Tokyo Hearts: A Japanese Love Story

by Renae Lucas-Hall

  ‘It’s just that I’m so busy. I promise I’ll check my phone, Haruka,’ Jun replied.

  ‘Great,’ Haruka said.

  They continued walking and Haruka really tried to keep up with Yuriko and Jun, but she was finding this difficult in the stifling humidity, and she really was exhausted after spending the day wandering around Kamakura. Yuriko turned around and must have caught the tired expression on Haruka’s face because she pulled at Jun’s arm and made him stop walking.

  ‘The cicadas are quite noisy this evening, don’t you think?’ Yuriko said.

  The three of them cocked their heads to listen to the steady chime.

  ‘I think it would be a good idea if we started heading back now. It’s too hot and muggy to keep going,’ continued Yuriko.

  ‘Good idea,’ Jun and Haruka replied simultaneously.

  Fifteen minutes later, Haruka returned to her house alone, exhausted and wanting a shower, with thoughts of Jun’s charming comments racing through her mind.

  Her mother stopped her at the entrance as she was taking off her shoes.

  ‘Have you seen your father’s Mont Blanc pen? The one I bought him for his birthday,’ she said. ‘You know the one, Haruka – the silver and black one with the scratched lid.’

  ‘I saw it on top of the newspaper in the living room this morning before I went out,’ Haruka replied.

  ‘It’s not there now,’ said her mother in despair.

  Haruka opened the sliding door into the living room. Her father lifted his head above his paper.

  ‘I can’t find my new pen,’ he announced to her. But without showing any concern, he went back to reading his Yomiuri newspaper.

  Haruka watched her mother return to the living room and begin turning over cushions. Too tired to help with the search, Haruka hurried out and headed upstairs so that she could be alone. She’d bought two bridal magazines, Zexy and 25ans Wedding, a couple of days before. Sitting on the floor against the bed, she straightened her back, stretched out her legs and started flipping through Zexy. She stared at the American couple on the cover. The young girl was looking down at her beautiful bouquet of pink and white roses while her handsome new husband, with his chiselled features, gazed into her eyes with adoration. Both of them looked supremely happy, almost smug, as if this amazing wedding day was just the start of a wonderful future together, with no misgivings or worries. They looked so well-suited and so content. Their smiles gave Haruka the impression that nothing could disturb their perfect lives together.

  She thought about her own life and her relationships with Takashi and Jun and how different she’d look standing next to either one of them on her wedding day. Takashi was attractive, very aware of her needs and always very kind; but he was a struggling student who could only promise her a basic lifestyle. She thought that maybe she’d get bored if she married him and start to wish she’d chosen someone who could give her so much more. On the other hand, Jun was extremely wealthy and generous, but egotistical and probably very difficult to live with. Despite these faults, she liked the idea that she could go shopping and buy all her favourite brands if she married him. She could fill her wardrobes with well-cut shirts from Yohji Yamamoto, lovely pleated skirts from Comme des Garçons and lots of handbags from Prada. She’d also be able to indulge her passion for expensive shoes and take trips to Paris and New York with Yuriko whenever she pleased. Haruka bit her lip and smiled to herself. She really enjoyed these images of travel and endless shopping days.

  But it didn’t take long for her to realise that she hadn’t considered the full picture. It soon occurred to her that she wasn’t really facing the reality of the situation. Life wasn’t an endless shopping trip. Her happiness was paramount, but which one could offer her this happiness – Takashi or Jun?

  Haruka had been flicking through the bridal magazines in her bedroom for about two hours, thinking about the pros and cons of marrying Takashi or Jun, when she felt a bit parched and decided to go to the kitchen for some oolong tea. She was walking down the corridor past the living room when she thought she heard her parents talking about Jun. Haruka peeped through the crack in the door and saw her mother kneeling down beside her father, talking quietly. Haruka’s father was still sitting in his favourite sofa chair, and even though he still seemed absorbed in the Yomiuri newspaper, he was nodding at his wife as she chatted away.

  ‘I think Jun has matured a lot compared to a few years ago,’ said her mother. ‘He really has turned into a very nice young man.’

