Red in the Ribbon
Chapter 2
"She's always been so concerned with finding love for others that she hasn't ever had time to find it for herself. That's what she's doing. I wish her luck and I wish YOU'D ALL GET OUT OF MY FACE!!!"
-Rei Hino in during a personal interview with reporters
"You really look amazing," I said as we drove through downtown Portland. Minako was wearing a navy blue sweater over a white shirt. The top was slightly snug showing off her bosom. With that, she wore a matching blue skirt whose hem reached midway between her ankle and her knee. A pretty conservative outfit, but gorgeous none the less. Still perched on her head was the red bow.
Hitting my turn signal, I veered into the right lane and began to cross the Willamette in the Marqum Bridge. The dazzling lights of Portland were off to the left, while the mellower and older eastside could be seen on the right.
"Oh, thanks," she replied, smiling sweetly. "I didn't know really what to wear to a place like this. I mean, is it casual, or."
"No, it's very casual. Believe me. Heck, I'm wearing jeans. So.you'll be fine." Saying this, I kind of found it a little hard to swallow. I was pretty nervous, this being my first date in at least six months. Add to that the fact that I got a date with the girl of my dreams and it could easily be said that my mind was working overtime, trying to figure out the right things to say and do.
"I made our reservations at the one in Vancouver. It's the nicest one. Is that okay?"
"Sure. It will be nice to see another state. I haven't been to Washington yet."
"So, where did you move from?"
"I'm originally from England. I was born there, but for the past few years, I've lived in Japan."
"Wow," I said, amazed, "you've seen a lot of the world."
"You've been out of the country, haven't you?"
"Well, Canada, but I hardly consider that another nation. It's pretty much a fifty-first state."
"Yeah, that's what I hear."
"So, is it tough to move around so much? First of all, why did you have to move so much?" I asked.
"My dad's business had a lot to do with it."
"But not anymore?"
"No, not so much. Now that I'm of college age, I decided to come over to the states for a while and go from there," she said.
"So, you're not in college?"
"Not right now, but I will be next year. I'm taking a year off. I've always had a fairly hectic life and I need some time to breathe," she finished.
"Makes sense," I concluded, depressing the gas pedal further. Soon, the Rose Garden passed by us in the right and the view fo downtown was hidden monetarily. Cars still choked the road, people going home, to dinner, to the grocery store, some to work. As we headed north, hundreds headed south, towards the city, or perhaps, further on to Lake Oswego, Wilsonville or even Salem.
"Now," she said, turning in her seat slightly so as to get a better look at me, "tell me about you? Are you in college?"
"Yes. I go to Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington. It's about a seven hour drive from here." I paused. "Six if you drive the way I do," I added humorously. She caught it and gave off a soft giggle.
"You seem to know the area well, though," she said.
"Well, I used to live here, out in Tigard, but when I went to college, my parents moved to Minnesota, of all places. I love this city," I continued, my voice taking on a more nostalgic tone. "This city just has a certain feel to it, you know, that gets into your bones. You almost have to stay. Can you understand that?" I asked, looking at her momentarily for any sign of understanding.
"Completely. I miss Tokyo desperately. All my friends live there, and I miss them. I have yet to make any here," she said. Her final words had a hinting sound to them. Needless to say, I took the bait.
"Could I be your first new friend?"
"Perhaps," she said, teasingly.
"Anyway," I said, remembering the topic I began talking about, "I just came back for Spring Break to see the city with my roommate. He has an Aunt who lives over in Gladstone."
"So," she said with a sigh, "looks like we're two kids hanging out in the big city."
"I suppose so," I replied with a grin. The buildings of the city fell behind us and the freeway was now bordered by neighborhoods. The houses were small and old, but had a life to them. Light could be seen in nearly every window and some were newly painted, signaling the coming of a new season, one which signaled the end of the months of grey clouds and rain and the start of one comprised of sunshine and blue skies.
Soon, even the houses disappeared and vast shipping yards could be seen all around. Passing the Marine Drive exit, the spire of the Interstate Bridge came into view. A nearly ancient bridge, by today's standards, the middle section could be raised to let ships pass. Getting closer, I could see that it wasn't and that we could cross the river unhindered.
