Anyway, Alex and I are going on a bit of a trip. We’re taking an overnight ferry to Kyushu for a few days, and then when we get back to the mainland, we’re visiting some place in the mountains, and then catching the bullet train to Tokyo. We’ll be back before Christmas, because Alex already has plans to see his parents on the twenty-fifth, and then he’s going to some big party at Cloudland in the Valley for New Year. All the gang will be there. Except for Sam, who has chosen to leave the group out of respect for Holly. For a moment, I contemplate going back with him just for a week. But when I look at my finances, I’m not sure I would be able to afford it after this trip. I can always consider it later when my bank account has recovered.
It starts to rain. I haven’t brought an umbrella, so I duck into the nearest doorway. It’s pouring down in almost impenetrable sheets. Unless I want to drown, I think I’ll have to stay where I am for the moment. I turn and study the window behind me. It appears that I’m out the front of a traditional Japanese eatery with a menu pasted to the glass. I use my poor translation skills to decipher some yummy sounding dishes. Maybe I’ll grab a snack.
As I push open the door, I’m greeted by a pretty Japanese waitress. I request a table for one and she bows slightly. It’s been ages since I’ve been to one of these places. Sometimes Alana and I go to one near Senri-Chuo after work, but we usually just go to the Italian restaurant to get pizza.
The waitress seats me in the corner on the tatami floor. Something about this place seems kind of familiar. It’s like I’ve been here before. I look around and wonder when I might have visited.
I study the décor, my eyes lightly travelling over each of the guests. It’s full of salarymen, as usual. My gaze stops at the other corner near the entrance to a private room. An old memory resurfaces. Then I hear an Australian female’s voice drift out and freeze. It couldn’t possibly be.
I immediately jump up and pad over to the door. I try and slide it open inconspicuously, but they still see me.
Oh my God! It’s Violet, David and Hiroshi. They have another guest with them but I don’t know who it is, because he’s facing the other way.
David sees me first, and his face creases in confusion and then irritation.
“What are you doing here?” he scowls.
Hiroshi, sitting next to David looks at me blankly. I guess he’s already forgotten who I am.
Violet is sitting next to the other guest, so she doesn’t see me right away, but I’d recognise that laugh anywhere. She spins around.
“Oh!” She looks as though she’s been caught stealing. “Jess, hi. Fancy seeing you here.”
I’m speechless. Is that all she can say? After backstabbing me and contributing to the misery I went through? I almost slap her across the face, but restrain myself. And I’m glad I do—because the fourth guest turns around and smiles at me with sparkly green eyes.
“Jessica!” Don says in amazement. “What a surprise! I was just about to ask Hiroshi where you were. If I’m not mistaken, I put you on the Bella project.”
I stare at him. “So you don’t know what happened?”
“No,” he frowns. “Why don’t you join us and tell me all about it?”
Violet is looking increasingly uncomfortable. Good.
David and Hiroshi act as if I’m a trivial inconvenience. Bastards.
“Don, I am very sorry, but we replaced Jessica because she was not a team player. She was insolent and unpredictable,” Hiroshi says gravely. I see he’s still trying to do the whole modest Japanese thing. He’s wearing his stupid patterned robe and pyjama pants. He looks even sillier than I remember.”
I stand frozen, unsure what to do.
“That doesn’t sound like her at all. Please, Jessica, have a seat.” I reluctantly sit down beside Don. David looks livid.
“Jessica, why would these men think you weren’t a team player?”
“Well, it might be because I got mad when David didn’t tell Hiroshi I came up with the new Bella concept. They kept talking in Japanese, so I couldn’t defend myself, and then they let me go because they said I didn’t perform. But I worked really hard, and then they kept all my ideas.” I start to well up and angrily brush away my tears.
Don narrows his eyes at David and Hiroshi. “Gentlemen, would you care to explain yourselves?”
Violet looks like she wants to disappear.
David starts to speak but Hiroshi gets in first. “David, did you know about this? That Jessica came up with the concept that we are now currently using?”
I want to yell at him that his acting is terrible and that I already told him that at the time. But instead, I stay quiet.
David looks trapped. He knows he can’t win, no matter what he says.
“Hiroshi, sir, as I said at the time, it was a team effort.” He then starts frantically talking in Japanese. I shake my head. What a loser.
“Are you aware, David,” Don says casually, “that I am fluent in Japanese? And that just now I heard you admit to stealing my employee’s work?”
David looks at Hiroshi bleakly. Hiroshi pretends not to notice.
“This is the first I’ve heard of it, Don,” Hiroshi says. “I will ensure appropriate action is taken immediately.”
“And you will re-instate Jessica in her former position immediately?”
Yipes. “Ah, Don, I’m not sure I would like to do that right now,” I say carefully.
Don looks at me uncertainly. “Are you sure?”
