Strong blasts of wind were creating wrinkles on her white linen tunic and throwing her golden brown hair in every direction just like her head was the compass rose when she came on the board of the ferry halfway between Nice and Bastia to inhale fresh Mediterranean air. The change caused by the speed of impatient strides towards the next dock was certainly refreshing for Mimi after two months of swelter in Cote d'Azur.
Although she was excited to see her partner in crime after so many years, she started questioning whether it was a good way to end her holidays. She realized that of all the people in group she actually chatted the least in person with Yamato. But again, she always felt that he understood, or at least gave his best to understand her fairly often whimsical states of mind. He was slightly short tempered, but she can't recall that he ever yelled at her. In fact, she only remembers him yelling at other people when they were persuading her to change her mind. So, was he sincerely thrilled when she told him she might visit him?
On the other hand, Yamato warned her that he is currently really busy with construction work on that parcel on Corsica he inherited from his grandpa, and won't be able to hang out with her all the time. Does that mean he is avoiding contact with her? Is she intimidating him? But then Mimi reminded herself that Yamato is probably already waiting for her in the harbor, and it's too late for such suspicions.
Leaned on a pole in front of port authority building stood the blonde guy in dusty jeans and black T-shirt. His blue gaze seemed less icy cold and more restrained than she recalled it, and his hair was longer and braided in a messy plait. Tanned and muscular from hard labor under the exposure of Mediterranean Sun, Yamato looked like a completely different person.
"Yama, Yama, I'm so happy to see you!" Mimi shouted cheerfully while running into her long gone colleague's hug.
"Hey, Mimi. I'm glad to see you too," said Yamato in much calmer manner.
"Wow, you changed a lot," surprisingly exclaimed Mimi.
"And you still don't look the day older than twenty," said Yamato through a sympathetic laughter and led his guest towards his car.
As the car left Bastia port and headed upwards to the mountainous interior of the island on a curvy macadam, Mimi started to feel slightly dizzy.
"Mimi, are you OK?" Asked Yamato the passenger of his car.
"Yeah."
"Are you sure? I can slow down if you feel sick."
"It's OK. I just imagined that you'll have a huge villa with sea view on the beach. Haven't prepared for that," laughed Mimi.
"Well, you can glance a small portion of the sea behind the hill from my porch," explained Yamato, "but you'll have to take some effort to reach the beach."
"It's OK. I spent two months on the beach. Slight change is welcome."
"Alright then. Believe it or not, since I came to Corsica I haven't spent a week on the beach altogether," replied Yamato.
"Wow, I always knew that you're somewhat unconventional when it takes to have fun, but that... Is beyond my belief!" Said Mimi astonishingly.
Yamato then took a deep breath and continued:
"You know, I'm right now in the middle of planting a lemon plantation for a great local brewer, who plans to expand his business with craft radler. I'm sorry that I can't spend the whole day splattering in the sea..."
"It's alright. I understand."
"Well, if you want, you can come with me and help me. I don't want to be rude or bother you, but it's the only way we can spend the whole day together."
"No, you're not bothering me at all! Sounds like fun," Mimi calmed her friend down.
"OK then," said relieved Yamato.
"But you owe me at least one six-pack."
"Deal."
The next morning Yamato rushed through his greeting new day routine the same way as always, except this time he prepared toasts, croissants and coffee for two, and before sitting down to enjoy his first daily meal knocked on the door of a second sleeping room he usually uses just for accumulation of unnecessary stuff.
"I'm coming!" Shouted Mimi from the inside.
"Oh, great, you're awake!"
"Yeah, that Mediterranean Sun charges my batteries twice as quick as Japanese."
"I know. And discharges even faster," said Yamato in the manner of an expert.
When Mimi entered the hallway, Yamato took a peak at her bare feet in sandals.
"Mimi, I suppose it would be smart if you wear something more protective of your feet, wouldn't it?" He expressed his concern.
"Um, yeah, I suppose it would," said embarrassed Mimi.
"It's fine. Do you happen to have any socks in luggage?"
"Yes, I do."
"That's very sensible. You wouldn't want to experience Genoa low without any by your side."
"Actually, that happened to me once before. Had better parties in my life." Mimi admitted.
"I don't doubt it. Well, come to breakfast while it's still hot, and then you'll change your clothes."