  ‘Do you think so?’ replied her father.

  ‘Yes, and since he comes from such a good family who are obviously worth a lot of money, we should reconsider him as a future husband for Haruka,’ said Haruka’s mother. ‘I know she likes Takashi, but from what I can gather, he wouldn’t be able to really provide for her like Jun could, and did you see the way he was dressed today with that hole in his sock? The more I think about it, the more I know Jun would be a better husband for our daughter.’

  ‘Maybe,’ replied Haruka’s father.

  ‘You know we’ve had to be more careful with money since you retired, and as you’re no longer an accountant, we can’t afford the same lifestyle – and after paying for all your hospital bills … I really don’t know what we’re going to do in the future. I think we might have to sell the house.’

  ‘Yes, I realise that,’ said Haruka’s father.

  ‘Couldn’t you ask your mother for money, considering she’s so wealthy and we’ve never asked for anything in the past?’ said Haruka’s mother.

  ‘You know I can’t do that,’ said her father. ‘My mother has never helped us up until now because she believes we should provide for ourselves. Anyway, I’m far too proud to go and ask her for the money. Maybe we should consider meeting with Jun’s parents again in Kyoto.’

  ‘That’s an excellent idea,’ said her mother. ‘We should definitely think about going to Kyoto again and we should encourage Haruka to marry Jun and then we would never have to worry about her in the future. We’d know that she was being well looked after and it wouldn’t matter if we had no money to pass on to her.’

  ‘Haruka should marry for love, but love where the money is,’ said Haruka’s father.

  ‘You’re absolutely right,’ replied her mother.

  ‘Wait and see how Jun and Haruka are getting along over the next few months and if everything goes well then we should go to Kyoto,’ said Haruka’s father.

  ‘Yes, I will,’ replied her mother.

  Haruka quietly pulled herself away from the living room door and tiptoed to the kitchen to get a drink. She was really shaken. It hadn’t occurred to her that her parents’ money problems were that bad, and she felt guilty for not realising this before now. She had to learn to be a lot more frugal from then on. Her mother was right – Jun would be a better match for her, even though she really liked Takashi. All of a sudden, her fanciful daydreaming earlier on seemed childish and immature.

  Haruka decided that no matter how annoying or conceited Jun appeared at times, she’d concentrate on forging a stronger relationship with him to ensure the security of her future. She would make a better effort from then on to like everything about Jun. If she did this, she knew that she’d have to contend with Jun’s mother to seal the deal, but she would try her upmost to impress her. Haruka knew that lots of other Japanese girls put on a brave face in front of their in-laws to keep the peace and respect their parents’ wishes, and she would try to be as strong as any other girl to win over Jun’s mother, Mrs Kurokawa. She told herself that she would rein in her emotions and smile, and be so sweet and courteous that Jun’s mother would embrace her and her parents with open arms.

  But as the hours passed, the more she thought about it the more she began to doubt herself and she wondered if she could really be the person Mrs Kurokawa wanted her to be. It would be a long time before Haruka fell asleep that night.

  CHAPTER 7

  Fortune’s wheel is ever turning


  Haruka received a text message from Yuriko on Monday afternoon at work, asking her to drop in at her house that evening. She said it was of the utmost importance. Haruka was worried that something might be very wrong, as it all seemed very urgent.

  At seven thirty p.m., Haruka located her car in the car park at fune station and ten minutes later, she pulled into her driveway at home. Getting out of the car, she stopped for a moment, wondering whether she should take a quick shower before going next door. She was quite hot and a little sweaty. Her white linen dress was crumpled and needed an iron and her cream strappy sandals were digging into her feet a little.

  Haruka was hoping Jun had returned to Kyoto, because she didn’t want to see him when she wasn’t looking her best – but Yuriko’s text had sounded pretty urgent and she was just dying to find out what all the fuss was about, so Haruka decided not to freshen up and instead she headed straight over to her house. Yuriko must have been waiting by the entrance, because she opened the front door before Haruka even had a chance to ring the doorbell.

