"C'mon, Dominic, cheer up. It can't be that bad being stuck with us for two more days."
Like an irritating fly, Mara buzzed around me as I moped around, pushing an omelet around my plate. On winter break, Mara had resolved to take me shopping and sightseeing around the area, things she liked to do in her free time. Mara had decided this was an appropriate distraction for my woes that is until Sabina invited herself along.
Those words meant nothing to me since I've been forcibly held in Tokyo by business and familial obligations for two whole weeks. Forcing a sarcastic grin, I said, "I suppose it can't, considering I've been held captive in this blasted city for two weeks. I'll try my best but thank you for those kind words of encouragement."
Taking a seat opposite of me, next to Sabina, Mara exchanged curious glances with Sabina, who looked up from her smart phone for the first time since she came out for breakfast; usually it was Mara and I who exchanged glances in face of Sabina's unreasonableness. Since they both lived in Tokyo and I stayed in New York, it felt odd seeing my sisters so grown, matured, and close for the first time in four years; my last memory of them was Mara graduating high school, playing practical jokes on Sabina. Now, the two were trading glances, huh.
Now at the ripe age of twenty-one, Mara was graduating in the spring with a dual-bachelor's degree in oil painting and traditional Japanese music from Tokyo University of the Arts. She looked like her mother, my stepmother (Sabina and I referred to her as Bonny), with a heart shaped face and wide eyes but she definitely had the "Strata" smile, a toothsome smile that melted the hearts of many and was present in many members of the Strata family. Oddly, Mara dressed in shapeless flannels and ripped jeans splattered in paint, looking boyish, and to my surprise, she had chopped her hair off until it wisped around her jaw line. Still, she had a childlike charm that enraptured the hearts of many boys.
Having turned thirty just last night, Sabina was radiant with a fullness to her thin body that looked healthy and frankly maternal, having just announced that she was four months pregnant through personalized emails filled with self-indulgent pictures of her and her husband, Sandor, grinning starry-eyed at each other and doing other couple-themed stuff. Sabina ran a popular blog and, when it suited her whim, was planning on opening up collections of home, family, and women's clothing for Strata. As we aged, I could start to see similarities in our features, we both had our father's chiseled jaw, angular greens eyes, and tall frame, although she had bleached her mousy brown to a platinum blonde shade that looked cheap on her. Still, there was magnetism to Sabina, despite her grating personality, and being pregnant seemed to magnify it.
Together, the Strata sisters were somewhat of an unstoppable force, charming, beautiful, and utterly smart.
Nonplussed by my blatant show of immaturity, Mara continued on, counting off her fingers the list of objectives for the day as Sabina spooned miniscule mouthfuls of her breakfast. "First, we're going to the shrine in Ueno Park, there's a special ceremony happening today, I figure it'll be a fun way to start. Next, we'll head straight over to Matsuzakaya department store because," Mara wrinkled her nose disdainfully, "You need more casual clothes."
Having tuned out Mara's voice up until that point, I asked, "What?"
"You need more casual clothes, it's sad that you have to wear your brother-in-law's clothes when he's your subordinate."
Sabina yelped, "Hey!"
Defensively, I chimed in, "Suits are for men of power." My tone became critical as I continued, "Jeans are simpletons and lower class citizens. I refuse to look like a farmer. You know what Father thinks."
Unapologetically, Mara shrugged, "Alright, 'one percent,' just be warned, not all girls like the stuffy suits and upper-class jerkiness that you seem to be rocking."
When I heard her mention the word "girls," I was beset with panic, not wanting anyone (Sabina) to know of Corrine. Sabina has a particular knack for chasing off girls that I'm interested in and frankly, I want to expose Corrine to Sabina, at least not yet. Anxiously, I asked, "What do 'girls' have to do with this matter?"
Mara looked at me oddly, "Well, nothing, I just thought that you'd appreciate knowing what girls like and don't like seeing as how your last relationship was a shipwreck on the Titanic-proportion."
