by Imari Jade
“What kind of strings?” Damien asked.
“You have to take me with you and then you have to take me out to dinner.”
The baseball game ended with the home team winning seven to five. Afterwards, Damien took Barbara out to dinner.
“I’m having the best time,” Barbara said after the waiter brought their food.
“Yes, me too,” Damien agreed. It was fun just to kick back and relax after spending so much time at work lately. “And who knew you were such a baseball fan?”
“Are you kidding?” Barbara asked. “My father loved baseball and he always took our family to games back in America.” She picked up her bottle of soju and sipped. “God, this hits the spot.”
Damien ate some of his soba noodles as Barbara continued talking about growing up in Minnesota, and her father’s decision to accept a job in Osaka right after her ninth birthday.
“I was the only little white girl in the fourth grade class. Of course, the kids used to pick on me. But once I learned how to speak their language the bullying stopped.”
“Now you just blend in like the natives.”
“Not exactly,” Barbara said. “To them I will always be a foreigner.”
Damien understood this very well, but he just ignored the stares. He had blond hair and green eyes and there was no way in hell he could blend in…not that he cared. He didn’t have such prejudices and tried to treat everyone as equals.
“How did Kazumi like their new van?” Barbara asked.
“Are you kidding? They loved it.” He chuckled. “But they have to get used to Ikenai, their driver. I think they expected a cute guy instead of a woman.”
Barbara laughed. “Yeah, Miss Hirogi is a lot of woman. You did a good job selecting her.”
“I can’t imagine her hanging out with the other drivers, Shiro and Kenshin.”
Barbara shook her head. “No, neither can I. But she will be a good fit for Aomori. They seem to like strong independent women like Miss Gentry.”
“Speaking of which, she called the other day to tell me Madrid was fun and that they would soon be in Barcelona for the second leg of their tour.”
Barbara sighed. “They go to some great places and, just think, you’ll be on the road soon with Kazumi.”
Damien faked a shudder.
Barbara laughed. “Aw, come on, they’re not that bad.”
Damien agreed with her. “No, they aren’t. They’re just different than working with Aomori and Distraction. I have to watch what I say and be on my best behavior.”
“So no cursing or checking out their butts?” Barbara asked, smiling.
“Exactly. And I have to make sure they maintain a pure image for their fans.” He sighed. “But fans love their boy groups sexy and with a bit of a reputation.”
“I don’t understand that double standard either,” Barbara said. She ate some of her ribs. “Have you heard from Tricia?”
Why did the subject change? “No,” Damien answered. “She’s busy working at the Yoshida’s restaurant and preparing for her new teaching position.”
“Maybe she needs to turn that job down,” Barbara said. “With a temper like hers I wouldn’t want her around my children. Didn’t she want to be a journalist or something before she changed majors?”
“Tricia isn’t normally like that,” Damien said. “I don’t know what set her off that night. Maybe she was just having a bad day or maybe you said something.”
“I didn’t say anything to her,” Barbara said in defense of herself. “She was just upset that I showed up with you at the club. Some women are like that, you know…jealous.”
“Maybe,” Damien said. His Tricia would never hurt a fly, but maybe she had changed in the two years that they were apart. “Anyway, I’m giving her some time to cool off. Moving to Japan must be pretty stressful for her and she just needs to adjust.”
“You don’t have to make excuses for her, you know,” Barbara said. “I’m the victim here.” She touched her eyes. “Your woman has a mean right hook.”
The swelling was long gone and no one could tell that Tricia gave her a black eye. “I’ll get her to apologize to you. You’ll see, the two of you might turn out to be good friends like Cristal and Shaundra.”
Barbara laughed. “I doubt that. But I’m willing to forgive and forget if she apologizes.” She touched her eye again. “I thought I was going to lose my sight.”
“I don’t know where that violence came from,” Damien said. “Tricia is usually so even-tempered.”
“Like her mother?”
Damien chuckled. “Yes. Shaundra’s not a violent person either unless she’s provoked. And for the record, try not to provoke her. She also has one hell of a right hook.”
“No problem with that,” Barbara said. “She doesn’t even speak to me anymore when she comes over to the office.”
Damien put down his chopsticks. “When did that start happening? Wasn’t she at our graduation?”
“Sometime before that, I think,” Barbara said. “Anyway, I don’t have to talk to her.”
“Maybe it’s me because that is out of character for Shaundra too. She just doesn’t take shit off of anyone. It wasn’t easy for her raising four kids after her husband died. Nor was it easy for her to pack up and leave Louisiana when she became a writer.”
“Yes, that’s right. You’ve known Shaundra since you were a child. What was she like back then?”
“About the same, except younger,” Damien answered. “She damn near raised Kevin and me.”
“We all know how your father feels about Shaundra. Was she the reason your mother left?”
Damien shook her head. “My mother was long gone before Shaundra even showed up on the scene. She would cook for us and make sure we went to school clean when my mother was too busy jet-setting around the world with her friends.”
“You never talk about your mother. What is she like?”
“Hmm, I know she gave birth to me and Kevin, but other than that she was hardly ever around. She is spoiled and rich and not very responsible. She didn’t even bother to attend Kevin’s graduation and she was in the same city at the time.”
