When spring came the boys began to worry about their final examinations.
"Well, if you can pass, I suppose I've got nothing to worry about," they would say to one another. The boy just barely passed.
The new season lay ahead, and everyone in the harbor was busy cleaning and painting the boats. Seeing the refitted yachts floating again on the water, the boy was extremely happy, recollecting what had happened in the previous season. He was thrilled to get his yachting cap from the cabin of the Sylph where he had left it.
One Sunday after the refitting had been completed, the Higginses and the boy went out for a sail. At first the boy felt that everything except himself was as it had been the previous year. He felt a little uncomfortable until he began to get the feel of the tiller in his hand. Soon however, he was enjoying the sport as much as ever.
On the way back to the harbor, the boy caught sight of a slender, delicate white yacht gently sailing through the sheltered waters of a little bay.
"It must be the Contessa," he cried. "Beautiful!"
She belonged to a millionaire. Her slender, delicate lines reminded him of a woman's limbs. Built originally for lake racing and seldom sailed on open water, she had the dignity and grace of a young countess at a ball. The boy sighed as his eyes eagerly followed the boat's motion.
"The Marquis seems to have fallen in love with the Contessa," said Mr. Higgins, laughing at his pun on the boy's name.
That night the boy went to see Haruko. It was the first time for many days. Perhaps it was the sight of the sleek Contessa that excited him and made him want to enjoy the physical pleasure of Haruko's body. But when he arrived she had a customer.
"Anyhow, you ought to try another girl for a change," the owner of the house told him.
But the boy shook his head and left. He felt betrayed. He told himself that she was only a prostitute, that he should not be annoyed. But he was very annoyed. He did not want to be left all alone.
"Stupid Haruko!" he muttered, "Stupid, stupid!"
He started almost instinctively in the direction of the harbor. The tide was full and the water high up the shore. The pole-light reflection broke into a thousand shimmering pieces in the water.
"Fool, fool!" he shouted. Then he felt suddenly lonely, and tears welled up into his eyes.
After a while he regained control of himself and left. He decided to try for Haruko again. This time she was free. He went up to her room, entered, and sat down without a word.
"I'm sorry I couldn't see you when you called earlier," she said. "It's been long time. But what's the matter? Have you been crying or something?"
The boy just sulked and said nothing at first. Then he suddenly laughed joyfully. Haruko was especially sweet that night. He began to tell her for the first time about his idea, his own yacht.
"You got your own?" she asked offhandedly.
"No, not yet. But I'm going to get one soon."
He was about to tell her what he had seen that night on the sea, but held off.
"When I do get one, I'll take you out with me," he said.
As the yachting season drew near, the number of new yachts increased. The harbor workers scrutinized and criticised each as if appraising a woman:
"She'd be a nice ride."
"A little heavy in the ass, don't you think?"
But each time the boy saw a new one he felt anxious. Then one day a snipe appeared. It had a lovely new body and fresh paint—everybody admired it. When its owner turned up with his girl friend and went out sailing with her, the boy got furious.
Later that evening the boy saw the same boat alongside the quay waiting to be hoisted up. The cradle used to haul up the boats already held a smaller boat suspended directly above the snipe. The boy secretly freed the lever holding the boat. A few minutes later, when someone touched the cradle, the suspended boat fell with a crash onto the snipe and split one of her delicate sides. The boy pretended to know nothing as he helped get the fallen boat back up onto the quay.
The boy's savings were still meager—only about forty thousand yen. It was doubtful whether he could save enough money to get a snipe soon even if his income for the coming summer were included.
"If I get a boat at all, it's got to be a snipe! I'll just have to do better 'business.'"
One day in early summer he plotted to have a row with some of Arnold's favorite boys at the harbor. He broke into a game of poker they were playing at the club and jokingly staked a large sum of money. Luck was on his side. Carelessly the boy bet three thousand, four thousand, and finally raised to seven thousand yen. The cards were shown and the boy won. Suddenly turning serious, he insisted that the loser pay up.