"Here we go," I said as we zoomed onto the bridge. The green girders which made up the spans flashed by us and the spaces between them blurred together, giving us a semi-clear picture of the river below and the lights which lined the mighty river.
"We are now in Washington," I signaled as the sign which marked the even passed over head. Soon, the end of the spanner was in sight, and I got over in the right lane. Signal on, as soon as the Interstate Bridge was put in the rearview mirror, I took exit 1A and merged off of the freeway, only to get on another.
A lightpost was adorned with a sign telling us we were on Washington State Route 14. Minako was still looking out the window, trying to see all that she could of this land she had never been to.
"Everything is cooler at night," she said, looking at me again.
"I agree, completely. I'm a night owl. I can stay up 'til three every night."
"Me too. Just the combination of the night and a big city makes me feel alive," she said, excitedly.
"Hungry too." Just then, my stomach growled, which made her laugh out loud. Glad she was having a good time, so far, I laughed too. More relaxed than I was ten minutes ago, we exited the freeway and headed to dinner.
************************************************************************
"Dinner was great," she said as we walked along a pathway. A paved walk followed the Columbia on the Washington side for a while, and since it ran right by Who Song's, we decided to go for a stroll.
"Well, it was you who made it special." She whole evening was magical. Minako was, with out a doubt, the most charming and wonderful girl I had ever met. Over dinner, we talked about everything from careers to music to hobbies. However, there was one subject we had not touched one, and this was one subject I had been trying to avoid. Walking close to her, I felt a warm breeze come off the river and run through my hair. The wind rushed through her golden strands as well, causing them to move about in a very wave like manner, flowing like a calm and tranquil sea. Softly, she spoke.
"So have you had any past relationships?"
The way she said was not in the least hurtful or meant to bring up past hardships on my part, but nevertheless, the words did. I almost winced when she said it and my demeanor became colder and I tensed up. Clearly, she could sense something was wrong.
"Adam, are you okay? I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"
"No, no, you said nothing wrong. I just."
"What? Tell me what's wrong."
"Really, I'm fine. Honestly."
"Adam," she said firmly, stepping in front of me to keep me from walking any further, "I have barely known you for three hours and already I can already read your body language. Something is wrong, and if you're not going to tell me what happened that made you tense up, at least tell me what I said wrong so I won't say it again."
I looked up at her face. A lone lamppost craned above our heads, creating a small circle of light where we stood. Looking deep in her eyes, I knew that this may be the very girl I had been looking for forever. Right at that moment, I knew I was doing the very thing I had promised myself I would never do again.
"Okay, I'll tell you." My voice quivered when I spoke.
"You don't have to tell me right now."
"I'm just so tired. I haven't slept and." I began to sob. Wrapping her arms around me, I cried into her shoulder. Squeezing me close to her, I reciprocated and in turn, enfolded her with in my arms as well. A few minutes passed before she spoke again.
"Lets go somewhere and talk. Want me to drive?" she asked.
I nodded and dug my keys out of my pocket. Placing them in her palm, she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and we walked back to my car. Although we were back in the night, stepping through darkness, I could still feel a warmth covering me, as if the light was still overhead. Soon, the tears stopped flowing and I dried my eyes off with my sleeve.
"You okay?" she asked as we both shut the car doors.
"Yeah. Where do you want to go?"
"How about my place?"
Normally, at a comment like that, I would have tensed up, turned red and begun to stammer, but none of that happened this time. Relaxed, her voice was soothing. The words she spoke were comforting and nothing more; not sexual or hinting, but comforting. Putting my trust in her, I nodded and were left the parking lot.
************************************************************************
"I've never had much luck with girls," I began. Minako and I were sitting in the living room of her rented house. It was fairly lavish by rented standards, and the room we occupied felt cozy and lived in. The walls were painted a vivid red and the windows had a cream colored trim. The furnishing appeared to be new, as the gravy stains common in many apartments, including my dorm, were non-existent.
"Well, I find that hard to believe," she replied. We were sitting on the couch, but turned so we could see each other. I had a cup of hot chocolate and she sipped on tea. Her room mate came through earlier and was in bed. The clock on the fireplace mantle read '11:07', at night, of course.