“I think so. I mean, I’m just getting re-settled. It took me months to sort myself out after I was fired. I felt so abandoned at the time, because no one at Ace would help me. Meg went on leave, so I didn’t have a manager, and Violet said she would help, but somehow ended up replacing me. Then I ran out of money and I couldn’t afford to go home, and your assistant said you were in South Africa, so I couldn’t even call you.”
“What, they didn’t even pay you?” He looks at Hiroshi questioningly.
“They paid me half of what I was owed for a week and a half,” I say.
“This is unacceptable!” Don says angrily. “Hiroshi, how could you let this happen?”
“I was not aware of the situation,” Hiroshi lies.
“And Violet,” Don turns to her. “You knew about all of this?”
Violet looks like she’s about to burst into tears. “Sort of,” she mutters.
“This is appalling,” Don says. “If I had known any of this had happened, I would have terminated our working relationship immediately. Now listen to me, Hiroshi. You are going to reimburse Jessica for the trouble you have caused her. You will back pay full time wages from the middle of August. You will reinstate her if she so chooses. And I expect that she be given all due credit for work done to this point. I trust you will continue to retain us as a client, due to the fact that you have already implemented most of our ideas. I imagine the cost of starting over would be quite prohibitive.”
Hiroshi nods. “Of course. We will ensure all compensation is awarded appropriately and we would be honoured to continue working with you.”
“Good. And as a measure of goodwill, I request that you do a performance review on David’s management techniques by next week. You can e-mail me the results. I am also sending Violet home, where she will be asked to prove to us why she shouldn’t be immediately terminated.”
I watch Don in action and feel even more in awe. He’s my hero. I wonder if a hug would be inappropriate.
Don stands up. “Hiroshi, we will discuss this at length this afternoon. Jessica, would you join me for a drink? I would like to speak with you further.”
I nod, not trusting myself to speak. David is still shooting me murderous looks. Hiroshi is pretending to look contrite. Violet is staring at the floor. I suddenly notice she is wearing a Cheongsam and has chopsticks in her hair. I hope she realises she’s wearing a Chinese dress and not a kimono.
As Don and I walk out, he turns to Hiroshi one last time.
“And drop the bullsh
it Japanese act, Hiroshi. Everyone knows you’re from London and your real name is Carl.”
I grin and practically dance out the door.
***
Don and I go to a Starbucks down the road. He buys us a couple of lattes and sits down opposite me in a squishy armchair. “Well, it sounds like you’ve had quite a rough trot, Jessica.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” I say through a mouthful of foam. “But do you worry that you might have pushed Hiroshi too far?”
“No. I’ll talk to him later. And if he doesn’t see reason, I’ll go over his head. He’s not the only one in charge. But please don’t worry about that now. I want to know exactly what happened after you arrived. I’m going to have a chat with HR when I get back and make sure nothing like this ever happens again. And for what it’s worth, I am deeply sorry that no one helped you when you needed it.”
I feel another rush of gratitude for Don. I just want to bask in his aura. I take another sip of my latte and begin my story. I tell him everything. Well not about Luke and the whole love hotel / arrest thing, but everything relating to Bella. I mention the baseball game, the late nights, the condescension. I even tell him about staying at the internet café and then with Masahiro before finding the job at Starlight.
Don listens intently the whole time. When I finish, he sighs regretfully.
“Oh, Jessica. Again, I am very sorry that this whole catastrophe happened. But I’m glad to see you made the most of the situation. It shows strong character. If you don’t want to go back to Bella, the position of creative director in Brisbane has just opened up. As you know, Meg is on leave, and it looks like she might not be coming back. Her performance was somewhat lacking leading up to her departure anyway, which is why I mentioned the promotion last time we spoke. I can hold the job until January but then I’ll need to find someone else.”
I’m touched. “Don, that is incredibly generous of you. If it’s okay, I’d like to take a bit of time to think about it.”
“No hurry. I completely understand if you don’t want to have anything to do with us after what happened. But we would be lucky to have you.”
I can’t help myself. I reach over and give Don a big hug. He laughs and hugs back with exactly the right amount of professionalism.
I finish my coffee and Don excuses himself. He has the meeting with Hiroshi and some other managers this afternoon. Before he leaves, he promises to keep me in the loop about Bella, regardless of whether I want to go back or not.
I catch the train home, practically buzzing. I can’t believe my luck. If I hadn’t stumbled upon that restaurant, none of this would have happened. Well, maybe Don would have found out eventually, but it might have been too late by then. Gosh…my brain is fizzing. I’m going to be rich! Three months of back pay! I can afford to go all out on my trip with Alex now. And I might even be able to go back with him for a quick visit. Or if I accept the creative director’s job, maybe I’ll go back permanently. But do I want to? I’m not sure I’m ready to leave Japan yet. One thing is for certain. I don’t want to go back to Bella. Especially if David and Hiroshi are there.
But is Starlight enough for me? And what about my business? Do I want to start it over here where it’s going to be difficult finding new clients, or back in Brisbane where I know the market and already have a bit of a professional network?
I don’t think these are decisions to be made lightly. I’ll just let everything settle for a bit. Once I’m over the initial excitement of the day’s events, I’m sure I’ll see things more clearly.
