Chapter Fourteen
"Oh no," said Hiro glancing down the street.
"What is it?" asked Rina.
"Haruna's coming," he said quickly.
Tomomi and Rina looked down the street and sure enough the unmistakable tiny figure of Haruna wearing black Doc Martins with blue jeans and black leather jacket was approaching them.
"I should go," said Hiro at once.
"No," said Tomomi. "You should stay."
"Now isn't a good time," said Hiro. "I'll see you later."
He kissed Tomomi and dashed away mixing in with the crowd.
"Haruna," called Rina. "What a coincidence to see you here."
"Rina, Tomomi," replied Haruna. "I could say the same for you."
"We're waiting for Mami," said Rina who couldn't help smiling.
Without warning she grabbed Haruna and pulled her into a hug.
"Long time no see partner," said Rina. At once, Haruna forgot all the animosity between them and returned the hug.
"It's been a while," she said.
They released each other.
"Get in here speed racer," joked Haruna pulling Tomomi into a three way hug.
"Speed racer?" asked Rina.
"Oh, she didn't tell you?" asked Haruna.
"Told me what?" asked Mami.
The threesome turned around to see Mami looking at them.
"That Tomomi crashed her car into mine," continued Haruna.
"No," said Mami. "What happened?"
"Speed racer here panicked when she saw me and tried to drive away at full speed but crashed into my NSX," said Haruna. "I should have had my camera. Her face was hilarious."
They chuckled in amusement.
"Is it fixed yet?" asked Mami to Tomomi.
"Not yet," she said. "I can get it tomorrow."
"What about tonight?" asked Rina. "What can we do tonight?"
"I was only expecting to see Mami," said Haruna. "I came to collect her."
"How did you know she was working here?" asked Rina.
"She gave me the job here," said Mami.
Rina looked at her.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yes," said Haruna. "I saw how she was living. I couldn't see Mami like that."
"Well," said Mami. "This is a special moment. We haven't been together like this for almost ten years. We should celebrate."
"Hear, hear," said Haruna enthusiastically.
"We should call our spouses," said Rina and Tomomi in unison.
"Okay," said Haruna. "You check into HQ. Me and Mami will decide how to comemorate this reunion."
Rina and Tomomi began furiously texting their respective spouses about their evening plans. After a few minutes, with them informed and satisfied they returned to the twosome waiting for them.
"Well?" asked Rina. "Where to?"
"We were just wondering that," said Mami thoughtfully.
They were silent for what seemed like an eternity.
"How about that pizza place we used to go to after concerts?" suggested Rina. "I could do with a pizza."
They all looked at each other.
"Okay," they said in unison.
"Oh," said Mami as they stopped outside the building. They looked up at it. It was no longer a pizza parlour. Instead it was now a Starbucks coffee shop.
"Any more suggestions?" asked Haruna.
"What about that Chinese place? General Zhangs?" suggested Tomomi.
They all nodded and walked off down the road to their next destination.
"Not again!" exclaimed Tomomi as they found another Starbucks coffee shop looking at them.
"What now?" asked Mami.
"How about the Korean place, it's not far?" suggested Rina.
"Third time lucky," muttered Haruna as they made their way to the next restaurant.
"I don't believe this!" exclaimed Rina.
Another Starbucks coffee looked down at them. It's imposing glass windows reflecting their bemused faces filled with confusion.
"Is every place becoming a Starbucks?" demanded Mami as they looked around them trying to think of where to go next.
"What about the Sukiya?" suggested Tomomi.
"Yeah," said Haruna her voice swimming with sarcasm. "Let's have Japanese food, same as what we have every night of the week."
Tomomi fell silent, her bottom lip shaking.
"Alright!" cried Rina. "Standing around here arguing about it isn't going to solve the problem."
She thought for a moment.
"Follow me," she commanded.
She led them up the street to a place called Mr. Pizza.
"Here," said Rina. "I've been here before. It's not bad."
The girls looked at each other and entered the establishment.
They took seats at the very back of the restaurant. Despite the fact they were retired rockstars, the habit of sitting out of view was a common habit. After a moment of silence they all began choosing what they wanted.
"Okay," said Rina. Who after all these years was the person able to reclaim order and sanity amongst her bandmates. "Let's just get a big one and then we can all put on the things we like."
"Damn I bet you make a good teacher," said Mami. "Mrs. Suzuki."
Rina chuckled as Mami clapped her on the back. Rina raised her hand and called the waiter to the table.
"Yes, ladies?" asked the waiter. "Can I take your order?"
"Ladies!" exclaimed Haruna. "I'm giving this guy a big tip tonight."
He smiled at her.
"Give us one of those large DIY pizzas," asked Rina.
"Certainly," replied the waiter. "And what would you like on it."
"Cheese," replied Tomomi. "Lots of cheese."
"Easy there chipmunk," joked Haruna. "You and cheese equals trouble."
Tomomi smiled happily.
"Let's see," said Haruna. "I'll take some bacon."
"Mushrooms," said Rina.
Tomomi wrinkled her nose. She hated mushrooms.
"Peppers," asked Mami. "Some chillis and pineapple."
"And potatoes," said Haruna.
The waiter repeated their requests back to them.
"Oh and a large portion of fries, onion rings and a salad," said Rina.
The waiter nodded and scribbled their order onto his iPad.
"Beer?" suggested Haruna. "Give us..."
