“Where are you?”
“At the Jellyfish Café. It’s in the big square outside the station.”
“Is it easy to find?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of near Starbucks.”
“Okay, I’ll be there soon.”
I go back downstairs and head in what I hope is the right direction. I’m really starting to get fed up with not being able to read Japanese. Navigating is like a one big lucky draw. Starting tomorrow, I’m definitely looking for a Japanese course.
At least I find the station easily enough. It’s pretty big and hard to miss.
I think I can see the square Alana is talking about too.
Oh—and there’s the Starbucks! That was easy. Maybe I’m finally getting the hang of this.
I can see right away why it’s called the Jellyfish Café. There is an enormous aquarium in the centre of the room filled with dozens of jellyfish. Alana is seated at a corner bar with some of the people I met at the Coconut Club.
“Go get a drink and join us,” she instructs.
I oblige and order a Screwdriver. Another thing I’m finally starting to understand.
“So, Jess,” Alana leers at me. “I bet you’re stoked to be living with Zac. What a hottie!”
“I hadn’t really noticed,” I reply nonchalantly. “Besides, we’re both seeing other people.”
“If you’re talking about Miki, she doesn’t count. She’s a bitch, which makes Zac fair game, if you ask me.”
“Still…Zac is nice—I mean I’ve only known him for five minutes—but he’s not really my type.”
Alana raises an eyebrow. “Your guy must be a bit of a stunner if Zac isn’t your type.”
“That’s not what I meant. Anyway, can we change the subject?”
“Where’s your man then?”
“In Australia.”
“Is he coming over to see you?”
“I don’t know. We haven’t really discussed it yet.”
“Are you sure he’s real?” She fixes me with a beady stare.
“Yes! God, you’re as bad as Sarah! His name is Luke Miller.”
“Sounds like a made-up name to me.”
“It’s not. Do you want me to phone him?”
“Yes! I want you to phone him right now. I’d like to talk to him.”
Damn. I was hoping she wouldn’t call my bluff.
“Okay…hang on…”
“Ha! Just kidding. I believe you. You should have seen your face! But seriously, what’s going on with you and this Luke fellow?”
“We’re taking it slow.”
“Well, that’s a given if you’re here and he’s there. I can’t see it lasting, though.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“I’m just being honest. Long distance never works.”
“Well, we’ll see.” I’m certainly not going to tell her what’s really going on.
All this talk of Luke is making me want to contact him again. I wonder how he’s going. I might go online later and ask for his phone number so we can have a proper conversation.
I sit back and listen to the different conversations in the group. It’s quite pleasant—very laid back and relaxed.
Looking around the room, I notice we’re the only Western people here. And we’re the loudest by far.
My gaze wanders over to the door where a tall man is about to enter. He’s in shadow out in the evening light, but as he steps inside, my body freezes in terror.
It’s the guy from Kurama.
NINETEEN
He grins and walks towards me. I cling to Alana. “I think we should call the police. That guy is a psychopath.”
Alana looks at me incredulously. “What are you talking about? That’s my dad.”
I stare at her, dumbfounded. “Your dad?” I echo.
“Yes.”
“But he’s got an American accent. And you’re English.”
“He lives in the States. He and my mum split up when I was kid and he moved over there.” She ushers him over. “Hey, Dad. Have you been scaring my friends again?”
He smiles. “I don’t know. Have I?” He peers at me. “Have we met?”
Is he serious? His face has appeared in my nightmares every night this past week, and he doesn’t even know who I am?
“Dad, what have you been doing?”
“I don’t know.” He looks genuinely confused. And to be honest, he does look a lot less scary here in the social atmosphere of the bar.
I feel kind of silly now. “It doesn’t matter,” I brush it off. “I think I have you mixed up with someone else.”
“I should hope so,” he smiles.
Alana looks at me strangely. “But you knew he was American before he even opened his mouth. You’ve obviously met him before.”
Alana’s dad suddenly has a burst of recognition.
“It’s you! From the temple at Kurama!”
“Yes,” I look down. “That was me.”
“What happened? I thought you might have wanted some company and you just ran off like a scared rabbit!”
“Dad, did it ever occur to you that you could look a bit intimidating to a young girl walking by herself in the forest?”
I smile gratefully at Alana. At least she understands.
He looks sheepish. “I suppose I didn’t think of it like that. Sorry, little lady. I forget myself sometimes.”
I shrug. “It’s okay.”
Hopefully the nightmares will end now.
“Let me buy you a drink.”
“No, that’s okay. I already have one.”
“Dad, just leave her alone for a while. She’ll warm to you eventually.”
“You’re right. So, what have you been up to today?”
Alana starts to tell her dad about some funny incident that happened to her earlier on. I tune out, trying to re-gain control of my breathing. My heart eventually stops pounding.
“So you’re about to start working with us at Starshite,” Grover comments.
“Yeah, I’m quite looking forward to it,” I reply, glad of the distraction.
“I don’t know why. It’s not a great job.”
“Then why do you work there?”
“I just like to mess with everyone. I’m with a union, so they can’t fire me.”
