped through that peephole in the wall and joined his hero on the other side.

  “She’s certainly taking her time, though,” murmured Tatsuya after a while. “Maybe I’d better look in on her.”

  He went to the bathroom door and knocked loudly several times. When there was no answer, he opened it and peered inside. With a shake of his head, he called over his shoulder to Fumio: “Come here and give me a hand, will you?”

  When Fumio joined him, he saw that Norie had passed out on the floor in front of the shower room, still half undressed. Tatsuya turned off the shower and the two boys carried the unconscious girl out to the bedroom. There, they laid her atop the bed, after which Tatsuya pulled a blanket over her.

  “We can’t take advantage of a sleeping girl,” he said. “Looks like our lesson will have to be called off.”

  “Too bad,” murmured Fumio. He tried to hide his disappointment.

  “Obviously I can’t teach you how to please a woman when the woman is out cold.”

  “True,” laughed Fumio, “unless we improvise or something.”

  “Improvise?”

  “Yes. Like, for example, if I play the woman’s part.”

  Tatsuya shot him questioning look. “Is that what you want, Fumio?”

  “Huh? No, no, no. I was just joking. Come on….”

  Tatsuya started to say something but Fumio interrupted him:

  “Forget what I said, Tatsuya. It was just a stupid joke. Maybe I should be going home before I make a bigger fool of myself.” He turned and headed for the door.

  “Wait,” said Tatsuya. “At least spend the night here. Surely Seiko-san wouldn’t mind.”

  “No. I really should be going. Please take care of Norie-san, will you? I’m sorry I won’t be around to help you.”

  Giving a brief wave, Fumio left the apartment and dashed down the stairs without even waiting for the elevator. Out on the street he began walking with no destination in mind. Everything that had happened tonight was rushing pell-mell through his mind and by the time he became aware of where he was, he was completely lost. Picking a direction at random, he resumed walking, telling himself he was bound to come across a familiar landmark if he just kept walking long enough.

  27

  About a week later, Fumio and Seiko were in their room getting ready for bed, when Seiko, sitting before the mirror cleaning her face with a moisturizing pad, suddenly remembered something.

  “Oh yes, Fumio-san, I almost forgot to tell you. You got a phone call from Tatsuya-san today.”

  “Tatsuya? At what time?”

  “Seven o’clock this evening.”

  “That’s strange. He knows that I work at the juku on Fridays. Why would he call when he knows I’m out?”

  “Maybe he forgot. Anyway, I told him you were at work, and asked if he’d like to leave a message for you. Well, one thing led to another, and we ended up talking for almost an hour. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not. Why should I? And what did he want to tell me?”

  “Actually, I think he just wanted to chat. He said he’d like to go out drinking with you again sometime.”

  Fumio thought of the “lesson” he’d almost had last week. Had Tatsuya called with the intention of inviting him out for another attempt? Fumio tried to keep the excitement from his voice as he calmly asked, “And what did you two talk about?”

  “Mostly music. He reminisced about that time we went to the karaoke box together. And then we started talking about various singers and entertainers.” The animated expression she wore made her look like a young schoolgirl. It was hard to believe she was a married woman of twenty-four.

  “You mean he was discussing pop idols with you?”

  “Yes—the sort of thing that always bores you. I know how much you hate pop star gossip. And then, as if he’d just thought of it, he....”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, he sort of invited me to go with him to a concert.”

  “Just the two of you?”

  “I told him no, of course,” she added hastily.

  Fumio looked at her carefully before voicing his thought. “Doesn’t it have all the elements of a secret date?”

  “That’s why I felt I should tell you.” She looked at him worriedly.

  “So what did you tell him? Did you decline?”

&nb
sp; “Well, actually I told him I didn’t know. He urged me to think about it, and that if I felt it was wrong, not to do it. He, for his part, said there were no underhanded designs behind his invitation.”

  “I see.”

  “And there’s another thing….” She brought a hand to her cheek as if to hide a blush.

  “What is it?”

  “Well, he asked me if I was going to tell you about the invitation. I told him yes, of course. And then I said, ‘Shouldn’t I?’ And he said, ‘Of course...but it’s up to you, really.’”