The loser did not have that much money on him, so the boy demanded the gold watch he was wearing. Afraid that the other players might interfere, he led the loser to a quiet spot outside and threatened him with his knife. But one of the others had followed. From behind he grabbed at the hand that held the knife. There was a struggle, and after an exchange of blows the boy tried to escape. He got hold of a broken oar and started to swing it about wildly. Mr. Arnold then turned up with a worker named Sugiyama. He grasped the boy's body from behind and shouted as the boy tried to free himself. He kicked and struggled, but Mr. Arnold held on to him tightly. The boy gave in to the pressure around his body and gradually became aware of the soft warmth of Mr. Arnold's hands.
The boy recalled one day the previous year when Mr. Higgins and Mr. Arnold were chatting together. The boy had happened to pass by the porch of the club house. Yelling "Hey, Markie," Mr. Higgins had called him over and told him to do something for him. Arnold bowed courteously and took the boy's hand, saying, "Are you a Marquis?"
The boy's name was Makio, but Mr. Higgins always called him "Markie," and that was the name the boy went by around the harbor.
The boy replied, "Yes, sir," to Arnold, thinking the other had asked his name just to confirm it. Arnold held the boy's shoulders and passed his soft warm hands over his face and cheeks, laughing happily.
The boy had felt something strangely unpleasant about the man's palms—unexpectedly soft and delicate like a woman's. When Mr. Arnold's hands touched his face and shoulders, he quickly stepped aside. He stared at the man's eyes, trying to pierce the mystery behind the dark glasses, but by then Mr. Arnold was just glaring at the boy from under knitted brows.
The boy struggled now to get rid of the same disgust he had felt before. Wriggling his body, the boy finally pushed the other backward, and then quickly bent forward. The force of the boy's thrust with his hips sent Mr. Arnold's huge body sprawling. With an incoherent groan, the gay Don Juan struggled to get up. Seizing the opportunity, the boy ran away at full speed. Sugiyama roared with laughter.
Mr. Arnold, whose forehead and right side pained mightily, worked off his temper on his pets now gathered around him.
Later, Mr. Higgins heard about the incident from the harbormaster and spoke to the boy firmly,
"Why did you play for such high stakes?"
"Because I needed the money," the boy replied contritely.
"What for?"
"For a boat of my own. I've saved up some money but not enough yet."
The boy's voice was resolute and his determined manner made Mr. Higgins smile.
"I see," he said. "But you shouldn't get money that way. Anyhow what kind of a boat do you want? And how much more money do you need?"
The boy then told Mr. Higgins all about his plan. Mr. Higgins was surprised that the boy had been harboring such a scheme for a whole year and was inclined to sympathize.
"A friend of mine in Yokohama has a snipe," said he. "He's going back to the States soon. I'll ask him if he'll sell it cheap."
"Really?" The boy's face lit up at the words.
Late in August the boy went up to Yokohama with Mr. Higgins to see the yacht. It was trim and new. Mr. Higgins had obviously told his friend about the boy, for after a few words together, Mr. Higgins' friend went up to the boy and slapped
him on the arm in a cheerful manner, saying, "Okay young man, okay."
In September Mr. Higgins arranged for the yacht, making up the extra with his own money. Soon everybody knew; the boy told everyone he met how he had worked hard to save for a boat and how Mr. Higgins had been kind enough to help with the payment.
The day finally came when the yacht was to be brought up from Yokohama. The boy was nervous with anticipation.
When the truck arrived with the boat, everyone turned up to have a look at it. They shouted in excitement. The boy was delighted and could only stare at it in admiration, his arms folded across his chest in a grand manner. He was embarrassed at his own obvious exhilaration which seemed about to force him to fling open his tightly folded arms at any moment—but no one noticed.
"Come on and lend a hand, eh? You're leaving everything to us! Most people would want to do it all alone!"
Jarred back to reality by their gibing, the boy rushed to the boat and busied himself with the unloading.