“But your father loved her enough to marry her,” Barbara said, coming to his mother’s defense.
“Yes, I guess he must have. They grew up together. It was only natural for them to marry. But my father and Shaundra have been the only constants in my life. My mother simply ignored Kevin. I was little then but when I got older my grandmother told me that my mother suffered from post-partum depression after she gave birth to him. My father had to hire a nanny to look after us while he got his publishing company up and running, and then he met Shaundra. Kevin and I used to hang out with her kids.”
“So you’ve been in love with Tricia about as long as your father has been in love with Shaundra.”
Damien nodded. “I wanted Shaundra for a mother so badly.” He chuckled. “I still do.”
Barbara turned up her nose. “Well, you’d better settle for her as a mother-in-law because last time I checked she’s still married to Ichiro and your father is dating Amaya.”
Damien cringed. He still didn’t like that woman. “Yes, I guess so.”
“Wouldn’t it be a blast if your father and Amaya married? I just love her designs. She’s very talented.”
“Yes, I’ve seen some of her work,” Damien said. “But don’t hold your breath on those two getting married. I think my father is still hoping that Shaundra will come to her senses and divorce Ichiro.”
Barbara laughed this time. “That is so never going to happen. Shaundra and Ichiro have one of those fairytale relationships all of us women are looking for. They’ll be together until Shaundra dies and even then you’ll have to pry him out of her cold dead hands.”
“Is that what you’re looking for? Someone to sweep you off your feet?” Damien asked.
“Maybe,” Barbara answered. She gazed over at him from across the table. “Hopefully he’ll be someone as
nice as you.”
“So, I’m nice?”
Barbara nodded. “And handsome and fine.”
“Thank you,” Damien said. “You are so good for my ego.” It would be so easy to date Barbara. They had a lot in common and they did work together.
“How is Kevin? Is he enjoying his new job?”
Damien shrugged. “I haven’t heard from him. My father said Kevin is busy in meetings most of the time and he’s sometimes on call twenty-four-seven.”
“I bet Tricia has heard from him. The two of them are so close.”
“Yes, they are,” Damien said. “He always tagged along behind her as a child.”
“I think that he’s in love with her,” Barbara said. “I watched him at the club that night. He never took his eyes off of her.”
Damien laughed. “Kevin and Tricia? Oh, hell no. For the longest time I thought that my brother was gay since he never dated and always had his head buried in some book.”
“That’s not very nice to say,” Barbara said. “What made you change your mind about his sexuality?”
“I haven’t changed it, even though Tricia insists he isn’t.”
“How would she know?” Barbara asked.
Damien shrugged again.
“Do you think he’s a virgin?”
Damien nodded. “But all that might change once word gets around that he’s talented and rich.”
“He is a cutie,” Barbara said. “I can take his virginity if you want me to.”
Damien lifted his glass. “No, thanks.”
“I’m glad you answered that way,” Barbara said. “Because I’d rather take yours.”
Damien raised an eyebrow. What?
Chapter Six
“You look pretty tonight,” Kevin said to Tricia when he arrived at the Yoshida Restaurant to have dinner with her. She wore a flattering, dark green dress with matching shoes.
“Thank you. I saw the outfit in the window and couldn’t resist.” She ran her gaze over him. “You’re looking like a runway model yourself.”
That got a smile out of him. He helped her into a seat and went around and sat down across from her.
“I’m serious. I love that suit. Black is definitely your color.”
“I saw it in a tailor’s shop and I couldn’t resist,” Kevin said. “How are you enjoying Osaka so far?”
“It’s getting a little better,” she said. “The natives don’t stare quite so much since I started working here at the restaurant. But I know it’s going to start over again when I start teaching at the elementary school.”
“Have you heard from your mother?”
Tricia nodded. “Yes. She and I had a nice long talk the other night.”
“How is she enjoying California?”
“She says it’s nice but she misses Osaka.” Tricia chuckled. “I can’t believe it. All these years she’s wanted to be back on American soil and now that she’s there, she’s homesick for Japan.”
“Does she know about what happened between you and Barbara?” Kevin asked.
“Yes, your father called her. I guess he felt she had the right to know. Oh, and for the record, your father is an asshole. Her words, not mine.”
Kevin choked back a laugh. “What? Why?”
“Because he took Barbara’s side and not mine.”
“Yes, that kind of pissed me off too,” Kevin said. “The man is the only father you’ve ever known.”
“Yeah, well, all that is water under the bridge,” Tricia said.
“Did your mother fuss at him?” Kevin asked.
“Aw, come on, you already know the answer to that,” Tricia said. “She cited him for improper supervision of the kids.”
Kevin laughed. “Your mother is so funny. I bet my father is devastated.”
“He better get his ass-kissing skills in order because he’s going to have to pucker up if he wants to be in her good graces again,” Tricia said.
“He’ll just buy her some lingerie,” Kevin said.
Tricia laughed. “Yeah, I heard about that. Your father is a freak.”
“No, my father knows the way to a woman’s heart.”
“So you think the way to a woman’s heart is with panties?”