  ‘Come upstairs quickly,’ she said to Haruka, tugging at her sleeve. ‘I don’t want my family to hear what I’m going to tell you.’

  The excited look on her face told Haruka that whatever she had to say, it wasn’t going to be bad. She followed her up the stairs to her bedroom. As Yuriko led the way, Haruka noticed that she was looking even more gaunt than usual. The white shirt she was wearing only emphasised the bones that were clearly visible on her back and her ribs. In her mind, Haruka cursed her two-timing ex-boyfriend Ry, who’d made her feel like she had to be thinner to be more attractive to him.

  They reached Yuriko’s bedroom and once inside, Yuriko shut the door firmly and started pacing back and forth, wriggling with delight.

  ‘What is it you have to tell me?’ Haruka asked, getting caught up in the moment by all the excitement.

  ‘Wait a minute, I just have to check that my younger brother’s not listening at the keyhole,’ Yuriko whispered. She went to the door, opened it up and looked to the left and the right of the landing. Satisfied that there was no one there, she shut the door again and came back to sit on her candy-striped sofa chair.

  ‘You’re not going to believe the news I have to tell you – it’s epic!’ she said.

  ‘I’ve been waiting all day. Don’t keep me in suspense any longer,’ Haruka replied.

  ‘Okay Haruka. You really like Jun don’t you?’ she asked Haruka.

  ‘Yes,’ Haruka replied.

  ‘And from what I can tell, he really likes you, doesn’t he?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Haruka.

  ‘Well, he woke up this morning and told me he was going to Ginza to do some shopping and I said that I’d go with him. However, he absolutely insisted that he go by himself. This, of course, made me wildly curious because he knows I love going into Ginza and it was a bit strange that he wouldn’t let me go with him.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose that was a bit strange,’ said Haruka, wondering where this conversation was heading.

  ‘So Jun came back from Ginza at about three thirty p.m. and I noticed that he had some shopping bags with him which he left in the living room.’

  ‘Go on,’ Haruka said.

  ‘Well, he was planning to return to Kyoto in the next couple of hours and I know it’s not the right thing to do, but I had a peek in his shopping bags while he was talking to my mother in the kitchen,’ said Yuriko.

  ‘That’s a bit naughty,’ Haruka said, ‘but I know what you’re like when you see a shopping bag.’

  ‘You’re not going to believe what I saw inside the bags,’ said Yuriko, pausing for dramatic effect.

  ‘Tell me,’ said Haruka, as she leaned forward on the edge of the bed.

  ‘A solitaire diamond engagement ring set in platinum from Wako Department Store!’

  ‘No, you’re lying,’ said Haruka, nearly falling off the bed.

  ‘No, I’m not, and I bet he bought it to give it to you,’ exclaimed Yuriko.

  ‘Do you really think so?’ Haruka asked her. ‘Tell me what was it like. Was it beautiful – and how big was the diamond?’

  ‘It was the most beautiful engagement ring I’ve ever seen. It must have been at least two carats and the colour of the diamond looked so radiant to me.’

  ‘Radiant,’ echoed Haruka as she drifted into a warm and fuzzy dreamlike state, imagining what the ring might look like.

  ‘You’re such a lucky girl, Haruka,’ said Yuriko. ‘Jun’s never really told me how much you mean to him, but I suppose the proof is in the ring he’s just bought you.’

  ‘But he returned to Kyoto earlier, didn’t he?’ Haruka asked her, slowly coming back to reality.

  ‘Yes, maybe he hasn’t decided how to ask you to marry him and he needs some time to think about it,’ said Yuriko. ‘Oh, I bet it will be really romantic. You have to tell me all about it as soon as he pops the question.’

  ‘Of course. You’ll be the first person I tell, after my parents,’ Haruka said. ‘Let’s go back to my house and look at the bridal magazines I bought last week. You know what, Yuriko? I don’t think we should tell my mother about this yet. Let’s keep it our little secret for the moment,’ Haruka said to her.

  Yuriko nodded back and they joined their pinkie fingers together and made a promise not to tell anyone.