He was happy to be able to rig his own yacht, especially when the time came for putting up the mast and setting the stays; his hands trembled with excitement.
Then he put the boat in the cradle and lowered it down to the water. He hoisted the sails and cast off the moorings. The sails scooped up the wind, and the boat sped seaward with the boy and Tokiji.
"Hey, it's fast!" he shouted.
They sped forward and the boy pulled the sails tight without speaking. He managed to keep his boat from heeling too much by leaning out. Tokiji helped by lying flat, hanging out over the water. The strong sun dazzled the boy's eyes, and the spray blew across his face as he glanced up at the sky. He looked towards the distant horizon. Tears almost welled up in his eyes, but he could not have said why. A feeling of calm spread over him as the sails swelled in the wind. The boat tacked and turned under the boy's skillful hand; he felt he had always been its master. The boy named it Marquis. A new peer was born in the harbor.
A week or so later when he was out sailing the boy thought of Haruko and the promise he had made to her. On his return, he took what money he still had and made his way to her place.
"Now I'm going to do what I promised," he said.
"What's that?"
"I'm going to take you out in my yacht."
Although she disliked going out and being seen by other people, he persuaded her to meet him at a quiet spot along the coast near some cliffs where he could easily take the boat.
He left the place, still urging her to give in and meet him.
At three o'clock on the afternoon of the appointed day he sailed to the spot but could see nobody on the rocks except a few children fishing.
He thought Haruko was not coming. He pushed the rudder away to tack his boat when he caught sight of a red parasol moving along the shore.
"Haruko, Haruko! Over here!" he shouted at the top of his voice and steered to a place where she could step aboard.
She took off her clogs and gathered her cheap blue dress above her knees, showing the white lace hem of her slip. The boy gave her a helping hand.
"So this is your yacht! It's wonderful! It's so clean and bright," she said. "But I can't swim a stroke. I hope it's safe."
He turned the boat and they headed out to sea. A number of sailboats belonging to a local school were having sailing practice. At the sound of a whistle they would all come about, and when they got to the buoy they would all come close together and then scatter again at the turn like so many butterflies. The crew of each tiny boat consisted of two well-tanned boys sitting side by side. Each time the boats tacked, the boys gave a shout in their high pitched voices; then they leaned forward purposefully as their boats gathered speed.
As the Marquis sailed out, the boy kept looking back toward the harbor. He was afraid that people would laugh at him. Just after he had passed the headland, another yacht came in sight heading for home. The boy climbed up on the left side. He made out the figure of Tokiji who was working as "skipper" on board. Tokiji began to wave, but the boy pretended not to notice.
"Look! He's waving at us," said Haruko, and before he could stop her, she was waving her parasol in answer, crying "Ahoy!" The boy flushed.
Every time they passed another boat with a couple aboard it, Haruko would wave and call out. The two looked at each other and laughed.
"Let's do some fishing," the boy said after some time.
He got out his fishing line which he ran out astern and then tied it fast. The wooden float settled on the surface of the sea ready to bob up and down when there was a bite.
"What are you going to catch?"
"Bonito or mackerel. Keep an eye on the float at the stern, will you?"
The boy threw a float and a hook overboard.
While they fished, the boy looked back towards the land. The three adjoining towns seemed the same distance away. He pointed out to Haruko the various things that attracted his attention, and she marveled at everything.
"How wonderful!" she said. "I'm so happy to be here with you."
They gazed at each other with contentment. Then all of a sudden Haruko started.
"Look," she shouted. "You've got a bite."
The float was dancing on the water and was being dragged quietly away.
The boy quickly tied the sheet to the tiller and began to pull in the fishing line. As it came in, he caught sight of a large dark-colored fish flashing in the water. It was a huge bonito. He hauled it aboard, and it lay flipping on the deck.
"Oh, will you look at that!" she squealed excitedly. For a moment she wanted to touch it with her fingers, but she suddenly sprang back and clung to the boy. He threw the fish down in the cockpit, and they could hear it flopping about. The boy took another look at it and gazed at its beautiful silver-striped body. He stretched out his hand to touch it, but it jumped away from him.
