SUSHI for ONE?

by Camy Tang

  “Hey, Lex.” Richard’s jovial tone stiffened Lex’s shoulders and set her jaw.

  Yup, she was right to be wary — he dragged a short, thin Asian guy behind him, whose gaze had leeched onto the food.

  “Lex, meet my, uh . . . friend.”

  Food Leech didn’t respond. Richard nudged him with an elbow.

  “Yeah, yeah.” Food Leech didn’t even glance up at her. “Can we start eating?”

  To add to the Ephesians List: Common courtesy would be nice.

  Lex stepped out of the way as Food Leech bulldozed through the musubi — both plain rice balls and the ones with fried Spam —the shoyu-braised hotdogs, the inarizushi looking like golden dumplings in their deep-fried bean curd pouches. Okay, Lex would like her future boyfriend to appreciate food, but not at the expense of proper manners.

  “Richard, where do you get these guys?” Lex didn’t bother to drop her voice. Not that Food Leech even noticed.

  Richard sputtered. “These are my friends — ”

  “Yeah, right. These are your friends like your kitchen is the most-used room in your apartment.”

  “Hey, I cook sometimes.”

  “Once every third leap year. Why the sudden parade of Dating Game rejects?”

  Richard’s “innocent” face never failed to incite suspicion. He shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Cut the act. What does Grandma have on you?”

  Richard stuck his nose in the air and smoothed his mousse-laden hair. “Unlike you, I have an excellent relationship with our grandparent.”

  Lex snorted.

  “Very ladylike.”

  “Lex, come meet Mrs. Inawara’s nephew.” Grandma entered the kitchen with a tall, pale Japanese boy in tow.

  Trish nipped out of the kitchen faster than a dog with a steak. Food Leech must have sensed imminent conflict, because he tailed her out of the danger zone.

  “Lex, this is Derek, my friend’s nephew.” Grandma hooked his arm and thrust him forward, a sweet, butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth smile on her face.

  Lex gritted her teeth. She didn’t like his aunt very much, but no harm in meeting him. He might actually be nice —

  As he approached, the smell assailed her. She gagged. Even Richard cleared his throat and stepped back. Grandma must be losing her sense of smell. The guy reeked.

  “Fphaaugh! When was the last time you took a bath?” Lex held out an arm to keep El Stinko away.

  “What are you talking about?” He took a whiff of his armpit.

  Another odiferous wave crashed over her with his sudden movement. “Ugh. I’m going to lose my breakfast. Grandma, at least make sure they have good hygiene.”

  An affronted gasp sounded from the doorway to the kitchen. Grandma’s friend — and El Stinko’s aunt — stood there, white and quivering. Lex wasn’t exactly upset, considering Aunty El Stinko always had something nasty to say about Lex’s unfeminine interest in sports.

  “Come, Derek. We’re going home.” Aunty El Stinko pivoted and marched away.

  El Stinko spun around and followed her, but his action sent a BO-saturated breeze at Lex. She grabbed her stomach. Richard coughed.

  “What is wrong with you?” Grandma’s hiss carried louder than a shout.

  “Uh . . .” Richard glanced from Grandma’s sparking glare to its victim, Lex. He took a giant step back and escaped the room. Coward.

  “Grandma, will you stop siccing your friends’ sons at me? How many of them do you have, anyway?”

  “What’s wrong with them? You don’t think far enough ahead, that’s your problem.”

  “They’re only after me because you told them I could get them college game tickets. How is that thinking ahead?”

  “That means they like sports, just like you. If you’d go out with them, you’d get to know them better.”

  “I have yet to meet one who doesn’t set off my dweeb-meter.”

  “You’re not open-minded enough.” Grandma’s cheeks started to flush under her makeup.

  “How open-minded do I have to be?” Lex stabbed a finger at the empty doorway and the now-departed El Stinko.

  “You’re so picky.” Grandma jerked her own finger at Lex’s chest.

  “He has to be American, he has to be Christian — ”

  “No, we’re not going into this again. His faith is important to me.”