Sounds like a weird reason to stay, but I smile politely.
“It can’t all be bad,” I press on.
“I guess not. I like the free speech sessions. That’s where you get to just hang out with the students and talk about anything.”
“And you get paid to do that?”
“Yep. The actual lessons are really dull, though. If I have to pretend I’m a flight attendant one more frigging time, I’m going to shoot myself.”
“It sounds kind of fun,” I remark.
“Just wait until your hundredth student asks you to explain the word ‘available’. That’ll change your tune.”
“How long have you been there?”
“Five years.”
“Wow—I’ll bet you’ve seen a few people come and go.”
“Yep, and they’re all like you. Bright and eager for the first couple of months, and then before you know it, they’ve turned angry and bitter.”
“Like you?” I cover my mouth, but it’s too late. I said it.
“Ha! You’re funny. Yeah, like me I guess.”
“Will you ever leave Japan, do you think?”
“I don’t know. There’s not much waiting for me back home. I was living with my parents and working as a cashier at Walmart in Iowa. At least here, my friends in the States think I’m living this crazy, exotic life.”
“I suppose. And what about a girlfriend? Are you seeing anyone?”
“Why? Are you interested?” he winks.
“Uh, no sorry. I was just making conversation. I’ve already got a boyfriend,” I finish hastily so as not to offend him.
“I know. Actually, that’s my woman there.” He points to a girl at the other end of the table—
a gorgeous, petite Japanese girl with glossy black hair and a beautifully made-up face.
“Wow, she’s pretty.”
“I know, right? There’s no way I’d score someone like her at home.”
I think I’m starting to like Grover. He’s wearing the same cardigan he was sporting at the Coconut Club, and he has wire-rimmed glasses. But somehow, it works.
I can’t remember the last time I felt this welcome in a group. I even have a brief conversation with Bill. I’m glad he doesn’t say anything about my sudden name change. He’s from Texas and apparently quite well-off. I don’t know why Alana is slumming it as an English teacher when her dad could have paid for her to live in luxury. I’ll have to ask her about that later.
Bill has been staying at a five-star hotel in Umeda for the past month. He tells me that he uses the bullet train to zoom around the country for a few days at a time before coming back to his base in Umeda. That way, he can drop in and visit his daughter when she’s not working. Ah, the life of a millionaire.
I can’t believe I thought he was a stalker. He’s really nice. I guess I was just having an off day.
***
It’s almost ten when we get kicked out of the bar. The wait staff are too polite to ask us to leave, so they pack up all the chairs around us and then stand patiently near the kitchen watching us.
“Alana, I think they want us to go.”
“It seems so,” she says, glancing at the kitchen, unperturbed. “Who’s up for karaoke?” she asks the group.
To my dismay, everyone seems to think it’s a great idea. I don’t want to look like a party pooper, but for me, singing in public is up there with getting a root canal.
“I might head off,” I whisper to Alana.
“No!” she screeches. “Come with us! You’ll love it!”
“But I can’t sing,” I protest.
“It doesn’t matter. None of us can!”
I don’t know whether to believe her or not.
“Come on, I’ll get you some Umeshu on the way.”
“Some what?”
“You’ll see.”
We all trot off down the street leaving a relieved bunch of waiters to close up. Alana ducks into a convenience store and comes back holding a small jar of green liquid. There’s a suspicious looking walnut-sized glob at the bottom.
“It’s plum wine. Try it!”
She yanks off the lid and forces it on me, holding it to my lips and pouring it down my throat.
“Not bad,” I choke.
“By the time we get to karaoke, you’ll be ready to sing, I assure you.”
“If you say so.”
There’s a rather large group of us, and I still haven’t been introduced to everyone, but they all look quite friendly. They’re even making Alana’s dad feel welcome. I’m actually kind of surprised he wanted to come along, but Alana tells me he wants to have a crack at something by the Eagles.
I take a moment to consider songs I might know the words to. I have a photographic memory when it comes to movies and TV shows, but I’m terrible at remembering song lyrics. I actually thought the AC/DC song went ‘Dirty deeds and the thunder chief’.
The only song words that get stuck in my head are to really annoying tunes like Barbie Girl, but I’m not going to tell anyone that.
Alana takes a call on her mobile.
“Yeah, come meet us. We’ll be at the usual place,” I overhear her saying.
“That was Zac,” she fills me in. “He and Miki are going to come and join us. I wish he’d send her home. She’s such a downer.”
“She might just be shy.”
“Erm, I don’t think so. More like she’s a queen bitch.”
“Maybe you just need to find some common ground,” I persist.
“What, like the latest fashion in Tokyo? Which by the way, I’m not really that interested in. I’m telling you, that girl is as shallow as they come. And mean, too.”
I stay silent. Maybe I’ll find a way to get Miki to open up. I won’t give up on her just yet.
We arrive at a parlour with a big neon smiley face holding a microphone. Grover goes to the counter and negotiates a deal for us. He seems to speak pretty good Japanese.
The girl behind the counter hands him two microphones and an electronic touchpad before pointing us to a room down the hall. I’m glad it’s not like the karaoke back home where you have to sing in a huge room in front of a bunch of strangers.