  They rushed out of Yuriko’s house and went next door to Haruka’s home. As they raced through the door on their way to Haruka’s room, her mother stopped them.

  ‘Welcome home Haruka and hello Yuriko,’ she said to them, noticing their radiating smiles as they passed. ‘What are you two girls up to?’ she asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ they both cried out in unison.

  They went to Haruka’s bedroom and flipped through bridal magazines, gossiping and laughing until late. Her room was half the size of Yuriko’s bedroom and she had no en suite, but it was cosy enough for them to relax on the floor and keep themselves entertained for the next couple of hours. There were no pink walls or soft toys in Haruka’s bedroom, just a bed painted in a neutral shade, a desk for studying, a solid oak wardrobe and matching bedside tables, as well as a pine bookcase lined with a few marketing textbooks and some novels and books dedicated to Japanese history and culture.

  Later that night, after Yuriko had left, very pleased with herself for making such a great discovery, Haruka went to bed, but she couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking of Takashi and how well they got along, and she almost wished it were him who was about to give her a big diamond engagement ring. She even shed a few tears thinking about how much she’d miss their Thursday night evenings at the café and the easy-going conversations that they’d always shared.

  After she’d been sobbing for about ten minutes, Haruka recalled her father’s words: “marry for love but love where the money is”. Thinking about this, she told herself she was being silly and a hopeless romantic. She couldn’t live on rice alone, and Jun would be able to provide her with all the lovely material things that she’d wanted in life and she’d never want for anything again. Haruka told herself that Jun was a much more mature and practical choice, and above everything else, by marrying Jun, she was going to keep her dear parents happy. Haruka was really looking forward to meeting Jun for lunch when she went to Kyoto for her interview the following week. Her mind whirled with images of that diamond ring and wedding plans. It wasn’t until about three a.m. that she finally drifted off to sleep.

  CHAPTER 8

  Other times, other manners

  Haruka had chosen a navy pinstripe suit, a cream silk shirt and a comfortable yet smart pair of three-inch black heels to wear to her interview in Kyoto. She had to be there for eleven a.m. and because the bullet train was leaving just after eight a.m. from Shin-Yokohama station, there’d been a mad rush in the morning to get to the station on time.

  Luckily, there were no delays and she boarded the nine past eight high-speed Nozomi bullet train on platform four with a few minutes to spare before it left the station
. Haruka tried to spend the time on board reading up on the requirements of the management position, but her mind kept switching back to thoughts of engagement rings and wedding parties. She sent Jun a text message telling him that she was on her way to Kyoto, as well as where to find her at the English conversation school, and she confirmed she could meet him for lunch at twelve p.m. He replied to her text almost immediately, telling her that he was looking forward to meeting up with her. Haruka’s heart skipped a beat; this was all becoming very exciting. She kind of hoped there might be some talk about wedding plans or engagement rings at lunch. It did occur to her that it would be unrealistic for her to receive a proposal over a quick lunch, but the mere thought of it made her feel like liquid gold was running through her veins.

  After a two-hour journey, Haruka exited Kyoto station and caught a taxi to the English conversation school that was centrally located in the middle of town. Less than ten minutes later, she found herself standing in front of the school building. She’d been told that administration was on the third floor and all the teaching was conducted on the fourth floor. She was to report to the third floor and ask for Mrs Aoki.

  After checking that her makeup hadn’t spoiled in the heat, she stepped into the elevator. It was only a couple of minutes before she reached the main reception and introduced herself to the young girl at the front desk. It was exactly ten fifty a.m. and the whole floor was buzzing with staff, foreign teachers and students. It could easily have been Haruka’s school back in Tokyo, except for the fact that you could occasionally hear a snippet of the Kansai dialect representing this side of the country.

  Five minutes later, Mrs Aoki introduced herself to Haruka and led her to a cubicle set aside from the reception area. She was a very tall and thin lady, dressed in a black mid-length linen shift dress, and she had a beautiful necklace strung with fine cultured pearls around her neck that matched her earrings. She was very officious, yet friendly with Haruka, but the rest of the staff seemed a little bit terrified of her.