Luckily, Sabina wasn't even paying attention, fluffing her hair whist observing herself in a compact. As comprehension dawned on her, Mara contorted her face to house that wide sly grin of hers.
Irritably, I asked, "What are you grinning about?"
"Oh, nothing." Collected, Mara tossed her hair in a nonchalant manner only to have her hairbrush into her face. Then, she spent the next few seconds spitting out hair that stuck to her lips, making a little show of herself as I laughed. Once her hair was out of her face, Mara perked up, "Oh, Godfrey called up to tell you that you have one meeting before you leave tomorrow. Something about a future collaboration, I don't know, he was kind of dodgy about it. He said that it was at eleven in your office so don't forget."
"I won't but Godfrey…dodgy?"
Mara nodded, perplexed. "Have any idea what he's blathering on about? Some new project?"
Shrugging, I said, "Not a clue, haven't heard a thing, guess I'll find out tomorrow."
Smiling, Sabina cupped her mug of tea, "Good, keep it out of your mind until tomorrow. Today's the day we have fun, just family."
Hmm, something's up if Sabina is being nice and not the least bit narcissistic. I guess I'll have to wait.
It was a shame the sakura trees weren't in bloom yet. Delicate, soft pink petals cascading through the crisp air, dusting the grass pink. Father used to take Sabina and me to see the flowers bloom in March along with Mother. Actually, it was Mother's idea to visit Ueno Park for the hanami, flower viewing, and to have a picnic as we watched. Since Mother left, Sabina and I rarely go to Ueno Park, sweet memories souring into bitter memories. It was only when Mara was born and grew up, that the two of us went back but only for her. Now, for the first time in ten years, I was staring at the trees of my childhood, withered and naked but still lush with nostalgia.
Bouncing with youth, Mara had already reached the entrance of the shrine located in the center of the park. Sabina, having just turned thirty, and I, a year shy of her, were run ragged by Mara's puppy like energy and settled into a steady stride.
"How can someone so silly be so tireless? I mean there can't be enough room for both." Sabina muttered under her breath.
"It's her specialty, she got it from Bonny."
"That's true." Then, Sabina turned to me, a look of regret painted onto her face, "I've missed you."
Taken aback from her words, I said, "What?"
Just as quickly as it came, Sabina's apologetic expression left. Lifting the fur-trimmed collar of her lavender coat, Sabina said, "I said I missed the way my old hair looks."
I let out a snort. "Then, you should have left it alone and invested in a wig."
"Cha, that'll be the day. Sabina Margolis, practical. It sounds funny just saying it." Changing the subject, Sabina turned to me. "When can I come to visit you in New York?"
"Why would you? I thought you said, and I quote, 'New York isn't even fitting for rats.'"
"So? I'm fickle, anyway, Tokyo's been kind of boring and I want to have my baby born American."
The latter of her statement came out of nowhere and seemed so nonchalant. "Pardon?"
"You heard me. I just want to have my child to have the potential to be the most powerful man on Earth, is that so bad?"
"The way you're phrasing it makes it sound bad."
Just as I said that, we had arrived to the towering shrine. Oddly, the shrine was blocked by several detached wire fences, all scattered around the ground. The fences themselves were covered in all sorts of locks, plastic ones, metal, wooden, in a wide array of colors and sizes. In addition, the locks were scribbled on with black marker, upon closer inspection they were covered in words in all sorts of handwriting.
"Aren't they cool?" Arms akimbo, Mara gushed enthusiastically, her entire body aglow with warmth.
"Yeah. What exactly are they for?"
"You know how my university has some sort of school-wide project every year? Well, a couple friends and I proposed that we get several fences and a couple dozen locks for the students in the school and have them write what they're thankful in life and their hopes as a way to reinforce positivity in life especially since we had finals back then. Well, the local government heard about the project and proposed that we do our project all over Tokyo. It's been successful and our plans for the fences, once we're done, is to replace the old fences put up on the bridge to prevent suicides. So that people who're considering it could look and see reasons to live. We even plan to have the number for a suicide prevention hotline printed onto the fences."