I get home and throw open the door. “Zac!” I call out. “You wouldn’t believe what just happened!”
I stop when I see Zac’s not here.
But Miki is. Again.
“Why are you here?” I ask irritated.
“Hello to you too, missy.”
“Where’s Zac?”
“I don’t know. Why do you want to know?”
“I just wanted to tell him some good news.”
“What? That you’re going back to Australia?” she asks brightly. “That would be good news.”
“No! Well, there’s a chance, but I don’t know yet. That’s not the good news, though. Anyway, I’ll be in my room if he needs me.”
“I hope you do go back to Australia,” she says. “Then you won’t keep trying to steal Zac away from me all time.”
I feel as though I’ve been slapped. I round on her. “I have never tried to steal Zac from you. I don’t know why you and everyone else in this damn town seems to think I have a thing for Zac. We are roommates. We are friends. That is all.”
“Whatever. I don’t care anyway. You’re not good enough for him. He would never go out with you.”
I want to bite my tongue. There’s nothing to be gained by responding. But I can’t help it. I have to put her in her place.
“You know what, Miki? You are a bitch. You’re spoilt and you’re rude and you’re a gold-digger. I have no idea know what Zac sees in you…”
“Ask him yourself,” she says smugly. “He’s standing right behind you.”
I spin around. Shit.
“Jess, I think maybe you should go out for a while,” he says quietly. He must have come home right at the end of the conversation. He obviously didn’t hear anything she said before that, otherwise he wouldn’t be so shocked now.
“Fine.” I don’t have the energy to explain myself. Zac is blind when it comes to Miki. It’s the only thing I don’t understand about him.
I go downstairs and knock on Alana’s door. I pray that she’s in.
“Who is it?” she calls out.
“It’s me, Jess.”
She opens the door. “Come in, hurry up.” She quickly closes the door behind me.
I give her a strange look. “Why all the secrecy?”
“Kentaro is here. I don’t want any of the other teachers in the building seeing him.”
“Ah, the mysterious Kentaro. I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Be cool, okay?”
“Of course. What did you think I was going to do?”
“I don’t know. You can be a loose cannon at times.”
“Gee, thanks. So where is he?”
“Just in the spare room.” Alana leads me down the tiny hall. The apartment is exactly the same as mine and Zac’s, except the sliding door has been removed from one of the bedrooms to increase the living space.
“Don’t you have a roommate?” I ask surprised.
“Not anymore. I used to, but now because I’m a team leader, they pay me enough so I can live alone. But Kentaro is here most nights anyway.” She points to a very cute Japanese guy in his mid-twenties sitting on the couch.
I smile. “Hi.”
“Hello,” he smiles back. “My name is Kentaro.”
“I’m Jess. I think you get lessons at my school.”
“Yes. But maybe I have not seen you before.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Are you staying for a visit?”
“If that’s okay.” I look at Alana for confirmation.
“Yeah, that’s fine. We were just about to watch a movie. What’s up?”
“Zac kicked me out. I went off at Miki and he overheard.”
Alana looks delighted. “You went off at Miki? Well done. I’m sure it was well overdue.”
“Yeah, but Zac is pissed. I don’t think I can go back for a few hours.”
“Just hang out here for now. I’m sure he’ll be over it in no time.”
“I hope so.”
I settle down on the floor while Alana prepares the movie. What a day. Hopefully I can zone out with…I glance over at the DVD case.
The Notebook? Great.
THIRTY
Zac wasn’t over it in a few hours. I snuck back into my room around nine-thirty that night, but there was no sign of Zac or Miki, so I assumed they went to her parents’ house. Or maybe to a love hotel. I wrinkled my nose at the thought.
I didn’t
see him at all the next day. And then on Monday, I didn’t see him until work, but he avoided me. I couldn’t help but feel sad. Every time I tried to talk to him, he pretended he was busy. I wonder if Miki had embellished her sob story. Zac should have had the sense to get my perspective, and not believe everything that came out of his girlfriend’s mouth.
By the end of the week, we still hadn’t had a proper talk. I was dying to tell him about what happened with Bella. And I also wanted to see how he was going with my website. I could afford to pay him properly now and I wanted to make sure he didn’t feel as if he owed me anything. The one time he looked like he might be about to waver and start talking to me again, Miki showed up and pretended to be all distraught about something. She then whisked him away to her parents’ house again and I lost my chance.
So by the time Alex arrived, I was glad to have someone to confide in. Alana was sick to death of the story, and had started teasing me about my obvious love for Zac. She said that I wouldn’t be so upset if I didn’t have feelings for him. So I avoided her a bit more too. It made for an interesting dynamic at work, trying to avoid two of my previously best friends.
***
I excitedly meet Alex at the airport. He looks exactly the same—perfect hair, stylish clothes and the usual cheeky grin he normally reserves just for me. I run up and practically jump into his arms. I almost bowl him over with my enthusiasm.
Zen Queen Page 27