  “Meaning, of course, that you shouldn’t.”

  “That’s why I told him I’d have to think about it.” She looked down at her knees.

  A flicker of excitement rippled through Fumio. Tatsuya certainly worked fast. He’d only learned last week about the situation between Fumio and Seiko, and here he was, already making a move on her.

  “Do you want to go?” he asked her.

  “Well, if it’s okay with you. I mean, he’s your best friend, after all.”

  In Fumio’s mind, a scenario of unbelievable depravity suddenly unfolded: he imagined Seiko lying naked in Tatsuya’s arms, making love with him...and found that he liked it. Perhaps when he’d given permission for Seiko to see other men, it was with just this hope in mind: that she and Tatsuya would become lovers.

  “Seiko, as I told you before, Tatsuya is a real playboy. He thinks nothing of seducing girls and then casually tossing them away. So if you accept his invitation, you’ll be treading on very dangerous ground. You realize that, don’t you?”

  “If that’s all he’s after, maybe I should turn him down.”

  “Do you find him attractive?”

  She looked away and didn’t reply. Fumio knew the answer already from the way her eyes sought something to focus on.

  “He’s your type, isn’t he?” he said quietly. “Come on, you can tell me the truth.”

  She looked at him. “Yes. I think he’s very attractive.”

  Fumio had known it all along, of course. He merely wanted to hear it from her own lips. Looking straight at her, he said, “Go ahead and tell him yes.”

  He thought he detected a shiver go through her. If so, it was a twin to the one racing through his own body. He added: “And tell him you didn’t ask me about it.”

  She looked startled. “You mean to say—”

  “If you’re going to have an affair, it may as well be with someone I know.”

  She stared at him for a long time. “How can you be so calm about it?”

  “Because I believe things might have turned out like this anyway. From the first time I saw you two together, I could tell you felt something for him.”

  She was about to reply, but he cut her off:

  “Go ahead and see the concert together. Have a good time. And if he tries to make a move on you, do whatever you feel is best. After all, I’ve given you permission to sleep with other men. And if he doesn’t attempt anything, there’s nothing lost. But I happen to know that Tatsuya finds you very attractive as well.”

  “Did he say so?”

  “Not in so many words. But I can tell.”

  “Still, I’m a married woman. Why would he want me when there are so many single women out there who would gladly have him?”

  “Because he has a taste for the forbidden. The usual things just bore him. He once told me that a married woman is one of the most delicious treats because there’s very little danger of her pushing for a deeper commitment. A wife who plays around is usually doing it only for pleasure. And you’d be surprised at how many women out there think nothing of cheating on their husbands. His very words.”

  “Does he imagine I’m the promiscuous type, then?”

  “You’re an attractive woman and he fell for you...that’s all there is to it. Tatsuya is used to getting what he wants. But let me warn you: don’t lose your heart to him. Accept it for what it is: a casual fling, and not a serious romance. That way you won’t get too hurt when the break-up eventually comes.”

  “Aren’t you jealous, Fumio-san?”

  “Why should I be? As I told you before, you’re free to seek your pleasures outside of our marriage. It’s only fair.”

  “No, I mean the other way. I suspect your feelings for Tatsuya-san are deeper than just friendship.”

  He stared at her, stunned. It took a moment for him to find his voice again. “You’re right,” he whispered weakly.

  “Aha. Now I begin to see the picture. Tell me the truth, Fumio-san. Are you in love with Tatsuya-san?”

  For a moment Fumio felt panicked at having been discovered. But then he realized that since she already knew of his homosexuality, it would be useless to deny it. Why should he lie at this point? Indeed he was beginning to feel more and more that there was nothing he needed to hide from her anymore.

  “You’re right,” he said quietly. “I’ve been completely infatuated with him from the moment I first saw him. Head over heels in love.”

  She gazed at him feelingly. “Does he know about this?”

  “No. I think he suspects I might be queer, but as for my feelings for him, he doesn’t have the faintest clue, as far as I know.”

  “So that makes things a lot more complicated, doesn’t it? Because how can I go out with a man you’re in love with? I don’t want to steal him away from you.”