She quickly counted on her fingers.
"Eight beers. Asahi," she finished.
"I can't have beer," said Tomomi. "I'm..."
She quickly searched for a word as the girls stared at her, her face turning red.
"...working tomorrow," she finished.
"Fine," said Haruna.
"Chocolate milkshake," said Tomomi quickly.
The waiter scribbled down the order. He repeated it and then left the table.
Haruna turned to Tomomi.
"Since when were you a teetotaler?" she demanded.
"Since...always," replied Tomomi.
"Look," said Rina pointing to a glass window across the restaurant. "You can watch them make the pizzas."
"Really?" asked Tomomi. "I gotta see this."
She stood up and dashed over to window to watch the chef.
"Back in a minute," said Haruna. She stood up to join Tomomi at the window.
Rina and Mami watched them leave and shook their heads in disbelief. The waiter placed several bottles of Asahi onto the table in front of them and left once more. Rina picked one up, cracked it open and handed it to Mami. She took one for herself and repeated the same motion. The clinked the bottles together and drank a large swig.
"Just like old times huh?" asked Mami reminiscently. Rina smiled thoughtfully as they turned to watch Haruna and Tomomi.
They were standing by the window watching the chef making a series of pizzas. The chef was working hard, trying not to look at the girls who were watching him intently. After several minutes of ignoring Tomomi and Haruna looking at him, he glanced in their direction. His eyes caught Tomomi wearing a small plaid skirt. His eyes followed her legs up to her face. She flashed the "V" at him. He blushed and dropped the pizza base he was holding.
Tomomi and Haruna giggled and gave each other a high five. Their work complete they returned to their table to find that their drinks had arrived. Haruna grabbed her beer and offered Tomomi a bottle. She declined and began drinking her freshly made chocolate milkshake.
"Tomomi on chocolate," said Haruna. "I wonder if age has mellowed her."
"Well," said Mami. "We'll soon find out."
They all watched her intently, as if they were waiting for some kind of creature to emerge from her.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," replied Haruna. "Just waiting to see of the old Tomomi will join us tonight."
She sneered at them in response and took another suck of the straw in her drink.
"How's your new job Mami?" asked Haruna. "Do you like it?"
"I love it," said Mami. "Beats sweeping those streets I can tell you."
She took a deep swig of her beer and continued.
"I can play whatever I like as long as they stock it and fill the gaps with commercials," she continued.
"Excuse me?" asked Rina. "But how does the great Mami Sasazaki go from lead guitarist to street cleaner?"
Mami sighed as she looked at them. She was expecting this, but it didn't make the process any easier.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said simply.
She was silent. She looked up at them and they just stared right back at her waiting for her answer.
"All I can is play guitar," she said. "It's not something marketable."
"You could have started another band," suggested Rina. "Your song Oh no! Was amazing."
Mami smiled at her.
"Be in a band without you girls," she said. "That wouldn't be right. We've been together so long."
"Well then why didn't try and do something else?" asked Tomomi. "I trained to be a hobo-san after we finished."
"That's expensive," said Mami.
"Mami," said Haruna. "We were all getting 2 million yen an album from Sony."
"Well your bastard of an ex husband didn't clean you out of everything you had," retorted Mami. "Plus take away your daughter."
They fell silent.
"Oh Mami," said Tomomi. "Why didn't you come and ask us for help?"
"Because," she said. "I didn't want to trouble. I can't go asking my friends for money like that. It's just not right."
The enormous pizza arrived complete with condiments and side orders. The smell was overpowering.
"I hope that's not the pizza they dropped," joked Haruna breaking the thick atmosphere like a knife.
The girls all laughed and the previous conversation was seemingly put to one side.
As they tucked in, Mami continued.
"I should have asked you," said Mami. "I'm sorry."
Tomomi grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.
"Don't worry Mamiatsu," she said. "We'll always be here for you."
Mami hugged Tomomi.
"It looks Dobon is reunitied," said Rina.
"Where's team Almond Crush?" retorted Tomomi.
Haruna and Rina rolled their eyes as they continued eating.
They were silent for a moment as they ate hungrily. For the next few minutes there was nothing except the sounds of chewing and munching.
"So," said Tomomi. "What about our one night only concert?"
This was a surprise. They were waiting for Mami to bring it up, not Tomomi.
"What's the set list going to be?" she asked. "Assuming we haven't forgotten how to play our instruments?"
"I think firstly we need to find a place to practice and then find time around our schedules," said Rina.
"Hello?" asked Haruna. "You're forgetting. I work at Sony Records now, I can provide us with a place to practice."
"Okay," said Rina. "Now about a time..."
"What about evenings and weekends?" suggested Mami.
"Possibly," said Rina. "But I have Yuki now."
"Take her with you," said Haruna. "How cool would it be for her to say her mother is a rockstar?"
"Yeah, that would be pretty sweet," said Rina. "You could bring Haruka too."
Mami gave her a strained look.
"Oh right..." said Rina realising. "Sorry..."
"Let's make a toast," said Tomomi. "To the reunification of SCANDAL."
She raised her milkshake. The girls raised their bottles. They clinked them
"To SCANDAL!" they called in unison.
The other diners looked at them in wonder.
"That's right!" called Tomomi across the restaurant. "SCANDAL is back bitches!"
The girls shook their heads.
"She's back," they muttered to themselves.