LESSON THIRTY-SEVEN
With his shoulders slightly hunched forward and a dejected sort of expression in his eyes, Chiaki made his way out of the arrival gate of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in absolute silence. It was the sort of silence which would have helped him get through the large crowd at the gate completely unnoticed, though the scowl on his face and the deep creases of anxiety which were set on his brow were enough to procure a few wary stares from the people all around him. However, he was quite fortunate at that time because none of those people seemed to recognize who he was.
He had just flown in from Birmingham on one of the most uncomfortable flights he had ever had in his entire life. His anxiety wasn't due to the fear he had in the past of planes, but because of his deeply troubled feelings inside. Throughout the flight, he was incredibly restless. The flight attendants offered him food, though he felt as though the food had not even a hint of taste. Some time during the plane ride, he took out the in-flight magazine from his seat pocket, though he found that he had for some reason lost his ability to read and that all the words in front of him had absolutely no meaning. He also tried to sleep, although his attempt at that was also unsuccessful. When he realized that he had no other choice but to stare into the space in front of his eyes, he did so until the plane landed in Chicago very late in the afternoon.
To say that Nodame had nothing to do with his disquiet would have been a lie since Chiaki himself knew that she had absolutely everything to do with it. She had been the only thing on his mind for the past several days. It was true that even when he behaved fairly normally, Nodame was always the person he thought of the most. However, he could not take his mind off of her this time.
That damn hentai, he thought as he slowly walked over to the taxi terminal outside the airport. What in the world made her say "yes?" She knows that marriage will never work out. She knows Lucas isn't the one for her.
And why do you think that? asked the voice in his head all of a sudden.
Chiaki rolled his eyes and heaved a frustrated sigh before saying to the voice, Because I'm "the one." Isn't that obvious?
He thought he heard the voice sigh as well and tell him, Really, Shinichi. . . .
Well, who doesn't know that I'm the one for her? Chiaki asked in his mind. Everybody around me knew it even before I did!
You do realize that you're talking to yourself, don't you? said the voice teasingly.
Chiaki stopped walking for a moment and closed his eyes in an effort to calm himself.
"Maybe I need a psychiatrist. . . or a counselor," he said under his breath. Dammit, I'm hearing voices in my head, he added to himself.
After a moment, Chiaki made another sigh and pulled out his phone from his coat's inner pocket. The moment he turned it on, it started ringing. He read the words "Lucas" on the LCD and immediately stuffed it back into his pocket.
Probably calling to tell me the "good news," he thought savagely. Idiot.
By the time he reached the terminal and stepped into the backseat of one of the taxis, the ringing had already stopped.
"Where to?" asked the driver, glancing at Chiaki from the rearview mirror.
"282 Lake Shore Drive," Chiaki replied.
As soon as he finished his sentence, his phone started ringing once again. He remained motionless, though, and made no move to pull it out of his pocket.
"Aren't you going to answer that?" the driver asked.
"I'll pay you twice as much if you don't talk to me during the entire ride," snapped Chiaki in a cold tone.
The driver shrugged and murmured, "Fair enough."
Dammit, Chiaki thought regretfully as the taxi started moving. I don't have that much money on me. I shouldn't have said that.
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Saiko sat up completely straight and stared at her reflection in the large mirror. She lightly ran her long fingers through her hair, which had several diamond-encrusted hair clips fastened to it and was arranged in large soft curls all around her face. Only a very light layer of makeup was applied to her somewhat intimidating but beautiful features that it seemed as though it was barely there, except for a slightly rosy blush on her cheeks. However, she believed that her pinkish complexion wasn't the doing of a light touch of makeup but because of her own excitement. After all, she was going to get married in less than an hour.
"Ah, Saiko-nee!" shrieked a high-pitched female voice from somewhere behind her. "You look so beautiful!"
Saiko turned her head to see who it was. A young woman in a long green-colored satin gown was standing at the doorway. Her dark hair, which was also in loose curls, was swept up to one side of her head.
"Yuiko-chan, come in," said Saiko, making a small smile at her. She motioned for Yuiko to take the seat next to her.
Yuiko obeyed at once and planted herself on the chair beside Saiko.