A waitress brings in a tray of drinks as part of our deal. There’s nothing like unlimited alcohol to lower a person’s inhibitions. I briefly wonder if there are surveillance cameras hidden in the walls.
Alana expertly types a song into the touchpad and theatrically throws her arms up in the air to the opening strains of I Will Survive.
I can’t help but giggle. Her singing is fairly average, but she gets ten points for effort.
Grover gets into the spirit of things and sings a very funny version of Do You Really Want To Hurt Me. I pictured him more as a punk or metal fan, but each to their own, I guess.
I know my turn is coming, but I pray that we run out of time, or a fire breaks out before I have to sing.
No such luck.
Alana shoves the touchpad in my face.
“Pick a song, now,” she orders.
I sigh. I’ve had a lot to drink but I’m still not quite ready.
“If you don’t pick something, I’ll do it for you,” she warns. “And you really don’t want to have to sing Christina Aguilera.”
“Okay, okay. Give me a second.”
I quickly scan through the artists. Michael Jackson—no. Prince—no. Madonna? Maybe.
Oh wait! Alanis Morissette. I can do her. I type in the code for You Oughta Know.
My hand is shaking as I clutch the microphone. I feel like I’m trying out for The Voice or something.
I practically whisper the first line.
“Louder!” screeches Alana.
I increase the volume a little.
“Nice one!”
After a few seconds, I forget I’m performing in front of a group of people and close my eyes.
Woo! I’m singing!
Alana joins in, jumping up and down on her seat and singing along with me.
This song is awesome. It’s all angsty, so I can channel some of the frustration I feel towards David and about getting fired. I’ve had too much drama in my life lately. Hopefully this is the start of a new chapter.
When I finish the song, I feel cleansed. I open my eyes and look around. The gang cheer supportively. I glance over to the doorway and see that Zac and Miki have arrived. Zac is grinning, but Miki looks like she’s just stepped in something unpleasant. But I don’t care. I don’t have to be friends with everyone.
The thought makes me realise how much I’ve changed since arriving in Japan. I guess being screwed over at work and having your entire foundation of belief shattered can have that effect.
“That was great,” Zac says, coming over and taking the microphone from me. “You’ll be a hard act to follow.”
“Yeah, right,” Alana smirks. “Zac here is our resident Justin Timberlake.”
“Not quite,” he smiles modestly.
“You know you are,” Alana teases.
Zac taps a code into the touchpad and I see his face soften. The melody of Desperado drifts through the speakers.
I notice Alana’s dad perking up at the sound of one of his favourite bands.
The gang sway and hum to Zac’s amazing rendition of the song. Alana was right. I feel pretty silly after my hack job.
Miki must be so proud of him. But when I look over at her, she’s sitting in the corner with her phone, busy texting. I wonder if she’s even listening. It’d be a shame if she didn’t appreciate what a great voice her boyfriend had.
We all cheer loudly at the end.
“I love it!” Alana squeals. “Even though it’s your party trick and you know everyone’s going to be impressed.”
<
br /> “Well, I certainly am,” Bill says as he slaps Zac on the back. “You’re almost as good as the real thing. I’m not even going to attempt to compete with you.”
“Thank you, sir,” Zac responds humbly.
“Alright, enough of the seriousness,” Alana butts in. “Time for some duets!”
Alana and Zac croon to each other to A Whole New World. Grover and his girlfriend sing You’re The One That I Want. Grover’s girlfriend is very cute, and even though her English isn’t great, she can just about get away with singing Sandy.
***
Two hours later, our throats are raw and I’m feeling a bit sleepy. Miki is drifting on the couch with her head in Zac’s lap. Grover is sitting upright, but his eyes are closed. Only Alana and her dad are still going strong.
“I think I’m going to go,” I mumble.
“We’ll go too.” Zac lightly brushes Miki’s face to wake her.
“Okay, thanks for a great night, guys. I’ll see most of you tomorrow.”
I leave with Zac and Miki. Miki is still half asleep and leaning heavily on Zac.
We hail a cab—it’s not a very long walk, but Miki is definitely not up for much movement right now.
We all squeeze in the back seat and head home.
“So, did you have fun?” Zac asks me over Miki’s dozing head.
“Definitely. I’m so glad Alana introduced me to you guys. I really needed this. I was starting to think I was doomed to a life of misunderstandings and disasters.”
“I have a feeling things will work out for you from now on,” he assures me.
“I don’t know how you can be so sure, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
When we get upstairs, Zac and Miki disappear into his room. I have a quick shower and brush my teeth before turning in as well.
I’m just putting on my pyjamas when I hear an odd noise coming from Zac’s room. It’s a very thin wall. I put my ear up to it.
It sounds like a mouse having a heart attack. What on earth?
Then it hits me. I recoil in horror and bury my head under my blanket. Miki must have woken up.
I’m not sure I can handle listening to the two of them having sex.
TWENTY
I wake after ten the next morning and get up to make myself some coffee. Zac is sitting at the dining table. Miki is nowhere to be seen.
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