Chapter Nine: Gotcha!
"So. Let me get this straight. Serena's in San Francisco?" Minako asked whilst she, Makoto, Ami, and Mamoru sat in a booth at the Crown Arcade.
"That's what I said." Mamoru said and they all looked at the slip of paper in the middle of the table. "We need to head to San Francisco as soon as possible."
"Let's think this through. We can't simply buy a ticket and go to America and expect to find Serena there. She might not be in the city of San Francisco. From what I understand, San Francisco is one of the major stops in the Pacific before heading off to the different parts of the United States. If she is in the San Francisco area, she could be anywhere. She could be living in Berkeley, Oakland, Hayward, Millbrae, etc. From what my mother told me, the area is pretty big. We have to find her exact location and then start from there."
"I agree with Ami-chan. But I can start making living arrangements while we figure out where exactly she is. The Chief of the Surgical Department owns a vacation home in Alameda right on the beach. He'd offered his house once for me to use and I think that offer still stands."
"Why don't we ask Motoki-san where she is? We can force him?" Makoto asked.
Sadly, they all agreed with Makoto's suggestion. If they were going to get anywhere, they'll have to force Motoki to tell them where Serena was.
Serena picked up the phone as she laid in bed. It was late and she couldn't sleep. She knew that it's four o'clock in the afternoon in Japan and she began to dial Motoki's phone number to the restaurant.
"Moshi Moshi? Crown Parlour." Motoki answered the phone.
"Motoki!" Serena exclaimed.
"Serena! Mind if i put you on speaker? I'm trying to stack up the latest expense reports. How are you? How's San Francisco? Is it cold there?"
Serena giggled. Motoki could have asked her these questions when she first moved to Japan, but instead, he's asking her the questions now. "No. I'm used to this weather remember. I've lived her for fourteen years before moving to Japan. Plus, it snows there and it doesn't here. I'm doing good. No, let me correct that." Serena said.
Motoki paused his work when Serena said she wanted to correct her previous statement.
"I'm doing great." Serena said and Motoki breathed a sigh of relief. "I've made some new friends."
Motoki smiled. He was glad that Serena was bouncing back and a change of scenery or maybe going home was the best thing for her after all. "I'm happy that you've put the past behind you."
"Toki, I don't think I can truly put the past behind me. I believe that it will stay in my heart and maybe, just maybe, I can learn from it and become a much stronger person. When are you going to come and visit me? I miss you."
"I'm not sure if I can. You know my English isn't that good and I'm afraid of flying." Motoki said.
"Reika's going with you, so she'd be translating and so will I. Plus, you can buy a phrase book in the airport."
"Fine. You twisted my arm. I'll talk to Reika. What's your address. If I don't know it, I can't visit." Motoki asked.
"I'm right in the heart of San Francisco." Serena said while Motoki looked for a blank sheet of paper to write her address, but when he looked up, he saw four faces that he didn't expect to see.
"Toki? You still there?" Serena asked. "Motoki. Quit playing around and write my address down if you and Reika are going to visit."
"Go ahead Odango and give me your address." Mamoru said in place of Motoki who had been placed in a shell-shocked trance.
Serena paused and looked at the cordless phone. "No, it couldn't be. I must be hallucinating." She thought to herself, but in a matter of seconds, reality sunk in. She pressed the off button on her phone and placed it back on the cradle.
"They know where I am.
