I can’t believe this! Surely it’s illegal to send someone overseas and then fire them without giving them a way home. I’m even mad at Don right now. I hope for his sake that he doesn’t know the stress I’m under.
Screw it. I don’t care about the hierarchy anymore. I’m calling his office to give him a piece of my mind. It’s not like I have anything left to lose.
I call the switchboard and get put through to Don’s assistant.
“Hi, Ramona? It’s Jessica Harper here from the Brisbane office. I was wondering if I might speak to Don? It’s quite urgent.”
“Oh, I’m sorry Jessica. Don is in South Africa at the moment. He’s looking at securing a multi-million dollar deal with a coffee company.”
“Do you have a contact e-mail address for him?”
“He’s off the grid at the moment. I’m looking after all his messages and he asked me not to give out his mobile number.”
“This is a bit of an emergency. I’m stuck in Japan and I’ve apparently been fired from the Brisbane office. Don is the only one who I can think of to call.”
“What about your manager?”
“She’s on leave.”
“And HR?”
“I’ve already tried. They won’t help either.”
“Well, I’ll pass on your message as soon as I can. But I have to warn you, it might be some time before he’ll be able to respond. In the meantime, I would suggest trying your Brisbane office again.”
I sigh. “Fine. Thanks, Ramona.”
I feel defeated. I don’t know what else to do.
I wearily stumble into a Starbucks and boot up my laptop. I’ve been carting it around with me all morning on the off chance I might need access to the rest of the world.
Masahiro left early this morning but made me promise that I would stay at least until I found somewhere else to live. He didn’t get a chance to ask about work for me yesterday but he said he would try today.
I open my e-mail and start to compose a message to Alex.
Hi Alex – how’s things? Life is pretty crazy here right now. My job didn’t really work out…
Wait, do I really need to worry him about this? I don’t want him to feel obligated to bail me out.
I’m currently staying with a really nice family.
Hmm. That probably won’t make any sense to him out of context.
I’m looking to earn some extra money so I can see more of the country… This is too hard. I erase the message and start again.
Hey Alex – how’s things? Life is good. When are you coming to visit? I’m not sure when I’ll be coming home yet.
That bit is true.
I miss you. I hope everything’s going well with work and Michael. Talk soon! Love Jess.
There. Best to keep it simple. I’ll wait just a bit longer before I tell him what’s really going on.
I quickly check Facebook and see a message from Luke. My heart sings. At least I have one positive thing going on in my life.
Hey Jess, I hope you’re having a blast in Japan. You’ll have to tell me about all your adventures when you get a break from the amazing stuff you’re probably doing. Brisbane is the same as always. I hope your project finishes soon so you can come home. It will be nice to get to know you properly.
Stay in touch, Luke XOXO.
Yay! More hugs and kisses. He must be keen. He didn’t even try to play it cool.
Life back in Oz is looking much more appealing with every passing hour. Perhaps I can go to the embassy and claim some sort of financial hardship. I do a Google search to see what I have to do, but I read on a very unhelpful forum that you can go to jail if you run out of money and have no visa.
But my visa is valid for six months. What happens if I just have no money?
Another article says you can get a flight home, but you will be billed later. I might have to look into that more closely. But I only want to do it if they don’t ban me from Japan afterwards. I wish I knew more about the law. I don’t even know if work organised insurance for me. I certainly don’t have my own. What if I fall over and break my arm and can’t pay the hospital? I can’t afford to pay for it myself. Scary.
I mentally shake myself. Enough of the pity party. Maybe Sarah can help me out.
***
“Oh my God! You poor thing! How can something like that happen?”
We’re sitting at Mos Burger with a couple of teriyaki chicken burgers and fries while I fill Sarah in on my situation.
“I don’t know!” I moan. “How could they fire me? Did you hear anything at your end?”
“No. I would have tried to contact you otherwise. Hiroshi must have gone behind my back and said something to your office at home. What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t want to stay with Masahiro’s family for too long. It’s kind of weird, even though they’re lovely people. Well, the grandmother is a bit grumpy, but the others are nice. Do you know where I might be able to find a job?”
“Sorry, no.” Sarah contemplates her French fries. Then her face lights up.
“Hang on! I might have a solution! I’ll be right back.”
Sarah gets out her phone and hurries outside. I assume she’s asking someone for a favour and doesn’t want to get my hopes up if it doesn’t work out.
I really hope she can help me. I’m starting to get desperate. I checked my bank balance this morning and I only have a few hundred dollars left.
Sarah comes back and plonks herself down with a triumphant smile.
“I’ve got you a job!”
“Really? Where? Doing what? Gosh, I’ll even clean toilets if it means I can earn enough money to get myself out of this mess.”
“It’s not cleaning toilets. It’s at Alana’s English school.”
“Oh. But I don’t have any training. I don’t know the first thing about teaching. And I don’t speak Japanese.”
“You don’t have to! Do you think half the people you met the other night knew anything before they started there?”
