THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE
Chapter 9: "An Unknown Future"
By Bill K.
It was late night in one of the more exclusive nightclubs in the Roppongi district. There was a full house seated in tables ringing the stage. On stage, a black woman was singing genuine American blues while a four piece combo backed her. Her rich, soulful voice filled the nightclub with a melancholy sound that at once entertained and sobered the audience. She looked radiant in a blue velvet gown and a glittering ornate necklace. From the stage, no one in the audience could see that it was chrome-plated steel with rhinestone insets and looked much more impressive at a distance.
In the audience was Derek Johnson, immaculate in a charcoal suit and pumpkin orange shirt. Beside him, dressed in a strapless red dress with a flaring skirt, black hose and a violet bolero jacket, was his date, Rei Hino. With the blues songs serving as a melodious backdrop, Rei and Derek were engaged in what had become one of many favorite pastimes for them: Talking.
"And he just up and sold the property?" Derek asked. "Church and all?"
"Shrine," Rei gently corrected. "That's one of the problems with him. There's no place in his heart for sentiment. His ambition has always consumed him. It doesn't leave any room for tradition or nostalgia - - or family."
"Hmm," Derek murmured. "Guess that's why you don't like talking about him."
"He's not my favorite subject. But I'm willing to talk about him," and she glanced affectionately at Derek, "with someone I trust."
Momentarily embarrassed, Rei sipped some wine. She winced as the liquid went down her throat.
"Not much of a drinker?" Derek smiled.
"Not really," Rei answered, frowning at the mild buzz she was feeling. "I drink a cup of saki occasionally, but not often." She turned and smirked at Derek. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"
"Would I have to?" Derek asked with a teasing tone.
"No," Rei said, honestly and with a radiant glow. "So what about your father?"
"Dad was a ball player, just like me," Derek replied, pausing to take a bite of the Kobe steak he'd ordered. "Or rather, I was just like him. He played for sixteen years. Played in the majors for fifty-five days."
"What happened?"
"He got labeled, like I did. They said he was a triple-A stud who couldn't hit major league pitching. He hit .398 one year, with thirty-four homers and a hundred and six batted in at Rochester - - and didn't get a call because he was thirty-three. But he kept trying. Kept beating his head against that wall. That's one of the reasons I came over to Japan. I wasn't going to end up like him. I was going to force the show to give me another chance."
"Did you travel with him?"
"No. Mom wouldn't allow it. I wanted to, but Mom wouldn't let me miss school. Said the road wasn't a place for a growing boy. That's why we stayed in Oklahoma. But that meant he wasn't around from March to October, except for that one year he played double-A in Tulsa. During the winter, though, he was so much fun. It was like he was trying to make up for the six months he'd been gone. I always hated for March to come when I was little," Derek sighed, "because I knew he'd be gone again."
Rei looked on in sympathy.
"In a way, he's like your Dad," Derek continued. "He was consumed with his dream, just like yours. Your dad wants to be Prime Minister. My dad wanted to be Willie Mays. And not even family could get in the way of him pursuing that dream. When he got older, Mom asked him to give it up. But he couldn't. He finally quit at thirty-six, and only because he couldn't get another triple-A contract - - and there wasn't any point in going back to double-A." Derek gave himself a wry smile. "I had one summer with him. And then I signed with the Rangers and went off to spring training that March."
"You don't sound bitter about it," Rei observed.
"There was a time when I was younger when I thought he was just being selfish. But after I went pro, I began to understand him. I'm sort of following in his footsteps. I just didn't get married at nineteen."
"Because you didn't want to be an absent father like him?"
"No," Derek answered, then smiled sheepishly. "I just never found a woman I wanted to settle down with." He glanced up and found Rei staring intently at him.
"Until now," she said with eerie assurance.
"You know," Derek said with mature humor, "I'm beginning to wonder if you're psychic"
It was after dinner. Junko could hear her mother in the kitchen, washing the dishes. Her father was in the living room, studying the financial page of the newspaper like it was a bible and he was looking for holy revelation. For a moment, Junko pondered that. She had been raised in the Christian faith, even though her mother was Shinto. She remembered the first time it had mattered, when she was nine and Reiji Futabara had teased her that she was inferior because she was a Christian.
And she remembered asking her mother about it and her mother's gentle manner as she explained it. Junko's mother and father were from two different cultures and for their love to work, compromises between them had to be made. Gert had conceded to the children being named Tenoh, Himeko's family name, rather than Herschberger, because it was important to Himeko. And Himeko had conceded to the family practicing Christianity rather than Shinto, because it was important to him. When little Junko had asked why, Himeko smiled and said it was one of the things we do for love - - that if your love for someone is strong enough, you'll compromise certain beliefs or traditions of your life to be with that loved one. You'd even be willing to sacrifice something cherished to protect that loved one.
A moment of melancholy passed over Junko as she recalled how warm and loving her mother had been then. It was a sharp contrast to their time since the court ruling. Her mother was civil, but Junko could sense the single-minded determination of her mother to save the girl whether she felt it necessary or not. And she felt the disappointment and even the hint of betrayal Himeko felt because Junko didn't view Haruka as she did.