  “Why does he need to be Christian? Does it matter as long as he can provide for you and your children?”

  Grandma had already jumped to progeny. “Yes, it does matter. It’s a deeply personal issue.”

  Grandma started talking with her hands. “All the Christian boys are so boring. You’d never date any of them.”

  What could Lex say to that? She had yet to meet a Christian boy who made her pulse rocket out of her wrist. But she wasn’t about to let Grandma know that. “I’m not budging on this. He has to be Christian.”

  “You’re being unreasonable.” Lex could almost see the steam rising from Grandma’s permed and colored head.

  “I’m being unreasonable?” Lex flung her arms out.

  She pursed her lips, and her eyes sparked black fire. “Grandma’s trying to help you.”

  Great, Grandma was so upset, she was speaking in third person.

  “My love life should be my business.”

  “Fine.” Grandma turned smartly and marched to the doorway. “Good luck finding your exciting Christian boy.” She paused at the threshold with a dark Dracula expression aimed at Lex. “Grandma still means what she said. If you don’t have your Christian boyfriend by Mariko’s wedding, Grandma’s cutting funding to your girls’ team the very next day.”

  “They’re only girls — ”

  “And don’t try to fool Grandma. She’ll know if he’s a boyfriend or not.” She exited. The only thing missing was a melodramatic swirl of some dark cape.

  Lex sagged against the kitchen counter. She crossed her arms tight to still the trembling of her hands. Why’d she let Grandma get to her? Now she couldn’t even ask Aiden — very vocally non-Christian Aiden — to pose as her boyfriend.

  She supposed she shouldn’t have been thinking of him, anyway. If she started liking him, it would make things complicated. She knew their difference in faith — her belief and his lack of — would make any deeper relationship rocky at best. She had let his soap-fir-musk scent and magic hands cloud her judgment.

  Back to the drawing board.

  TWENTY-NINE

  Was it really a good idea?

  No, how could it be?

  But maybe it would work out. She was different. What was the harm in asking?

  Aiden needed to hurry up if he intended to ask her on a date. Lex only had the leg press left. He’d taken too long waffling. She sat in the machine but stared out the big picture window without seeing. Here was his chance. “So, Lex — ”

  “Where do you meet girls?” She didn’t turn to look at him.

  He blinked. “What?”

  “You know. Where do you pick up chicks?”

  He gave her a blank stare.

  She glanced at him with raised eyebrows. “Going cruising? Scop-ing out? I’m running out of phrases here.”

  “I’m trying to decide if I want to laugh at you or increase the weight for your sets.”

  “No, don’t up my weight. I really want to know.”

  “Why?”

  “Well . . .” She had a hard time meeting his eyes.

  Aiden suspected she was searching for a lie to tell him. He reached for the weight key.

  “No!” She put her hand out to stop him. “I need to meet guys.”

  “Your grandma’s supplying those pretty well, don’t you think?”

  “No, I mean nice guys. Ones who don’t need Berkeley tickets.”

  “That’s all?”

  “And Christian.”

  He surprised himself by rolling his eyes rather than keeping his habitual calm, expressionless face. “That again?”

&nb
sp; “It’s important. Do you know how many divorces are the result of mismatched religions?”

  “No, do you?”

  “No, but I’ll bet it’s a lot.”

  Aiden folded his arms and stared down at her. “You’re not working hard enough.” He snatched out the weight pin and moved it down a slot.

  “Hey!”

  “You should be sweating too much to ask dumb questions.”

  “It’s because of my grandma. She’s going to pull funding from my junior high girls’ volleyball team if I don’t find a nice Christian boy to date. And marry.”

  “That’s the dumbest story I’ve ever heard.”

  “It’s true. Grandma’s nuts. You’d think she doesn’t already have tons of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She’s such a control freak.”

  “Pot, meet kettle,” he murmured.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You don’t understand. I’m desperate. And he’s got to be someone I can trust, because . . . well, you know. The touching thing.” Red stained her cheeks, but not from the workout.