"I'm so excited!" Yuiko put in, giggling. "Saiko-nee, I know every person at the wedding will fall in love with you!"
Saiko sighed and said, "Well, all I really need is Mamoru to fall in love with me."
"I'm sure he's already in love with you!" insisted Yuiko. "He agreed to marry you, didn't he?"
Saiko nodded in a rather pensive manner, which made her young companion wonder.
"Is there something wrong, Saiko-nee?" Yuiko asked.
"What?" asked Saiko in surprise. "No, it's nothing. . . . I just wanted Shinichi to be here tonight."
"Why won't he come tonight?"
"He said he had. . . things to do," Saiko replied, trying not to sound so glum.
"But Obasan said Shin-nii won't be conducting the Chicago Symphony until January," said Yuiko, "which means that he doesn't really have anything to do right now."
Saiko shrugged.
Neither of them spoke for what seemed like several long minutes until Saiko murmured, "You know, I still love him."
"Who?"
"Shinichi," replied Saiko simply.
Yuiko's eyes widened.
"Then what's the point of you marrying Okochi-san if you don't even love him?" she asked incredulously.
"I do love Mamoru," said Saiko. After a moment, she added in an almost breathless voice, "But I love Shinichi too."
"Who do you love more?"
Saiko was taken aback by the question and did not answer.
"I thought people married each other because of love," Yuiko continued. "I didn't think anybody would get married out of pity."
"What are you talking about?" asked Saiko in disbelief. "I don't pity Mamoru. I'm serious, Yuiko-chan," she added, seeing the expression of skepticism on her companion's face.
"If you love Shin-nii so much, then you should just marry him," Yuiko muttered.
Saiko hesitated before answering, "Weren't you the one who said that people marry because of love?"
"Huh?" asked Yuiko, bewildered.
"Shinichi doesn't love me," Saiko went on. "He never did."
"Not even when you two were still going out together?"
"No, not even then," said Saiko. "He only loved my voice. . . . Mamoru, on the other hand, loves everything about me, even the things which aren't so easy to love."
"How can you be so sure of that?" Yuiko asked.
"Because he's going to marry me," replied Saiko simply. "He's going to make a commitment to spend the rest of his life together with me. Isn't that enough?"
"And are you willing to do the same thing?"
"I've already told you. I love him."
"But you didn't answer my question earlier!" said Yuiko. "Who do you love more, Saiko-nee?"
All of a sudden, one of the other bridesmaids entered the room and announced, "The bridal march will start in 20 minutes. Yuiko-chan, why don't you join the others outside?"
Yuiko made a reluctant nod before standing up and making her way out of the room. After a while, Saiko stood up as well and headed for the door. However, before she went out of the room, she flashed a grateful beam at the bridesmaid and said, "Thank you."
"Eh?" asked the puzzled bridesmaid as she watched Saiko disappear down the hallway.
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"Gyabo!" Nodame yelped. "Lobsters!"
She set down the chicken leg she had been devouring on her already-filled platter and grabbed two of the largest lobsters from the buffet table. Her eyes widened with wicked delight as she carefully placed the lobsters on top of the heap of food on her plate. After a moment, she lifted her eyes from her plate and started scanning the buffet table once again. She let out another shriek when she spotted a bowl of smooth, gravy-smothered mashed potatoes.
"So much food!" she said to herself dreamily as she took several spoonfuls of the mashed potatoes and placed them on top of the lobsters on her platter. "This is the best wedding Nodame has ever been to!"
"You seem hungry," put in a low male voice which sounded quite close to a growl.
Nodame started in surprise and slowly turned around to see who had spoken.
"Etoh-sensei?!" she gasped, seeing a familiar man with thick jet black hair and an equally thick jet black mustache standing in front of her.
"How have you been, Noda?" asked Etoh, managing to flash her a small smile.
"Oh, I'm great!" Nodame replied cheerfully. "I can't seem to leave this buffet table anymore. All the food is so delicious!" With that, she held out her plate to Etoh to show him the mountain of food on it.
Etoh rolled his eyes before continuing, "I meant, how's your job?"
"Ah! Well. . . it's all right," answered Nodame. "I just finished a tour all around the UK and I'll be going to Hong Kong in a few weeks to have a special Christmas performance."