It sort of matched her own sense of betrayal, and for much the same reason. The things, indeed, we do for love.
"Is your homework done?" Gert asked, his eyes never leaving the newspaper.
"Yes, Dad," Junko sighed. "You want to check it?"
"Your grades tell me you know what you're doing," Gert said absently. "If they start to slip, then I'll check. Going out tonight?"
"No date," Junko shrugged, "and Haruka's busy. I'm going to call her after nine. Thought I'd warn you so Mom can listen in on the extension."
"Don't say things like that about your mother," Gert said, frowning slightly. "And don't talk too long. I don't want the phone tied up."
"If you'd get me my own phone, you wouldn't have to worry," Junko countered.
"When you're willing to pay for it, you can have your own phone," Gert replied. Junko sighed and curled up in a chair.
"So what's so interesting? Shinsu Heavy Industries up another fifteen hundred yen?" she jested.
"Don't sneer," her father cautioned, still memorizing the stock quotes. "That stock made us a great deal of money." He looked up from his paper finally. "Of course, the hospital has it all now, because of this heart of mine. Use that as a lesson, Junko. Have a fallback plan in your life, in case the unexpected happens. If I hadn't made certain investments when you were younger, we'd be in bad financial shape right about now. You've got a long life ahead of you. You need to start making some plans."
"I guess," Junko sighed. But she knew she wouldn't. Thirty seemed so far away.
"Have you come to any decision about what kind of career you might pursue? It's just two years to graduation."
"I don't know," moaned the teen. "Maybe I'll be a mystery shopper."
Gert snorted derisively, but his daughter could hear the humor underneath.
"Or maybe I'll race cars," Junko grinned.
"Junko," Gert said sternly, putting down his paper. "Now this is one of the reasons we didn't want you associating with Haruka."
"What?"
"Auto racing is dangerous. It's reckless. I happen to think it's unfeminine, but that's neither here nor there. And that's just the sort of thing Haruka would do. Anything to be a rebel. Anything to be different. Anything to be contrary to what's normal and acceptable."
"Dad, that's not fair!" Junko argued.
"Isn't it?" Gert replied with a pointed look at his daughter. "You've only known her a few months. I watched her grow up for thirteen years. She was always like that: Always getting into fights, always challenging authority, always the need to be different. It's bad enough that she leads a perverted lifestyle and does it openly for everyone to see. But sometimes I can't help but wonder if she does it merely to thumb her nose at your mother and me, and all of society."
"That's not true," Junko told him. "Haruka and Michiru love each other. I've seen it."
Gert examined his fingernails, his ruddy cheeks glowing from his pale skin. "Perhaps," he conceded. "If so, then this woman is the first thing Haruka has ever loved besides herself. Be careful of her, Junko. She's not what she seems."
Junko was about to argue, but Gert disappeared back behind the financial section and cut off further debate. The girl sighed in frustration, then went up to her room. As she climbed the stairs, though, something her father said to her resonated in her brain. It was true, Haruka wasn't what she seemed, because she was also Sailor Uranus. But how long had she been Sailor Uranus? Was her double life as a senshi what led to the schism between her parents and her sister?
Junko sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. Entering the internet, she began a search with the keywords "Sailor Uranus".
At the foot of Hikawa Shrine, Rei Hino exited a car. She leaned in and blew a kiss to Derek, who was driving, and watched it pull away. Morning was high in the sky and would soon be changing into midday. Taking a deep breath to try to calm herself, Rei turned and climbed the stairs to the shrine. The morning sun seemed to make the stairs sparkle as if they were made of gold. On her way up, she realized that she was smiling and couldn't seem to get the smile off of her face.
"Well why would you want to?" Rei suddenly asked herself. "My goodness, I haven't felt this way in - - in ever! Well - - since I was thirteen, anyway. And there was that one Sunday." Rei continued to climb. "It must be love. I'm only half way up the steps and I already miss him. How am I going to get through the day?"
No sooner had the priest gotten to the top of the stairs, though, than she was set upon unexpectedly.
"There you are!" she heard Usagi gasp. Turning, Rei found the woman steaming up to her. "I came over to see you and found you weren't here. I was worried!" Then Usagi noticed what Rei was wearing. "Nice outfit! Out somewhere last night?"
"Don't you have a home to take care of?" Rei said, leisurely walking past her friend to the shrine.
"Don't change the subject," Usagi smiled, eyes narrow. "So where were you last night - - and this morning? Out with Derek?"
The smile seemed to sprout reflexively. "Yes," Rei said, softly and cautiously, as if she still expected ridicule for exposing her inner feelings."
"Great! You can tell me all about it over breakfast!"
"I had breakfast," Rei said, her eyes twinkling at the memory, "at Derek's place."
Usagi's grin grew wider. "Really? Well, do you mind if I have breakfast while you tell me ALL ABOUT IT?"
"Didn't you have breakfast at home?" Rei asked.