Speechless, I breathed with awe. "Wow."
Smirking proudly, Sabina said, "I know, right? She's been in the news. That's a Strata for you."
Pulling out three locks, Mara said, "Any way, I've been saving these for when we'd all get together. The government is taking away the fences in a couple days and I wanted to do it when nobody else is around."
Taking a lock, Sabina said, "I'll think about what I'm going to write later. It's too cold so I'll be in the car if you need me."
Swaying, Sabina waddled away, tense from the chilly air. Rolling my eyes, I said, "Don't mind her, I'm sure she appreciates it."
Mara replied, "Eh, I know. I'll probably just end up putting it back for her anyway."
Weaving our way through the fences towards the shrine, I asked, "What did Father and Bonny think?"
"You should have seen how happy they were. I don't think I've ever seen Father so proud of me."
Looking down, Mara smiled drily. I knew Father was a bit of a sore spot with her, what with him being as difficult as Sabina and indifferent with Mara and her work. In a sad way, Father always saw Mara as an accident; not wanting any more children after Mother left, and treated Mara as such. Not to mention that they were polar opposites, Mara was as innocent, blissful, and content as a well-fed puppy and Father was a grizzled, aloof, and dissatisfied as a raggedy stray, always attempting to create more success out of Strata Enterprise. He loved all of us but being so consumed with work, he forgot how to interact with his own family. Now that he's retired (forcibly by the handiwork of Bonny), Father spends his days filling out crossword puzzles and taking walks with Bonny, trying to stay sane from the monotony of retirement. To be honest, Father is a confused man without work, it's as if he woke up from a dream and doesn't recognize what is real and what is imagined. Sometimes, he treats Mara like she's a figment of his imagination, brushing her off, and he's never respected Mara's artistry, despite her talent. The fact that he's proud of Mara proved that he's starting to recognize reality.
Embracing her sturdy body, I murmured, "I'm always proud of you. It's time that he starts too."
I could hear Mara's voice waver for a moment. "Aw shucks. Come on, let's vandalize some locks."
As we settled onto the stone steps of the shrine's entrance, suddenly, Corrine popped up in my mind. It was strange, how far apart we've been. We haven't even had our first date yet and then there's that stupid time I hung up on her. It's just that I was with Sabina at that time in some seedy pub that Sandor had dragged us to and I couldn't let Sabina get any sort of hint that I was seeing someone. After Megan, Rosalie, Rebecca, Lana, Angelica, and Jane, Sabina had rather established her role as a terrorist towards anyone who was remotely interested in me; surprisingly and yet unsurprisingly, Sabina spared Sasha, even befriending her. Not to mention the amount of dirt she found on all of them, that Sabina was ruthless and pretty well versed in terrorizing. I didn't want Sabina to find a new victim out of Corrine especially since I can actually see a substantial relationship with her. Although since I sent that revoltingly rude text, I wouldn't expect it to happen. Stupidly, I thought that I was so noble in sparing Corrine late-night phone calls, due to our thirteen-hour time distance, and the idea of meeting/knowing about my family so soon. Now, I feel too stupid and witless to call her or text her. There wasn't a time in these past few weeks that I haven't thought of Corrine as horridly cheesy as that sounds. There will be times in meetings that suddenly I'll think I saw Corrine or wonder what Corrine was doing at that moment, not to mention the late nights spent laying restless in bed, thinking about how much I missed her smile, the soft comfort of her arms, how beautiful she is when her eyes sparkle, lips grin, and her cheeks redden. And her laugh alone makes me warm up within. I couldn't wait to see her again; I'm practically bursting with anticipation.
"Um, Dominic?"
As I snapped out of my reverie, I noticed that I had written everything I was thinking all over the lock and onto my arm. Embarrassed, I rubbed at the slick marker stains, staining them even further into my skin. "Are these permanent?"