"My last girlfriend was, well," I paused to laugh nervously and run my hand through my hair, "she was controlling to say the least. She, um, she would constantly tell me how much she didn't like my friends, how she didn't like the way I dress, how I never bought her anything."
"What a bitch," Minako broke in.
"Yes, to say the least." I sipped on my cocoa.
"Why the heck were you with her?"
"She was all I knew. I thought that girls just acted like that and that I simply had to live with it. Pathetic, I know."
"No, it's not. She was the pathetic one. How long did this go on?"
"I dated her for two years," I conceded.
"TWO YEARS?!? YOU PUT UP WITH THAT ABUSE FOR TWO YEARS?!?" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, I did. I finally wrote her a very nasty note and slipped it in her mailbox before I headed off to college. The last I heard of her was through a common friend, who told me in an email that she hated me and burned the letter and all the belongings I ever gave her."
"Wow," she said almost breathlessly. Her reaction made me look up at her.
"I mean 'wow' as in I cannot believe you put up with that crap."
"I'm kind of a sucker," I admitted. "Anyway, since then I've never even gone on a date. All in all, I've kinda given up on women."
My piece said, silence gripped the room. I could here the constant stream of traffic on the freeway. I-5 was no more than twenty feet from the house, separated by a fence and numerous bushes which helped to deaden the noise. However, even at that time of night, I could hear a car pass every few second. It got to be almost like clockwork. A few seconds would pass, and a car would zoom by; a few seconds more, and a truck could be heard downshifting.
"I hope you don't hate all women," she said, breaking up my train of thought.
"No. After all, I don't hate you, do I?"
She smiled at my words and began to drink her peppermint tea.
"You know." she began.
"Hmmm?" I inquired, prodding her.
"I went through almost exact same thing."
The way she said it made me wonder if she was being sincere. I could see a grin on her face, and her voice didn't have the tonality of a depressed or dreary person, but I soon found the smile was merely a cover and her tone shifted dramatically when she spoke.
"I dated a guy named Carry, for a year. He was really nice in the beginning, but after a while."
"Uh huh."
"He began to change. No longer did he bring me flowers, but rather demands. He didn't stay in the relationship in order to be with me, but merely to use me. To use my money, to use my car, to use me."
Her voice petered out and she fell silent. A moment passed before a sickening realization sunk in.
"He didn't."
"No, he never got that far," she assured me. "I stopped it right before it got to that point. Actually, my friends did. They.well.let's just say they made it very hard for him to be at the same school as me, nonetheless near me."
"Sounds like you have a nice group of friends."
"We've been through a lot, been through a lot," she repeated. Drinking the last sip of her tea, she got up and stepped into the kitchen momentarily. I could hear her turn on the spigot and rinse out her cup. As she was doing that, I drank the last of my drink as well and set the empty cup on the table.
Moments passed and she didn't come back into the living room. Starting to wonder what had happened to her, I felt my eyelids grow heavy. Fatigue now taking over the controls, I began to fall into a deep state of slumber, my body finally getting the rest it had needed for a week. Eventually, though, I felt someone softly shaking my shoulder.
"Adam.Adam."
I woke up and saw Minako standing above me. With one hand on my shoulder, the other held a folder blanket and a pillow.
"You're far to tired to drive home. Here, lay down."
"What?" I wondered sleepily what was going on.
"I'm not letting you drive home. You'll fall asleep at the wheel and get yourself killed. I think I want to hang onto you for a while." She winked and I smiled a tired grin. Yawning, I slid down onto the couch until I was horizontal. Lifting my head slightly, she slipped the pillow under. Next, she unfolded the blanket and draped it over my sleep-deprived body. Fully prepared to zonk out, she kneeled down beside me.
"Would you object to me giving you a peck?" she asked. I, however, gave no response, as I was already dreaming. Even though I was heading into the semi-conscience state of mind we all go to at night, I could feel a soft pair of lips touch my cheek momentarily. Seconds later, I could hear a switch being flipped and a pair of feet ascending a set of stairs softly. It was then that I feel into a deep sleep and drifted high above the world I had grown accustomed to being on.