“Then what do I have to do? And how much does it pay?”
“I don’t know, but Alana has a spare hour this afternoon if you want to go up and meet her. She can fill you in on all the details.”
My stomach bubbles with excitement.
“Do you think they’ll take me?”
“I can’t see why not. They take almost anyone. Did you meet Grover?”
I smile. “I guess.”
“Oh, you do have a degree, don’t you?”
“What? In teaching? No, of course not.”
“No, silly. I mean in anything.”
“Oh right, yeah. I did arts at uni.”
“Perfect.”
“Wow, is it really that easy?”
“I think so. Alana is always telling me how a monkey could do her job. She thinks it’s funny that they pay her to talk to people.”
“Sounds like a dream come true.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s better than nothing.”
I laugh. “Well, it’s exactly what I need right now.”
We finish our burgers and I happily listen as Sarah regales me with more of her outrageous stories. This is the best I’ve felt in days. Finally, there’s a ray of hope, though I can’t let myself get too excited. Something could still go wrong. But there’s a tiny chance that I might be able to get myself out of this situation with a bit of dignity intact.
“Hey, I saw your homeless men the other day—they said you have to go and see them.”
She laughs. “Which ones?”
“What do you mean which ones? I don’t know. Down at the river near Awaji station.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve been meaning to go and say hi. How are they?”
“I guess as good as can be expected, considering they’re homeless.”
“They’re actually quite nice. And they’re not like some of the homeless people back home. These guys are well educated, but they just can’t find work.”
“Why? It seems ridiculous that just because they’re unmarried no one will employ them.”
“I know. That’s why you shouldn’t be so quick to judge them.”
“You’re right.” I consider what happened to me, and where I might have ended up if Masahiro hadn’t been so kind.
I check my watch. “Hey, I’d better get going. I don’t want to get lost and run out of time.”
“It’s easy. Just catch the Mido-Suji line till you get to Senri Chuo. Then go up the stairs and follow the signs to the Starlight English school.”
“Okay. Thanks heaps, Sarah. I owe you.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s the least I can do as a representative of the awful company that did this to you in the first place. I’m seriously considering quitting and going home after all this. What if they do the same to me?”
“You’ve been there for ages already and you didn’t annoy David, so I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, well. Let me know how it goes. Maybe I’ll ask Alana to get me a job there too.”
All right. So the moment of truth has arrived. I just need to hold it together for a few hours, and all my problems will be solved.
***
My heart is pounding. I walk up to the school through a big modern shopping centre. I try to see myself coming here every day. It seems more welcoming than Bella already.
The foyer looks more like a travel agent than a school. There’s a counter down one side of the wall with three attractive, young Japanese girls sitting at computers. A rack of brochures runs along the other. There are stylish leather sofas in the middle and pictures of a purple star with a happy face dotted around the walls.
“Uh, hi,” I approach one of the women at the counter. “Is Alana available?”
“Sure. One moment.”
She disappears down a narrow corridor and returns with Alana in tow.
“Hey, babe! I hear you’re in a bit of spot.”
“Yes. And it’s all David’s fault. Do you know he got me fired from my job in Australia too? I didn’t even get a chance to defend myself.”
“Harsh. Well, you’re in luck. One of our teachers is leaving and it’s a busy time of year, so we need to get someone else in quickly.”
“I’ll do anything. I’ll start today!”
“Ha-ha—steady on. We have to go through a bit of paperwork and stuff first. You’ll have to do a few days of training too.”
My heart sinks. “Oh.” I wonder how I can survive on a few hundred until pay day.
“It’s all right. Sarah told me you’re almost out of money. They have a salary advance option that you can take. You wouldn’t believe how many people get here and spend all their money in the first week. The salary advance goes into your bank account almost immediately and you just pay it back over six months.”
Six months? That’s a big commitment. But at this stage I’m willing to sell a kidney for a bit of extra cash.
“Okay, so what do I have to do?”
“I’ll grab you some forms to fill out. You’ll have to get a bank account, because the money gets deposited directly. And we’ll have to sort out your apartment. I think Andy, the guy you’ll be replacing, lives in my building at Shin Osaka. Do you know where that is? You can probably take his room.”
“I don’t think it’s that far from where I’m staying now.”
“Where are you staying now?”
“Long story, but with a family at Awaji. It’s only temporary.”
“Oh, okay. Can you be back on Monday to start training?”
“Of course. You’re a legend, Alana.”
“I hear that often.”
“I’m so excited!”
“Don’t be. It’s just a job. It’s boring, but easy—although you still have to take it seriously. Wear a full suit. And keep your hair tied back and make-up minimal. The Japanese like to keep it corporate.”
I notice that she doesn’t have her facial piercings in today. I wonder what her students would think if they saw her in full party mode like when I met her.”
“That’s fine. I already know that from my other job. Yay!”
Alana chuckles. “They’re going to love you.”
“Do I have to see anyone else before I start?”