  And suddenly he realized how difficult this must be for her. A Christian boy would be safe — no French kisses or heavy petting in the backseat of the car.

  But a part of him wanted to shake her. She was already comfortable with him. Why some boring, hypocritical Christian guy?

  “Hi, Lex, Aiden.” Mary walked past them on her way to the women’s locker room.

  A stunning smile appeared on Lex’s face. “Hi, Mary. How’s your shoulder feeling today? Any better from last week?”

  “Oh, yes. I iced it a lot this weekend, just like a certain handsome physical therapist told me to do.” Mary winked and nudged Aiden, then disappeared into the locker room.

  Lex finished a set and sat there panting. “Maybe I should go church-hopping. Are there any Christians-only non-alcoholic bars?”

  Aiden snorted. “Why don’t you just camp outside a seminary?

  Hold up a sign, ‘Will work for date.’ Or better yet, ‘I’m unsaved. Take me on a date.’ ”

  Her glare could have burned the hair off his body. “Ha. Ha.”

  She finished her last set, and they headed back to the patient area for her ice and stim. “You’re lucky. The doctor gave me the okay to drive as of tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” He let her walk ahead of him down the ramp.

  “He said three weeks. Tomorrow is three weeks.”

  “I better stay off the road.”

  “Oh, you’re just so clever. I could always smear something nasty on your car seat today when you take me — ” She came to a grinding halt. Aiden knocked into her from behind. She tipped forward, so he grabbed her waist to keep her from falling.

  She didn’t even notice. Ike, a regular at the gym, had captured her attention. He wore a bloody pierced-hand Christian T-shirt with “Consider this an engraved invitation” scrawled across it.

  If anything, Lex wasn’t shy. “Hi, Ike. Nice shirt.”

  “Thanks.” Ike flashed his girl-magnet grin at her. Aiden’s hand, still on Lex’s waist, tightened.

  She stepped away from him. “So . . . you’re a Christian?”

  Oh, no way. Aiden crossed his arms.

  “Yeah, I go to Valley Bible Church in Sunnyvale.” Ike stepped forward to exert his charm.

  “Oh, perfect.”

  “Huh?”

  “I mean, that’s great. I go to Santa Clara Asian Church in Campbell.”

  “I didn’t know you were Christian.” Ike shifted from “mildly interested” to “intently intrigued.”

  “Yeah. I’ve been wanting to visit Valley Bible Church for a long time.”

  Did she actually flutter her eyelashes at him? Give me a break.

  Ike responded favorably to the fluttering. “Why don’t you visit this weekend? You can sit with me and the rest of the Singles Group.”

  “Oh, that would be terrific.” Lex sounded like it would be more fun than beach volleyball.

  As they discussed time and directions, Aiden tightened his jaw.

  Lex knew guys. Was she really falling for his act? Aiden had heard Ike and his friends in the gym locker room after their workouts. He knew who they really were, what they thought about women.

  She’s a grown woman. She can take care of herself.

  But then again, Lex was desperate. What wouldn’t she do if she needed to accomplish something?

  “Thanks.” Lex gave him a dazzling smile.

  “See you Sunday.” Ike headed up to the weight machine area.

  “Valley Bible Church?” Aiden couldn’t keep a hint of derision from his tone.

  “Don’t knock it.” Lex’s look snapped from charming to chilly. She continued down the ramp.

  Aiden’s friend Spenser went to Valley Bible Church. He’d ask him to keep an eye on Lex this weekend.

  “Why not?” Aiden strained through another set of bicep curls.

  “I’m not your servant. Come to church yourself.” Spenser got on the bench for barbell triceps press exercises.

  “But you’re already going to be there. All I’m asking is for you to look out for her, not be her bodyguard.” Aiden set down his free weights.

  “So, why can’t you come?”

  “She’s going to see me there, and then what?”

  “Naw, it’s a big church.”

  “With my luck, she’ll see me as soon as she walks in. She knows how I feel about all this church stuff. She’ll think I’m stalking her.”

  “Which you are.”