Kevin nodded. “Especially the fancy lacy ones.”
Tricia chuckled. “Please don’t try that with some women.”
“So what’s the way to your heart, Tricia?” Kevin asked.
“A man has to be there for me,” Tricia said. “I can buy my own underwear.”
Kevin removed his suit coat and laid it across the back of the chair. “So how is the movie coming along?”
Tricia checked out the charcoal gray shirt he had on. He looked good in that color too. “Fine. She said it’s very interesting to watch.”
“That must be exciting,” Kevin said. “I’ve always wanted to be on a movie lot and see a filming.”
“You want to fly down to L. A. and crash with my mother for a couple of days?” Tricia asked.
Kevin sighed. “I wish I could. But that would be expensive. And the company has been keeping me very busy.”
“And you love every minute of it,” Tricia said.
“Yes, I do.” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “It’s always nice to be wanted.”
“Oh, someone is sounding a bit down,” Tricia said. She reached across the table and held his hand. “I’ll always need you. You are my rock, Kevin Kehoe.”
Kevin arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Do you really mean that?”
Tricia nodded.
A waiter came to the table with their food. Tricia had ordered before Kevin arrived since she knew what he liked.
“Thank you,” Kevin said once the guy left.
She used her chopsticks to reach over and spear a piece of his sashimi.
“Hey, I was going to eat that,” Kevin said.
“You think I forgot about my meatball?” Tricia asked.
Kevin chuckled. “That was months ago back in New York.”
“I have a memory like an elephant,” Tricia said. She paused. “You’ve been there for me since we were kids. Why?” She had wanted to ask that for a long time.
“Why what?” Kevin asked. “What do you want me to say?”
“You don’t need to answer,” Tricia said. She’d decided to take life one day at a time.
“What are you doing this weekend?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Tricia said. “I’m off. Why?”
“I’m off too. Let’s spend it together. We’ll be tourists and go to places we haven’t visited yet and eat food we can’t pronounce.”
Tricia chuckled. Those were the things she had planned to do with Damien. Well, since he hadn’t bothered to call and check on her since the fight it was his loss. “Okay. Do you want me to make the itinerary?”
“No, I’ll do that since I’m usually always on the computer all day anyway. Hmm, we’ll leave on Friday afternoon and return on Sunday afternoon since we both have to be at work on Monday. And we’ll rent a car since mine is priceless and I don’t want anything to happen to it.”
“You’re so crazy,” Tricia said. “It sounds like fun. Don’t forget to make hotel reservations because I’m not sleeping outdoors.”
“Girl, bugs don’t want you.”
Tricia nodded. “And they have some big ones over here.”
Kevin laughed.
God, it sounded so good. When he was a little boy he hardly every smiled.
“Leave it all up to me,” he said. Just bring a pair of comfortable shoes because we might have to do some walking and climbing.”
“Okay, it’s a date,” Tricia said. “Now you have me all excited.”
Kevin continued to chuckle.
“Oh, can we do the train thing?” Tricia asked.
“That’s exactly what I had in mind,” Kevin said. “But don’t be upset if someone pinches you on the behind.”
Tricia laughed. “You too.”
They stayed in th
e private dining room for a long time until they finally finished their meal. The waiters came to clear away the dirty dishes. Kevin paid the bill and then the two of them left the restaurant.
Tricia settled back in the car seat.
Kevin put on some old school Jodeci.
“That sounds so nice,” Tricia said. She sang along with one of the songs.
Kevin looked over at her and smiled. “You’re really into it.”
“I love J-Pop,” Tricia said. “But there’s nothing like rhythm and blues.”
“Yeah, but you better not say that around your step-father and his friends.”
“I’m not worried about them,” Tricia said. “That’s my mother’s world, not mine.”
They finally arrived at the Yoshida house.
Tricia was about to get out of the car when Kevin pulled her over to him and kissed her. She got out of the car. fanning herself. “Oh, that man can kiss.” Kevin and I are going to have so much fun.
****
“Look what the cat drug in,” Harper Kehoe said when he opened his front door and found Kevin on the other side. “Where have you been?”
Kevin removed his shoes and entered. “At work,” he answered. “I’m only here because you left a mean message on my voice mail.”
Damien sat on the white sofa in the living room, looking like a replica of their father. The only difference was that Damien didn’t have a mustache and goatee and he was younger.
“Nice suit,” his father said. “You didn’t have to dress up for us.”
“Thanks,” Kevin said sitting down in a chair. “I didn’t dress up for you. I was out on a date.”
Harper sat down on the sofa next to Damien. “With whom?”
“A friend,” Kevin answered.
“Male or female?” Damien asked.
“Does it matter?” Kevin asked. He made an attempt to stand. “I didn’t come here to be insulted.”
“Sit down,” his father ordered. “I’m just glad you’re not sitting around your apartment brooding. Is she someone you met at work?”
Kevin shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t date someone from the office. It’s bad business practice.”
Both Damien and Harper moved around nervously in their seats.
Kevin smirked. He had struck nerves. He understood why his father did it since he’d date anything in a skirt. Damien, he wasn’t too sure about.