Chapter 2
"She's always been so concerned with finding love for others that she hasn't ever had time to find it for herself. That's what she's doing. I wish her luck and I wish YOU'D ALL GET OUT OF MY FACE!!!"
-Rei Hino in during a personal interview with reporters
"You really look amazing," I said as we drove through downtown Portland. Minako was wearing a navy blue sweater over a white shirt. The top was slightly snug showing off her bosom. With that, she wore a matching blue skirt whose hem reached midway between her ankle and her knee. A pretty conservative outfit, but gorgeous none the less. Still perched on her head was the red bow.
Hitting my turn signal, I veered into the right lane and began to cross the Willamette in the Marqum Bridge. The dazzling lights of Portland were off to the left, while the mellower and older eastside could be seen on the right.
"Oh, thanks," she replied, smiling sweetly. "I didn't know really what to wear to a place like this. I mean, is it casual, or."
"No, it's very casual. Believe me. Heck, I'm wearing jeans. So.you'll be fine." Saying this, I kind of found it a little hard to swallow. I was pretty nervous, this being my first date in at least six months. Add to that the fact that I got a date with the girl of my dreams and it could easily be said that my mind was working overtime, trying to figure out the right things to say and do.
"I made our reservations at the one in Vancouver. It's the nicest one. Is that okay?"
"Sure. It will be nice to see another state. I haven't been to Washington yet."
"So, where did you move from?"
"I'm originally from England. I was born there, but for the past few years, I've lived in Japan."
"Wow," I said, amazed, "you've seen a lot of the world."
"You've been out of the country, haven't you?"
"Well, Canada, but I hardly consider that another nation. It's pretty much a fifty-first state."
"Yeah, that's what I hear."
"So, is it tough to move around so much? First of all, why did you have to move so much?" I asked.
"My dad's business had a lot to do with it."
"But not anymore?"
"No, not so much. Now that I'm of college age, I decided to come over to the states for a while and go from there," she said.
"So, you're not in college?"
"Not right now, but I will be next year. I'm taking a year off. I've always had a fairly hectic life and I need some time to breathe," she finished.
"Makes sense," I concluded, depressing the gas pedal further. Soon, the Rose Garden passed by us in the right and the view fo downtown was hidden monetarily. Cars still choked the road, people going home, to dinner, to the grocery store, some to work. As we headed north, hundreds headed south, towards the city, or perhaps, further on to Lake Oswego, Wilsonville or even Salem.
"Now," she said, turning in her seat slightly so as to get a better look at me, "tell me about you? Are you in college?"
"Yes. I go to Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington. It's about a seven hour drive from here." I paused. "Six if you drive the way I do," I added humorously. She caught it and gave off a soft giggle.
"You seem to know the area well, though," she said.
"Well, I used to live here, out in Tigard, but when I went to college, my parents moved to Minnesota, of all places. I love this city," I continued, my voice taking on a more nostalgic tone. "This city just has a certain feel to it, you know, that gets into your bones. You almost have to stay. Can you understand that?" I asked, looking at her momentarily for any sign of understanding.
"Completely. I miss Tokyo desperately. All my friends live there, and I miss them. I have yet to make any here," she said. Her final words had a hinting sound to them. Needless to say, I took the bait.
"Could I be your first new friend?"
"Perhaps," she said, teasingly.
"Anyway," I said, remembering the topic I began talking about, "I just came back for Spring Break to see the city with my roommate. He has an Aunt who lives over in Gladstone."
"So," she said with a sigh, "looks like we're two kids hanging out in the big city."
"I suppose so," I replied with a grin. The buildings of the city fell behind us and the freeway was now bordered by neighborhoods. The houses were small and old, but had a life to them. Light could be seen in nearly every window and some were newly painted, signaling the coming of a new season, one which signaled the end of the months of grey clouds and rain and the start of one comprised of sunshine and blue skies.
Soon, even the houses disappeared and vast shipping yards could be seen all around. Passing the Marine Drive exit, the spire of the Interstate Bridge came into view. A nearly ancient bridge, by today's standards, the middle section could be raised to let ships pass. Getting closer, I could see that it wasn't and that we could cross the river unhindered.
