*Sniff. How come nobody is reading this? I swear its pretty good.
Sitting in the car, I watched the trees as we sped past them.
Very different from Yoroido and Gion.
Everything was incredibly lush and green. It was a fine day for traveling.
Nobu did not pay much attention to the scenery. He had a stack of business papers in his lap. Occasionally he would murmur something to himself as he perused them. To my ears it sounded like curse words.
I kept my silence.
Once again I reflected how different this relationship was from other geisha and their Danna's. Under normal circumstance a geisha would rely on her training to goad the man into conversation. She would flirt and be playful with him. She might smile at him and tell an amusing story or joke.
This was what I was taught to do.
With other men I was quite successful at these coy games. I always knew what to say to put a man into good humor.
On the other hand, I was at a loss as how to ply Nobu with my words. Every time I looked at him, I second guessed myself. This never happened before he became my Danna. Now it was an effort to please him.
I stole another glance at Nobu.
"What?" he growled.
I gave him a smile.
"It is a beautiful day Nobu-san. Do you not think so?"
"What I think of the scenery does not make a difference in our business portfolio" he grumbled.
"Be that as it may, the trees are pleasing are they not?"
Nobu glanced at them. "They are trees. Nothing more."
"I think they are beautiful."
"You would. It is part of your artistic repertoire as a Geisha. I fancy you find the breeze throwing trash around in the street beautiful."
"I would not know about other geisha,or trash," I smiled, "But yes, I think there is a certain beauty in everything."
Nobu seemed to be listening to my words.
"I imagine that you do," he answered. His look told me that he was thinking about something.
"You know Nobu-san, I often think about trees a lot. They are a new and novel experience for me."
"How is that?" Nobu asked, lifted his papers and peering at them.
"I was born in a place where there were not many trees,"I answered.
I had never told Nobu any of my life history before becoming a geisha. It was probably something that I should not have done. It took away some of the glamor of my life. He saw me only as the finished product of Gion, a silk covered butterfly. He never knew that I was a fisherman's daughter, that my name used to be Chiyo and that as a child I ran without clothes or shoes on the rocks of Yoroido.
"There are many wooded areas in Kyoto" Nobu-san said.
"I was not born in Kyoto."
"I always imagined that you were," Nobu-san mused. I caught my lip so I would not smile.
"No. I was born in one of the coastal regions."
I did not tell him the name of my fishing village. I decided that it might be an unpleasant shock for him to know of my base born status.
I decided that I should not monopolize the conversation with topics about myself. Geisha are taught to think of their clients above all things. Now was the time to know Nobu-san beyond the tea house atmosphere.
"Where was Nobu-san born?"
"In Kyoto," he answered shortly.
"Is this your family home?"I asked.
"No. We never had a family estate."
"I invited Mameha to the party," I told him, changing the subject. I could tell that he was uncomfortable.
"That is good. The Chairman's secretary also ensured that there are three other geisha coming. We are expecting many important guests."
"I'm pleased to be spending time with Nobu-san before his party."
The words fell effortlessly from my lips but inside my heart beat with trepidation. Would Nobu think badly of me for being so bold?
"I am pleased also at this chance. Our company has been unbelievably busy this past month. With all successes comes more advances in hard work."
"Nobu-san must take care to rest then. I am sure that you deserve this break."
"I could work non-stop for days," he said. "Sometimes I do. Nights on end I find myself surpassing even the young men that work for us."
"You have much stamina," I commented. Nobu-san shrugged.
"In the army you had to have much stamina. There is no break in war."
"Indeed. I recall you telling me, years ago, when we first met that only three things matter in life, sumo, business and war."
Nobu smiled and it was genuine.
"You remember that?"
"I remember many things."
"You were a resourceful girl, even then."
"I am pleased that I could make Nobu-san smile. Then and now."
Nobu gave me a long burning glance. It was the kind that I knew was meant only for me. He stared at me like we were the only two people in the world.
He broke away first.
"We are almost there now" Nobu said. He checked his watch.