Pulling a wet nap from her bag, Mara laughed as she wiped up my arm. Then, she asked, "Who is she?"
"Whatever could you mean?"
"I know a man in love, or at least a man that thinks he's in love."
"She's the girl that soaked Sasha with wine that night at Mario's."
"Ooh, someone who knows what she wants. I like her already." Mara hated pretty, but bland airheads, the type I typically pursued. Sasha, particularly, was the target of Mara's vitriol.
"Her name is Corrine and every time I think of her, the world seems brighter, the stars shine more brilliantly."
"And she inspires poetry out of Casanova. I'm impressed. Does she make wine out of water too?"
"Oh ha ha, very funny."
"All kidding aside, do you think she could be the 'one?'"
I paused. "I don't know yet but the way I feel about her makes me hope so."
Nodding her head understandingly, Mara handed me her blank lock. "Here, I want you to use this lock too. I figure if anyone needs hope in love, it's you. I don't want to see you hurt again, not as badly as she left you."
My body clenched up at the thought of "her" and my stomach felt knotted in pain.
Kissing Mara's forehead, I thanked her as I walked off to get some privacy. Why did Mara have to mention her? Now, she's all I see. Even thousands of miles away, Isabella haunts me. In vain, I try to remember Corrine and everything I liked about her but all I could see was "her." Corrine's sparkling eyes are replaced by Bella's warm honey eyes; Corrine's teeth-and-gums grin is eclipsed by Bella's quiet, gentle smile; Corrine's rosy cheeks are substituted with Bella's bronzy glowing cheekbones. Painfully, I can't see Corrine; all I see is Isabella and I want her.
Blimey, Godfrey better have a good reason for being so dodgy about this meeting. It's eleven in the morning and for once, the sun is shining with warmth on this otherwise dreary winter day. Even when I called him, Godfrey sounded fidgety and vague. He muttered and sputtered something about collaboration with a cosmetics company. For the love of me, I couldn't even imagine anyone let alone any company that'd want to partner up with Strata Enterprise considering the obscurity of the boutiques in America. Sure, the ones in Manhattan were wildly popular and gaining traction but the others scattered in Los Angeles and Miami were startlingly quiet. In fact, one of the reasons I was stuck in Tokyo was to address that problem and ones of expansion and accessibility.
Upon entering the tenth floor where my office was located, I was greeted by Eileen, my personal assistant. Like Godfrey, she seemed nervous and fidgety. Handing me a cup of matcha tea, Eileen brushed off the crumbs from my breakfast toast on my suit jacket.
"Morning Mr. Strata, your eleven 'o clock is here and already seated in your office. She'll explain the rest to you."
Handing the emptied cup back to Eileen, I thanked her and strode towards my office. Through the glass partition of the office, I could see my appointment was with a dark haired woman, shiny hair pulled back into a neat up do.
As I entered the office, I said apologetically, "My apologies for my tardiness. I hope you understand and don't allow this to affect your perception of my professionalism."
"Nicky, you don't have to talk to me like that." At the sound of her voice, a chill climbed down my back and reluctantly, I raised my head to meet her eyes.
"Fuck." whispered I as I faced Isabella Faille, my ex-wife of six years.
In her normally soft voice, Isabella said, "I know. I didn't want to meet this way either."
I could feel all the anger I repressed for years bubbling back to the surface. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Please, Nicky. Can't we just be adults?"
"Don't call me that. You don't get to call me that, not anymore."
A look of hurt flashed on Isabella's pretty features. "I'm just here for business."
Then, I remembered. She was executive vice president of marketing for Bella Cosmetics, her father's company. Of course, she was here on business.
In response, I glared stonily at her.
"Look, both our boards are on board with this collaboration, Strata's boutiques could use a big name like 'Bella' and Bella could use a wider fan base outside of teenagers. It's a win-win situation. My board sent me to talk to you so that you wouldn't be ambushed by yours. Honestly, this deal is going ahead with or without you, I'm just here to let you know that we'll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future."