"Here we go," I said as we zoomed onto the bridge. The green girders which made up the spans flashed by us and the spaces between them blurred together, giving us a semi-clear picture of the river below and the lights which lined the mighty river.
"We are now in Washington," I signaled as the sign which marked the even passed over head. Soon, the end of the spanner was in sight, and I got over in the right lane. Signal on, as soon as the Interstate Bridge was put in the rearview mirror, I took exit 1A and merged off of the freeway, only to get on another.
A lightpost was adorned with a sign telling us we were on Washington State Route 14. Minako was still looking out the window, trying to see all that she could of this land she had never been to.
"Everything is cooler at night," she said, looking at me again.
"I agree, completely. I'm a night owl. I can stay up 'til three every night."
"Me too. Just the combination of the night and a big city makes me feel alive," she said, excitedly.
"Hungry too." Just then, my stomach growled, which made her laugh out loud. Glad she was having a good time, so far, I laughed too. More relaxed than I was ten minutes ago, we exited the freeway and headed to dinner.
************************************************************************
"Dinner was great," she said as we walked along a pathway. A paved walk followed the Columbia on the Washington side for a while, and since it ran right by Who Song's, we decided to go for a stroll.
"Well, it was you who made it special." She whole evening was magical. Minako was, with out a doubt, the most charming and wonderful girl I had ever met. Over dinner, we talked about everything from careers to music to hobbies. However, there was one subject we had not touched one, and this was one subject I had been trying to avoid. Walking close to her, I felt a warm breeze come off the river and run through my hair. The wind rushed through her golden strands as well, causing them to move about in a very wave like manner, flowing like a calm and tranquil sea. Softly, she spoke.
"So have you had any past relationships?"
The way she said was not in the least hurtful or meant to bring up past hardships on my part, but nevertheless, the words did. I almost winced when she said it and my demeanor became colder and I tensed up. Clearly, she could sense something was wrong.
"Adam, are you okay? I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"
"No, no, you said nothing wrong. I just."
"What? Tell me what's wrong."
"Really, I'm fine. Honestly."
"Adam," she said firmly, stepping in front of me to keep me from walking any further, "I have barely known you for three hours and already I can already read your body language. Something is wrong, and if you're not going to tell me what happened that made you tense up, at least tell me what I said wrong so I won't say it again."
I looked up at her face. A lone lamppost craned above our heads, creating a small circle of light where we stood. Looking deep in her eyes, I knew that this may be the very girl I had been looking for forever. Right at that moment, I knew I was doing the very thing I had promised myself I would never do again.
"Okay, I'll tell you." My voice quivered when I spoke.
"You don't have to tell me right now."
"I'm just so tired. I haven't slept and." I began to sob. Wrapping her arms around me, I cried into her shoulder. Squeezing me close to her, I reciprocated and in turn, enfolded her with in my arms as well. A few minutes passed before she spoke again.
"Lets go somewhere and talk. Want me to drive?" she asked.
I nodded and dug my keys out of my pocket. Placing them in her palm, she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and we walked back to my car. Although we were back in the night, stepping through darkness, I could still feel a warmth covering me, as if the light was still overhead. Soon, the tears stopped flowing and I dried my eyes off with my sleeve.
"You okay?" she asked as we both shut the car doors.
"Yeah. Where do you want to go?"
"How about my place?"
Normally, at a comment like that, I would have tensed up, turned red and begun to stammer, but none of that happened this time. Relaxed, her voice was soothing. The words she spoke were comforting and nothing more; not sexual or hinting, but comforting. Putting my trust in her, I nodded and were left the parking lot.
************************************************************************
"I've never had much luck with girls," I began. Minako and I were sitting in the living room of her rented house. It was fairly lavish by rented standards, and the room we occupied felt cozy and lived in. The walls were painted a vivid red and the windows had a cream colored trim. The furnishing appeared to be new, as the gravy stains common in many apartments, including my dorm, were non-existent.
"Well, I find that hard to believe," she replied. We were sitting on the couch, but turned so we could see each other. I had a cup of hot chocolate and she sipped on tea. Her room mate came through earlier and was in bed. The clock on the fireplace mantle read '11:07', at night, of course.