  “No, I’m asking you to stalk her. Big difference.” He flashed a grin.

  Spenser glared. “I’m not stalking her, even for you.”

  “You’re going to be at church anyway.”

  “Why can’t you pretend?” Spenser dropped his barbell and turned to face him.

  “She won’t believe me.”

  “She’ll believe me.” Spenser’s voice had that strange tone to it.

  “What do you mean?” Aiden wasn’t going to like this.

  “I’ll go up to her and tell her what you asked me to do.”

  Visions of lots of blood and guts flashed in front of him. Lex wouldn’t stop there either. “You wouldn’t.”

  “I would. I’m being truthful.”

  Aiden wanted to slug the smug smile off his face. “Forget it.”

  “Nope. Too late.”

  “Why does it even matter? This is stupid. I’m not going.”

  “It’s only for one Sunday.”

  “She’s a grown woman. I don’t need to protect her. Besides, Ike isn’t going to do anything. Just deceive her a little about how morally upright he is.”

  “And women just love being lied to. Just like she’ll love when I tell her the little white truth about what you asked me to do for you.”

  “Okay, okay, I’ll go.”

  Ike met her at the front of the church, just as he said he would.

  Another thing for her to add to her Ephesians List: Someone who keeps his appointments.

  “Hey, Lex.” Ike beamed at her.

  She gave a weak smile in return. “Hi.” She blamed her testy mood on the slight headache buzzing at her forehead.

  “Let’s go inside.”

  The large church overwhelmed her a little, but she soon realized she was only another face in the massive crowd. Ike led her to a middle section already half-filled with young adults. They sat down.

  “I’ll introduce you after the ser vice when we all go out to lunch.”

  She glanced around at the guys. Most okay-looking, although a few were kind of strange, like that pale kid with the shock of red hair, and the bug-eyed goldfish-looking guy.

  Then she noticed a few hostile stares from the women. Well, she sat next to a very cute bachelor. Although Ike’s arm across the back of her seat annoyed her. He didn’t touch her — just let his arm hang out there, over the seat edge.

  The ser vice started with a Bible reading. At that point, Lex re
alized they sat right under the speakers, and the buzz and vibration bumped her headache up the Richter scale. The words pounding out over her also made her realize she hadn’t read her Bible in a while.

  Well, she’d start up again as soon as she got rid of the pain pulsing behind her eyes. She searched through her purse. No ibuprofen.

  The worship music, although loud, drew her in. She knew most of the modern songs. For those few minutes, she checked her baggage at the door and rediscovered the joy of just being with Him. He didn’t speak to her, but she felt happy singing to Him. She almost forgot her headache.

  The sermon spoke to her about her tepid prayer life. Yeah, she really should pray more. Listen to God more.

  During the announcements, she massaged her temples, and her attention wandered. There were mostly Caucasians in this church.

  No — one Asian couple sat near the front.

  Since when had she become so ethnocentric that she couldn’t feel comfortable not surrounded by her yella-fellas? It couldn’t be because of the attack, could it?

  He was so much larger than her Asian guy friends or her cousins. His pale wrist, smashing her clenched fist against the carpet, lay inches from her face. She couldn’t stop staring at it as he fumbled with his belt . . .

  A touch across her shoulders.

  “Aaaah!” Lex jumped in her seat.

  Ike jerked away from her, snatching back his arm. The worship leader paused in telling about the church picnic next week.

  Everyone stared at her.

  Oh, God, just open the ground and swallow me now.

  The worship leader smiled kindly at her. Lex gave a weak smile back. He continued reading the announcements.

  The speaker boomed, and her head boomed with him in boluses of sizzling pain. When would he just stop talking?

  “Thanks for joining us for ser vice today. God bless.”

  Finally.

  Ike ushered her toward the social hall in the back of the sanctuary, where the Singles Group apparently gathered. Young people started filtering into the small, empty space. And several of them were definitely young. How old were these kids, anyway? Lex suddenly felt every one of her thirty years.

  Ike introduced her around. The good thing was that no one knew about her job.

  “This is Robert.”