Flabbergasted at the idea of my board going behind my back, including Sandor, a close friend, I was at a loss for words.
Sliding a pile of papers across my mahogany desk, Isabella stood up from her seat, revealing a swollen stomach. "It's obviously a mistake for us to have even meet up. I hoped that we were past everything."
At the sight of her pregnant stomach, I felt the knot in my stomach twist even more. It was true there was something different about her appearance, Isabella was glowing, like Sabina was, with pregnancy.
A voice croaked out of me, "Are you pregnant?"
With one hand on the door, Isabella turned to look at me, pity and sorrow apparent in her eyes. Nodding her head, Isabella whispered before leaving, "Yes."
At that point, all I could see was black.
"Sir, are you sure you want to go here?" Parking the town car, Godfrey looked at me worriedly.
I didn't answer him simply because I couldn't. Every time I opened my mouth, no words would leave. White noise fizzled in my ears as I slumped against the buttery leather seat.
It took all the effort to muster a simple head nod.
At least I no longer saw the darkness. Instead, all I saw was her, glowing and filled with pity. I would do anything to get that image out of my head.
Rain splattered against the darkened window opposite of me. I was already soaked to the chilling bone, standing in the relentless rain as I waited for Godfrey to pick me up from the airport. The minute we entered the car, I said one word. Corrine. Godfrey looked at me curiously before saying something about letting me rest from jet lag. After that point, the white noise filtered out his voice until we arrived to the building she lived in.
Opening the door, I lumbered out of the car, rain permeating my clothing and my hair again. Buzzing on the button of her apartment number, I waited as her voice crackled impatiently, telling me to wait. There I stood; the ground underneath me shattered, the next step would cause everything to collapse.
Abruptly, the entrance of the building opened, engulfing me in golden light.
Corrine looked at me in shock. She looked pretty, dressed in a strappy blue dress with her auburn hair piled on top of her head.
"Dominic, what are you doing out here?" Gently, she grasped my arm in concern, at which point my knees gave out.
Collapsing into her arms, her soft, warm arms, I could feel my cheeks grow wet with salty, bitter tears. The weight of me, suddenly collapsing against her, sent Corrine sprawling backwards onto the ground along with me.
Before Corrine could ask anything, I mashed my lips against hers. My hands grabbed hungrily at her face, cupping her jaw roughly and forcing her face against mine. I just needed to feel something; something that let me know that I am real, not a figment, that I matter in this universe no matter how small. I needed to see something else other than Isabella.
A moment later, Corrine shoved me off her, confusion burning in her eyes. It was obvious she pitied me in my sorry crazed state. Hauling me up, Corrine opened the door of the building as I leaned against her unsteadily. Looking at her, I finally could see something else other than Isabella and the darkness faded just a bit more. Somehow, that darn lock actually worked.
Whew, kinda a rough chappie, eh? Dominic's got plenty of baggage when it comes to love and I'll get to the dirty details in due time. Also, to Kittycat: thanks for your input, I appreciate it. :) It's always nice to hear some feedback and I try to apply it as well as I can to my writing.
Anyway, I do realize some of the things I add seem minor but they'll come up in the story later too. To be honest, I don't really want this story to be any longer than I'm making it (approx 30-40 chapters) but please keep in mind that I write 9-13 pages for most chapters, which accounts for the length of the story as a whole, and that my pacing isn't going to be rapid fire action-on-action. However, I do write each chapter with a purpose, whether it's character or plot development, it has to count for something or I won't put it through. I do ask that my readers are patient when a seemingly filler chappie happens.
Anyway, next time will be Myra's engagement party. Will it be a disaster of epic proportions or an actual (*gasp*) success? What will happen between Dominic and Corrine after that little incident?
Estimated time for next update: a few weeks, no promises [sorry :( ].