"My last girlfriend was, well," I paused to laugh nervously and run my hand through my hair, "she was controlling to say the least. She, um, she would constantly tell me how much she didn't like my friends, how she didn't like the way I dress, how I never bought her anything."
"What a bitch," Minako broke in.
"Yes, to say the least." I sipped on my cocoa.
"Why the heck were you with her?"
"She was all I knew. I thought that girls just acted like that and that I simply had to live with it. Pathetic, I know."
"No, it's not. She was the pathetic one. How long did this go on?"
"I dated her for two years," I conceded.
"TWO YEARS?!? YOU PUT UP WITH THAT ABUSE FOR TWO YEARS?!?" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, I did. I finally wrote her a very nasty note and slipped it in her mailbox before I headed off to college. The last I heard of her was through a common friend, who told me in an email that she hated me and burned the letter and all the belongings I ever gave her."
"Wow," she said almost breathlessly. Her reaction made me look up at her.
"I mean 'wow' as in I cannot believe you put up with that crap."
"I'm kind of a sucker," I admitted. "Anyway, since then I've never even gone on a date. All in all, I've kinda given up on women."
My piece said, silence gripped the room. I could here the constant stream of traffic on the freeway. I-5 was no more than twenty feet from the house, separated by a fence and numerous bushes which helped to deaden the noise. However, even at that time of night, I could hear a car pass every few second. It got to be almost like clockwork. A few seconds would pass, and a car would zoom by; a few seconds more, and a truck could be heard downshifting.
"I hope you don't hate all women," she said, breaking up my train of thought.
"No. After all, I don't hate you, do I?"
She smiled at my words and began to drink her peppermint tea.
"You know." she began.
"Hmmm?" I inquired, prodding her.
"I went through almost exact same thing."
The way she said it made me wonder if she was being sincere. I could see a grin on her face, and her voice didn't have the tonality of a depressed or dreary person, but I soon found the smile was merely a cover and her tone shifted dramatically when she spoke.
"I dated a guy named Carry, for a year. He was really nice in the beginning, but after a while."
"Uh huh."
"He began to change. No longer did he bring me flowers, but rather demands. He didn't stay in the relationship in order to be with me, but merely to use me. To use my money, to use my car, to use me."
Her voice petered out and she fell silent. A moment passed before a sickening realization sunk in.
"He didn't."
"No, he never got that far," she assured me. "I stopped it right before it got to that point. Actually, my friends did. They.well.let's just say they made it very hard for him to be at the same school as me, nonetheless near me."
"Sounds like you have a nice group of friends."
"We've been through a lot, been through a lot," she repeated. Drinking the last sip of her tea, she got up and stepped into the kitchen momentarily. I could hear her turn on the spigot and rinse out her cup. As she was doing that, I drank the last of my drink as well and set the empty cup on the table.
Moments passed and she didn't come back into the living room. Starting to wonder what had happened to her, I felt my eyelids grow heavy. Fatigue now taking over the controls, I began to fall into a deep state of slumber, my body finally getting the rest it had needed for a week. Eventually, though, I felt someone softly shaking my shoulder.
"Adam.Adam."
I woke up and saw Minako standing above me. With one hand on my shoulder, the other held a folder blanket and a pillow.
"You're far to tired to drive home. Here, lay down."
"What?" I wondered sleepily what was going on.
"I'm not letting you drive home. You'll fall asleep at the wheel and get yourself killed. I think I want to hang onto you for a while." She winked and I smiled a tired grin. Yawning, I slid down onto the couch until I was horizontal. Lifting my head slightly, she slipped the pillow under. Next, she unfolded the blanket and draped it over my sleep-deprived body. Fully prepared to zonk out, she kneeled down beside me.
"Would you object to me giving you a peck?" she asked. I, however, gave no response, as I was already dreaming. Even though I was heading into the semi-conscience state of mind we all go to at night, I could feel a soft pair of lips touch my cheek momentarily. Seconds later, I could hear a switch being flipped and a pair of feet ascending a set of stairs softly. It was then that I feel into a deep sleep and drifted high above the world I had grown accustomed to being on.