"What's your point?" Usagi asked blankly. Rei tried to hold it in, but quickly burst out laughing, then invited her friend in.
"It sounds like you two are made for each other," Usagi said as she finished her second breakfast of the morning. Rei took on a cheshire continence. "So what's wrong?"
Rei looked at her, surprised by the question. Then she sort of shrank into herself.
"I guess I'm waiting for something to go wrong," Rei whispered. "It just seems too good to be true. My life hasn't operated that way. Nothing good lasts," and she peered up at Usagi, "well, except us. I don't know. Maybe I still can't get over the whole ethnic thing. We got 'the look' again from someone last night."
"Honestly, I don't know why that matters so much to some people!" Usagi fumed. "Love doesn't pay attention to stuff like that! Love is love! I mean, you thought that way and it never got between us before!"
"Between us?" Rei asked.
"I thought you knew," Usagi began. "I'm not pure Japanese."
"You're not?"
"No. My grandfather on my mother's side was American. How do you think I got this," she said and flipped one of her blonde trails of hair up. "He was an American soldier. Mom said he was part of the occupation force after World War II. He and my grandmother fell in love and got married. It didn't matter to them. All they cared about was that they loved each other. And that's all that should matter."
Rei stared at her, smiling.
"What?" Usagi asked cautiously.
"Just being quietly amazed," Rei said. "There actually is a brain in that head."
"Yeah? Well it beats me why ANYBODY would fall in love with YOU!" Usagi snapped, then turned her nose up in a pout. But the pout couldn't contain her smile and the two were quickly giggling over the matter.
"You know, Usagi, I actually miss him," Rei admitted, "even though I just saw him twenty minutes ago and I'll see him again tonight. Was it like that with you and Mamoru?"
"Yes," Usagi said happily. "It still is. So when are you going to get married?"
"He has to ask, first," Rei blushed. "If I know Derek, he's probably waiting until after the Giants' season is over before even thinking of such a thing." Rei let out a breath. "Boy, that would be a big decision."
"Not if you love each other," Usagi told her. Rei looked at her and could 'see' that Usagi utterly believed it.
If only she could.
"Hey, Junko," Haruka said into the phone. Michiru sat at a table across the room, leafing through a book of art prints from Yoji Mizuno. "How's things?"
"Getting by. You know how it is," Junko said on the other end. She was on the upstairs extension while her parents sat downstairs.
"Mom and Dad giving you a hard time?"
"Mom's still a little mad. It's not as bad as when I left home last month. Dad's kind of philosophical about it, though he still warned me to be careful of you."
"I bet."
"Haruka," Junko began tentatively. Her confusion was evident, for she'd found out on the internet that the first sighting of Sailor Uranus had occurred four years after Haruka had run away. "What kind of kid were you?"
"What kind of question is that?" Haruka asked with some surprise.
"Well, Dad said that you were always a rebel, always had to be different, even when you were a kid. Were you?"
"It seems like five lifetimes ago," Haruka mused, searching her memory. "Well, I never was one to just accept things - - unless there wasn't any point to arguing. Even then I just did my own thing anyway. Dad probably did think that I was just trying to be different. Him and Mom were always so traditional and conservative." She sighed. "But I was a real mixed up kid. The life they wanted to lead never seemed to fit me. Too many times it came down to doing something I felt was wrong just to please them or being me and making them mad. When you're a kid, that can really freak you out." She chuckled. "And then I started noticing girls. Things really blew up after that."
"I'm just trying to figure out why they hate you so, you know?"
"It was just a match that wasn't meant to be, Junko," Haruka replied. Junko thought she heard just a hint of hurt in her sister's voice. "I stopped worrying about it a long time ago. So how's things in school? You decide what you want to be yet?"
"No," Junko sighed. "Dad says he can get me into the Bank of Switzerland as an intern, but that seems so boring. I'd really like something exciting. You lead an exciting life."
"It's not always that exciting," Haruka told her. "It has its moments, though. Just remember, something doesn't have to be going three hundred twenty kmph to be exciting. Guys digging up old ruins think finding a bone is exciting. If it interests you, it's exciting."
"I guess," mused Junko. "I just don't know how to make a career out of watching movies." Haruka's chuckle made her feel good, like she was sharing something with the woman and they were growing closer. "Maybe I'll become a teacher."
"Well, you don't have to decide yet. You've got, what, two years yet? And even if you decide to become a teacher, you can always change your mind."
"Not too much longer!" Junko heard her father call up the stairs. She breathed a heavy sigh.
"OK!" she shouted back. "I got to go, Haruka. Dad's afraid he'll miss a sudden call from his broker and lose a couple of billion yen or something."
"That sounds familiar," she heard Haruka chuckle on the other end. "Call me again tomorrow if you want. But AFTER you do your homework."
"Whatever," Junko replied with playful scorn.
She hung up the phone. But instead of moving from her parent's bedroom, Junko just sat on the edge of the bed. Everything seemed fine. But she just couldn't shake the feeling that her parents had something planned, something she and Haruka weren't going to like.
Continued in Chapter 10