"Thank God, I thought I'd have to wait another five minutes."
"You see how sensible I am, " said Yamato inconclusively. "Besides, I have some nice boots that might fit you."
"Wow, how on Earth did those find a way to your hovel?" -Asked Mimi energetically.
Yamato's face suddenly got bitter expression.
"My ex left them."
"There, there. At least she didn't kick you with unprotected nails from sandals," babbled Mimi.
"I'm saving that opportunity for you," said Yamato seductively.
After the breakfast Mimi changed her footwear and took a drive in Yamato's pickup truck loaded with lemon seedlings to the rising plantations. When they arrived, a bunch of Yamato's colleagues were already there, preparing for the work.
"Wow, Matthieu, how did you manage to get that handsome chick here?" Said one of them in amusement, "I can't persuade my wife to visit me at work after 30 years of marriage."
"Henri, you've just explained it yourself," answered Yamato jokingly.
"Oh yeah, we'll see how long the sparks will keep such a sophisticated beauty in that flimsy pickup," answered Henri pretending to be upset.
"Well, certainly not for the second ride," said Mimi confidently, "besides, the only thing here that has ever kept his sparks are these boots."
"Whoa! I like that lady" Besides, I'm sorry I forgot to introduce myself. Henri."
"Mimi. Nice to meet you, Henri!"
After meeting and quick chat with Henri and the rest of the team, Mimi and Yamato separated from them. She spent the day holding the seedlings while Yamato was shoveling them into mechanically drilled holes. Some of them got into holes very smoothly, while the others required more effort. Either because they stuck in pots and needed to be separated with a knife or due to their initial instability in holes. But they nevertheless made a lot of work that day, and went back to Yamato's estate exhausted, sweaty and satisfied.
When they arrived, Mimi immediately ran towards the shower, while Yamato washed his hand in a kitchen sink, and proceeded to cut a few lemons. Once they were split in half, his strong hands squeezed as much juicy liquid from them as they could in a ceramic bowl. Then he expertly mixed a few spoons of the exquisite local chestnut honey in fragrant golden juice, sipped the resulting mixture into glass bottles, and moistened it with fresh water from Corsica's mountain sources. Before closing the bottles, he put two mint leaves in each to give his special lemonade even more exciting aroma. After putting the bottles in fridge, Yamato squirted a few droplets of water from sprinkler on a few lemon seedlings that remained in his greenhouse, and finally washed away all the sweat and dirt from his own body once Mimi walked out of the bathroom.
"Wow, just when I thought I won't touch lemons for a decade, you came out with that extraordinary lemonade," said Mimi after she filled her third glass with Yamato's miraculous beverage.
"Well, you could've said if you wanted to stop seeding," nonchalantly replied Yamato, who sat next to her on his porch.
"You see, if I had said, I wouldn't have anything to put a blame on for another month."
"Wait, you have a heart to put a blame on my precious lemons," said Yamato in disbelief.
"Sure, I have."
"Well, I don't think any plant friends will wait for you on the other side once you'll need them."
"Yeah, about that," Mimi started talking in a serious tone, "I don't think I've ever thanked you for supporting me there. Even when I was such a brat."
"Mimi, why are you worrying about this? I don't really see any reason why I wouldn't support you. And about being brats, we were children then. And I sure as hell gave you all fine portion of my fretful whining," responded Yamato in a deep voice.
"Now I don't know what you're talking about."
"You see, I did great damage to all of you with my exclamations of sensitive and reasoned solutions that ended up being quite the opposite. I yelled at you like a Sesame Street character doing Hitler impressions and left you to deal with the problems on your own. Hell, I even started some serious fights with Taichi."
"You know, Yama," Mimi answered in a solemn voice, " I think you were incredibly mature and emotionally aware child for your age and besides, you were lost there and didn't know how to deal with it. None of us did. You gave your best to solve our problems the way you knew. And I'm certain Taichi nowadays knows and appreciates that."
"Thanks, Mimi, but the real problem is that I really considered myself to be incredibly mature and caring at that point of life. I thought I was so much more developed and sensitive than any of you that I had to throw it in your faces constantly and finally show you that carefree approach or pure strength won't lead you anywhere. In fact, I just wanted to gain some credit for how smart and compassionate I am."
"Hey, you know you grew into one of the most sensitive and measured people I've ever met," Mimi tried to console her friend.