  “But you wouldn’t be stealing him from me. Tatsuya doesn’t have the slightest interest in men…which means that my love for him can only remain one-sided, no matter how long I live.”

  “I see.” A faraway look came into her eyes. “So, in effect, I’d be acting as your emissary, sent to make love with him in your place. To compensate for the impossibility of ever doing so yourself.”

  “If you want to view it like that, fine. Because the truth is, I will definitely get a vicarious pleasure out of knowing you were sleeping with him. So you needn’t feel any qualms in that regard. In fact, you have my utmost blessings.”

  She giggled. “It feels so strange to be actually urged by your own husband into having an extramarital affair. And with his best friend, too. Who would have believed that such things could happen?”

  “Just call it love in modern Tokyo.”

  She laughed and turned to look at herself in the mirror again, bringing the moisturizing pad up to her cheek. From the expression on her face, it was almost as if she were wondering who the woman in the mirror was.

  28

  On the night of Seiko’s date with Tatsuya, Fumio rushed straight home from work without stopping by the pub for his usual drink. He got back at 10:30, and from the cooking sounds coming from the kitchen, knew that Seiko was already home.

  “I’m back,” he called out.

  “Welcome home.” Wiping her hands on her apron, Seiko came straight from the kitchen to take his briefcase and suit jacket. “You’re home early today,” she said, with a touch of artificiality in her voice.

  “How did everything go?” he asked her softly, searching her face for clues.

  “Fine.”

  “What time did you get back?”

  “Oh, about ten.”

  She went upstairs to put away the jacket and briefcase as Fumio sat down at the kitchen table. Seiko’s mother came in from the living room and opened the refrigerator to get him his beer.

  “Oh, Mother, please don’t bother. I’ll do that.”

  “You just sit still and relax. You must be tired.”

  Seiko came down again and went back to her cooking.

  “What time did the concert end?” Fumio asked her, loosening his tie.

  “About nine. Afterwards, we went to have a cup of tea at a coffee shop nearby.”

  “You could have stayed longer, you know. It isn’t often that you get a chance to go out with your girlfriends since we’ve been married.”

  “What are you talking about, Fumio-san?” said her mother. “She already has too much freedom as it is. Look at her: preparing dinner for her husband at this
time of night. Is that any way for a wife to act?”

  “Mother....” he protested weakly.

  “Someday she will have to bear the responsibility of raising a child. If you spoil her before the child is born, she’ll never make a good mother.”

  “That’s just it, Mother. I want her to have as much freedom as she likes before she has to face all the pressures of raising a child.”

  “You’re much too kind to her, Fumio-san. But young people nowadays are very different from when I was young.”

  “Thank heaven I wasn’t born back then,” said Seiko, bringing the dinner to the table. Her mother was pouring out some more beer for Fumio.

  After the meal, as Seiko went upstairs to prepare the bedding, Fumio went to take his bath. In the solitude of the bathroom, he was finally able to let his guard down. All through the meal he’d felt the pressure of having to put on an act before Seiko’s mother, when he was dying to get Seiko alone to ask her about her date.

  Now, as he sat soaking in the tub, he began calculating. If Seiko and Tatsuya had actually gone to the concert, there would have been no time for them to do anything afterwards. But if Tatsuya had arrived with an excuse—that the tickets had not come through, for example—anything could have happened in the three hours they’d been together. From the look on Seiko’s face, though, it didn’t appear that she was hiding anything. Still, Fumio knew she was capable of the utmost discretion when necessary. In any case, he would know in a few minutes how everything had gone.

  Suddenly the glass door of the bathroom slid slowly open.

  “Is that you, Seiko?”

  “It’s me,” whispered the voice of the professor. He tiptoed in wearing his yukata.

  “Welcome home, sir. You’re back a little early tonight.” Fumio had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn’t even heard the professor’s return.

  “The radio talk show was canceled at the last minute. Would you like me to wash your back?”

  “Of course, sir. I’d be honored.”

  Fumio got out of the tub and sat on the bath stool as the older man hiked his yukata up around his hips and squatted down, dipping a washcloth into a water-filled basin and scrubbing soap onto it. With a slight grunt, Akiyoshi began vigorously scrubbing his son-in-law’s back.