Chapter 28: Sunset Scare
"Look Haru I'm really sorry I had to cancel. I'd love to come with you to Ms. Ama-"
"Amasawa."
"-Ms. Amasawa's new residence and have a good time at the beach but Tsuge's tournament got bumped. I can't not be there… I promised him I'd go to support him since his brother can't go. You probably think I'm a bad friend but-"
"No-no-It's fine!" Haru persisted, her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she tried to get her other food through her shorts leg. "Ah-ahhhh!"
"Haru?"
Haru looked at her phone, which had fallen down not more than a foot away from her on the ground. She would be late for the train if she didn't get a move on too. She snatched it putting it back to her ear, buttoning up her shorts. "Don't worry about it Hiromi! I'll be fine anyway. I'll just go down there for the evening."
"Okay. You won't let me read it though?"
"When will you have time to read it anyway? I'm leaving in less than an hour." Haru did not want Hiromi to read it just yet.
"Have I been replaced by an old woman?"
"No, Hiromi your still my best friend." Haru laughed.
"Good. I'll make it up to you when you get back. Oh and guess what? Tsuge and I both got into the same University on Sports Scholarships! I guess my good Lacrosse games must have made up for that …okay... exam mark! Anyway call me when you get back!"
"I will!" Haru hung up. She looked in the mirror. This would work. It was a nice day. She had sent a letter a few days ago to them to explain she'd be visiting. According to the street name they lived in a town by the ocean. It might take a while to find the correct address, but if she could leave soon she'd probably make it okay. She grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs.
"So when is Hiromi meeting you?"
"She's not. She had to cancel because Tsuge's tournament got moved. I told her it was okay."
"Well just be careful. Call me when you get there."
"I will mom."
"Do you have the tickets."
"I do."
"Okay, make it back in time for the train back tonight! Love you Haru!"
"I will. Bye mom!" Haru left the front door with a running start. She wanted to get a good spot on the train now that she didn't have anyone to sit with.
She stared out the window as the city moved farther away from her. Surprisingly the train was quite empty… "I guess not a lot of people go to the beaches through the town route." She thought to herself. She looked to the bag.
It was nerve wracking, thinking that she'd be giving up her entire story to a woman she'd barely just met. But the woman and her shared something – one way or another they'd had an experience with the Baron. Haru wasn't sure if she'd actually gone on an adventure with him like she had, but it was still something, wasn't it?
Plus if it went bad, she'd probably just think her some insane fan girl. It's not like she'd ever see the woman again if it went bad.
But maybe it would go well. Plus, what could Ms. Amasawa want to ask her anyway?
Haru got off at the platform and went out into the town. It wasn't particularly as small as she'd imagined. Didn't Ms. Amasawa say that she wanted some peace and quite or something like that moving out by the water?
She looked to her phone. Cell service was kind of dwindling out here. Her service provider was probably city-location only. She'd just have to call her mom when she had better bars.
She also probably should have looked up a map to the place…but it couldn't be that hard right?
…
…
…
Wrong.
Haru sat down on a bench tired. She'd found the street once or twice but never once did she happen to see an actual street number that was at all near 259? Plus the roads zig zagged and then half of them were on angles. And the town was quiet for a Sunday evening and nobody really knew much about a new couple who had moved in?
"Ooohh!" She moaned and slumped down onto the bag on her lap. "The last train will come before I even get there." She flipped her ponytail, looking up again, hard at the streets ahead of her. It was then she swore she saw…
"A white fuzzy cat? No way?"
She got up and started to walk to where she thought she saw a white blob move along a fence. That was until it turned around a corner. "Hey wait!" She cried.
It kept moving. Every time she turned a corner or went down a hill that, illusive white ball was always just turning around the bend. It couldn't possibly be Muta, she was far from the city and -
He moved to fast to be that fat cat! She kept going though and eventually realized that she hit the end of the town. Infact she happened to look at the street sign.
"Beigh Way? It goes all the way down to the water? Maybe-"
Haru looked down the hill, where the road met the sand on it's sides and down on a patch of land, just overlooking the blue was a quaint house.
"Two guesses that's 259 Beigh Way." Haru sighed. "I wonder where that cat went?" She asked. No sight of it. She continued down the way. It sure was a long road. She had less time for visiting now.
She slowed down as she approached the house she noticed there was a light on inside. They must be home. She told her she'd visit today, but she hadn't said when. She'd actually planned on coming earlier a week ago, that was when she thought that Hiromi and her could make a beach date out of it too.
She walked up to the door when-
Haru sucked in her breath. "There- it isn't-" She slowly walked up to the window of the house, beside the front door. Her eyes widened.
As plain as day there sat the perfect cat figurine for Baron. The sun set behind her and there she watched his eyes glisten green just as they used to at the Cat Bureau before he'd awaken. Instead they stared at her. She looked closer.
"WAAH!" She jumped back. "Did he just blink?" She hurriedly put the book and letter by the door and left before she could check again.
Haru sat in the train on the way home, smacking her head off the side of the window. "Why-did-I-just-run-away-Haru-you-re-so-STUPID!"
She groaned and slunk into her seat. Nobody was around and frankly she didn't care much. Why had she ran? Even if it really was the baron…if he belonged to Ms. Amasawa…then …then maybe it was just some crazy dream. Muta couldn't have been there either. It made no sense. He wasn't their cat; Ms. Amasawa knew she was looking for him that one day, and so she clearly would have said something.
And if it was the Baron…maybe she should have addressed him. She didn't expect a miracle, but she wished for one.
At least Ms. Awasama would get her book. She'd have to write to her as soon as she got home and apologize. She leaned her head against the window again. "Why me?"
Meanwhile back at the 259 Beigh Way…
"Oh, she must have came by and dropped it off it's a shame she didn't come in."
"Maybe she was in a rush? I'm sure she wouldn't have left it there without a reason. She seemed like a nice girl." Mr. Amasawa went to his new workshop.
Ms. Amasawa sat down with notebook and took the letter in her hand that was stuck to the front.
Dear Ms. Amasawa,
First off you'll probably think I'm crazy. I'm really happy you listened to me and agreed to read this on your own. I'd probably be much too embaressed if I was there…I'm not at all a good writer like you are. You might think I'm crazy but I kind of had an adventure too with the Baron. I don't know if it was a coincidence…maybe my brain fell down a rabbit hole, but this is kind of how it went.
Also you should also know, and I kid you not, ever since I was a kid (you can ask my mother this) I could kind of talk to cats. Or maybe just understand them. You probably think I'm some crazy nut-bar but I'm serious. That's kind of how I met that fat white cat named Muta.
If you don't think I'm already crazy then here is what came out. I totally think the Baron is your character, and I don't plan to share this with anyone but you.
So thank you,
Haru