"Well, Corsica taught me to keep my shit for myself and try not to outsmart everyone."
"Too bad I haven't heard it sooner. Do you remember how many problems you had with me?" Asked Mimi.
"OK, you tried to make us all live up to your standards, but at least you were sincere about it. And most importantly, very supportive of everyone present."
"I was certainly very supportive when I tried to boycott your progress and accused you for killing innocent creatures."
"Hey! I did the same thing. On multiple occasions," replied Yamato highering the pitch.
"So, that's why you were so supportive when I was hysterically crying and blaming us for all the deaths over there."
"I suppose so," answered Yamato nonchalantly.
"You know, I'm really grateful for that. At that point I thought all the worlds turned against me and it truly meant a lot to me. Thousands of whole lots. Sincerely, thank you for that," Mimi expanded her thoughts.
"You're welcome," Matt replied and added, "Killing is not my business. But business is still good."
"What?"
"You haven't reached Megadeth on that compilation I gave you after prom, haven't you?"
"Unfortunately, that compilation was erased with tons of other stuff when one particularly evil virus ate all data I served him on my laptop. And I never bothered to educate myself on subjects heavier than Led Zeppelin again," said Mimi slightly embarrassingly.
"Too bad, you surely missed thousands of whole lots great stuff. If only Koushiro were able to fix that."
At the very moment Yamato mentioned Koushiro, Mimi's expression suddenly became more spiritless and she aimed her stare at her feet.
"What? You're still not talking to him?" Asked Yamato regretting he mentioned their fellow acquaintance.
"No," Mimi responded.
"Is he still trying to contact you?"
"Well, last time he tried some six months ago."
"He doesn't give up, does he?"
"Well, now I question myself whether I was too harsh to him. Maybe I should've had given him a try. Although I think it wouldn't have worked, maybe I should've given up my fantasies about perfect boyfriend and see how our little friend handles... Something without internet access."
"Mimi, I think you very reasonably explained to him why you can't be with him, and did your best not to hurt him more than you should've to protect your own comfort zone. It is his fault that he didn't accept 'no' and moved on," Yamato tried to console Mimi.
"I don't know. He always looks so defeated and tortured when he sees me... I honestly hope he can find some help and consolation. I really think he deserves that, but on the other hand I don't feel able to give him that. Maybe he'll finally find someone worthy of his love."
"OK, Mimi, you might help him a little bit, but again he might hurt you in the process. It's not easy nor healthy to spend all the time with someone you don't have feelings for. Besides, I think you helped him in some ways."
"How do you mean?" Asked Mimi.
"Well, I don't know how to explain this, but after he became infatuated with you, I feel more like I'm hanging with a human being when I'm around him. I mean, if it weren't for him and his dexterity, we wouldn't be here and talk right now, but I always had a sensation that he sees us as chess figures at either right or wrong positions. Since you came back from America and overwhelmed him, Koushiro suddenly became more invested in my personal life, feelings and doubts. OK, he still might be in slight social and emotional delay from his average coeval, but everyone noticed great improvement in his human relations over the last few years. If only we can also convince him to stop pursuing you, but unfortunately I think we'll have to wait until it dawns on him. Believe me, one day it will."
"Yeah, I hope so. I'm honestly glad to hear that. I mean, his beyond geeky attitude at first drove me insane, but after a while it started to be somewhat sympathetic and cute to me. Unfortunately, not the way I could imagine spending my whole life, or at least a couple of years with him. But I'm really glad other people see him change for better, although he harshly fell in my eyes. Maybe I am too stubborn to see his increasing empathy behind his attempts to reach me. After all, he always took care of everything including us his own special way," Mimi replied and took her last shot of lemonade.
"That's true," Yamato sighed.
"You know, Yama, maybe we should taste some beer now. Lemonade is really not that suitable for those heavy topics," Mimi suggested.
"You're right, madam. I'll give you the best of l'ile de Corse," replied Yamato and got up.
"And put some Megadeth on!" Shouted Mimi as Yamato entered the house.
"Too bad, my record player is broken. Do you happen to have mobile internet at this godforsaken place?"
"Sure I do."
"OK, rock on!" said Yamato and came back with two beers.
"Cheers!" said Mimi, "for Megadeth!"
"For mobile internet," replied Yamato.
"For lemons," added Mimi.