Then the boy decided to teach Haruko how to sail. She was slow to learn, but he went to great pains to tell her what to do. Several times she made a mistake in tacking.
"No, not that way! You've got to move the handle of the tiller to the left when you want to go to the right," he said scolding her. "How many times do I have to tell you?"
"Well, I never did this before . . ."
Haruko broke into a giggle and fell against him. The boy pulled her close. She stopped laughing and looked at him. The boy kissed her again. Now no part of their bodies touched except their lips. For a moment Haruko forgot the way of her profession and drew back to smile shyly at him. Looking at her happy face, the boy broke into a grin. For some moments they exchanged kisses like a pair of innocent lovers still unknowing of each other's body. Her bare foot touched the fish the boy had caught. The fish sprang up. Her lips still close to his, she screamed and clung tightly to him. The two of them were quite alone on the sea and the waves were beginning to rise. The boy slipped his hand under her dress.
"No, no," she said. "We can't do it here—there's no room."
He tried to lie with her on the rolling boat, but the cockpit of the snipe was too small.
Despite her objections, the boy tried to make love to her. In order to give themselves more space, the boy removed the tiller and tried to maneuver their bodies into a suitable position.
"No, no," she said. "We'll fall overboard if the boat moves about. And what would people say if they saw us?"
Sullenly the boy gave up.
"Look! That float's moving," Haruko said.
"Who cares?" he answered.
Haruko bent over him and looked into his eyes, drawing him closer.
"Don't be silly," she said. "You can come tonight if you like."
"But I haven't any money and I . . ."
"Never mind. I'll pay for you," Haruko interrupted.
She kept on looking at him.
"I like you," she said.
"And I like you, too," the boy replied, now smiling.
They headed for the craggy coast so Haruko could go ashore, but the tide was not favorable and the ro
cks were all under water.
"I can't put the boat ashore around here. Let's go up to the harbor and you can get off there. You don't have to feel embarrassed," said the boy.
He anchored at the end of the harbor and before they parted agreed to meet her later that night. Some of the boys at the harbor yelled remarks at him and the girl. Unfortunately Matsukawa, the harbormaster, came back and saw them say goodbye. He stared at the two for a while, then went off laughing.
After the boy had moored the boat, Tokiji and Hamaguchi came over to talk to him.
"Who was the woman you had on board?" Tokiji asked. "You wouldn't look at me when I called, but I guess you made out, huh? I tried to see what she was like through my glasses. She's no kid like you, is she? Where the hell did you pick her up without us knowing?"
"You guys sure make a fuss over a lousy woman, don't you?"
They laughed and joked back and forth and headed toward the clubhouse to put the sails away.
As he walked past the club house, the boy met the harbormaster, who merely smiled smugly.
That night Haruko behaved more tenderly toward him than ever before. Like a mother she helped him take off his clothes, and like a lover she kissed him and asked him to forgive her for turning him down on board the yacht.
The following day the boy went to the harbor at noon. The wind had been blowing hard all the morning and the sea was running high.
At his approach, scornful eyes were turned upon him. There was an undertone of snickering and talk.
"Yeah, you've got to watch out for kids," someone said mockingly.
"Matsukawa said he knows all about it," came another voice.
"About what?" the boy muttered.
"Don't give us that! Don't you know what it's all about? That woman you were with yesterday is a whore called Haruko, isn't she?"
"What difference does it make?" the boy retorted.
Then Mr. Matsukawa appeared.
"Oh, here's the boss with bad news."
They all laughed.
"Do you keep Haruko, or just take a dip on Saturday night?"
They all laughed again, but all of a sudden the harbormaster became serious.
"It's nothing to do with me of course, because it's your own boat, but don't forget we're different from the foreigners. We don't usually do things like taking a whore out for a sail in our boats."
Season of Violence Page 12