“Nah. You’ll meet everyone at training. I’m one of the team leaders, so I’m allowed to hire people. And unless you completely stuff up the training, you’re in.”
“Awesome. I’ll make sure I don’t stuff up.”
“Hey, if Grover can make it, so can you.”
“Let’s hope so!”
***
I can’t stop beaming as I get on the train back to Awaji. How fortunate that Sarah had a friend who was able to get me a job. And such a good deal too. I might not even totally run out of cash. And I won’t have to bother Masahiro’s family anymore.
I want to jump up and down in the carriage and yell at everyone, “It’s okay—I have a job! I am a contributing member of society!”
For the first time since I arrived, I finally feel like things are working out. My life might not be a complete disaster after all.
SEVENTEEN
I’ve been in Japan for almost two weeks now, but I haven’t really felt like I’ve paid much attention to the place. Apart from Kurama, I haven’t been anywhere except the city.
With my accommodation and money problems hopefully sorted, I feel like I’m seeing everything properly for the first time. Before today, everything had a bit of a depressing grey sheen to it. But now, even the most depressing and grey parts seem to sparkle with possibility. I am in charge of my own destiny! I can work here for a while and save some money for my ticket home. Or maybe I’ll like it so much that I’ll decide to stay indefinitely. And maybe Don will get my message soon and he can figure out what’s going on with my job at Ace. But I don’t even care that much anymore. It might be nice to have a break from graphic design for a while.
Maybe Luke will come to visit me and he’ll like it so much that he’ll stay too. But I know that’s just wishful thinking. I barely know the guy. We’ve had two face-to-face interactions and a couple of brief exchanges on e-mail and Facebook. As if he’d come all the way to see me based on that.
But right now it feels like anything could happen. I’m so happy. I practically skip all the way back to Masahiro’s house from the station. I feel like a character in a movie where everything finally works out in the heroine’s favour. My personal choice for an upbeat soundtrack would be I Can See Clearly Now.
Masahiro is at work of course, but Chihiro and her mother should be at home. I can’t wait to tell them the good news. I’ll have to look up the Japanese word for job.
“Chihiro!” I bounce in the front door. “I found work!”
There’s no answer.
“Hello?”
Still nothing. Maybe they went out.
I go upstairs and see Chihiro kneeling on the floor holding her mother’s hand. The old woman has her eyes closed and she looks a bit grey.
“Chihiro? Is everything okay?”
Chihiro doesn’t respond. She seems to be frozen, staring into space.
I start to panic. “Chihiro? Is your mother all right? Do we need to call a doctor?”
Chihiro has tears running down her face.
“We have to call an ambulance!”
Chihiro doesn’t move.
What’s the emergency number? I quickly whip out my phone and call Sarah.
“Sarah, what’s the number for the ambulance?”
“What, why? Are you okay? Do you need me to come get you?”
“I’m fine. It’s just a woman I’m staying with is sick, I think.”
“Call 119. Are you sure you don’t want me to…”
“Thanks.” I stab the button to disconnect and then call 119. I’ll apologise to Sarah later for my abruptness.
“Hello, do you speak English?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“There’s a sick woman here. Can you pleas
e send an ambulance?”
“What’s your address?”
“Um, I’m not sure. It’s right near Awaji station.”
‘Is there someone with you who might know the address?’
“Oh, yes, hang on.”
I thrust the phone at Chihiro. She looks at it uncomprehendingly.
“Talk to them! You need to do something!”
Chihiro takes the phone with agonising slowness, but at least she talks. She responds in a flat monotone before handing the phone back.
“What did she say? Did she give you the address?”
“Yes, please don’t worry, ma’am. The other woman seems to think it’s too late, but we’ll send an ambulance anyway. Can you check the patient’s pulse?”
“Oh, right. Let me see.” I reach down and gently put a couple of fingers on the grandmother’s wrist. At first I can’t feel anything, but then I’m pretty sure I detect a really faint beat.
“I think she has a pulse! Come quickly, please!”
“Stay calm, ma’am. Someone will be there in a moment.”
“Thank you. Do you think she’ll be okay?”
“Well, you did the right thing by calling us. We will do everything we can. Do you want to stay on the line?”
“I don’t know. Do you think it’s necessary?”
“It’s up to you. The ambulance should be there in five minutes.”
“Okay. Well, can I call back if it doesn’t arrive, or if she gets worse?”
“Of course.”
“All right. Thanks.”
I hang up and wonder what else I can do. Maybe I should call Masahiro. Why did Chihiro think it was too late? Why didn’t she check her mother’s pulse?
“Chihiro, the ambulance will be here in a minute. It will all be okay. Your mother will be fine.”
I don’t really know this, but I don’t think Chihiro is listening anyway.
***
The ambulance arrives and two people come in to load Chihiro’s mother on a stretcher. Chihiro still seems lost in thought. I think I need Masahiro. I get out my phone again. “Chihiro, can you call Masahiro?”
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