"I heard you were supposed to have a recital here in Tokyo back in August," Etoh pointed out, taking the topmost plate on a pile at the end of the table and helping himself to some fish fillet. "I would have liked to watch that."
"Nodame's manager cancelled that performance at the last minute," explained Nodame in a somewhat glum tone.
"How's Chiaki, then?" Etoh asked all of a sudden.
"Eh?"
"Tagaya said he was supposed to be here at the wedding too," explained Etoh. "She said she was hoping Chiaki would conduct the chamber orchestra during the bridal march. . ."
Nodame hesitated before saying, "I haven't been in touch with him for a while."
Etoh seemed to understand that Nodame was not very comfortable with their current topic and merely nodded before grabbing a few chicken legs from the buffet table.
"Momogaoka's been rather uninteresting lately," he put in after several minutes of silence.
"Oh, why?" asked Nodame, a look of childlike wonder in her eyes.
"There aren't any perverts anymore," Etoh answered in a low voice.
"What is that supposed to mean?!" demanded Nodame. She frowned and jutted out her lips.
"You've never kept in touch," Etoh continued, changing the subject completely.
"Did Etoh-sensei want to keep in touch with Nodame?"
"Tell me about the Conservatoire," interrupted Etoh. "Was Auclair-sensei a good teacher to you?"
"Of course he was!" Nodame replied, all at once brightening up. "I learned a lot of things from him. He was like a great Jedi master – "
"What?" asked Etoh in confusion.
" – and he was much better than all my other teachers," Nodame finished, making a nod to emphasize her statement.
"What did you just say?" asked Etoh in a deadly tone. There was something of a grimace on his face.
"Ah! Well, Tanioka-sensei has always been my favorite," Nodame went on, "but Auclair-sensei was the best! He really taught me how to work hard!"
Etoh stared at her.
And where the hell am I in all of this? he asked himself in disbelief.
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Nodame was sitting alone at her table, completely absorbed in eating her lobster and not minding anything around her. She was too focused on her food to notice that all of the other guests who were also seated at her table had already disappeared and were either socializing with their friends or waltzing on the dance floor in the middle of the large room. She did not mind that none of the other guests talked to her. In fact, Nodame found it much better if they left her to eat in peace. After all, nothing really ever did come between her and her food.
"Do you mind if I join you?" asked somebody who was standing nearby.
Nodame nodded absentmindedly and continued devouring the lobster as though nothing had happened. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman in a green satin gown take the seat next to her.
"I thought you looked lonely sitting here by yourself," the woman went on.
Who is this person? thought Nodame peevishly, not taking her eyes off of her food. She's interrupting Nodame's meal!
"How long will you be staying in Japan, Nodame?" inquired the woman.
Nodame jumped in her seat and dropped the lobster leg she was holding.
She knows who I am? she asked herself, slowly turning her head to face the stranger. When she realized who the woman was, her eyes widened and a smile of delight broke out on her lips.
"Mama!" she gasped. "Nodame is so glad to see you!" With that, she made a small bow.
"When was the last time we saw each other?" asked Seiko, making a small smile at her. "I feel as though it was ages ago."
"It probably was," Nodame suggested with a nod as she picked up the lobster leg from her plate and started eating it again. "Nodame doesn't remember either. . ."
"Did you enjoy your tour in the UK?" Seiko continued after a moment.
Nodame nodded and replied, "It was very fun. We went to all sorts of places and all the people we met were really friendly to us."
"I was able to call Shinichi the other day," said Seiko, "and he said you did brilliantly with the London Philharmonic Orchestra."
"Eh?" Nodame asked in wonder, setting down her lobster leg once again. "Senpai watched that concert?"
"He went to see your performance in Birmingham too," Seiko went on. "But didn't you know, Nodame?" she added, seeing a look of utter surprise in her companion's eyes.
Nodame merely shook her head. She was about to pick up the lobster leg again, but she found that she was no longer in the mood to eat. She wanted to know more about Chiaki and what he had been doing recently.
"Senpai never visited me backstage," she muttered, casting her eyes down.
Seiko could not help but heave a sigh.
"He seems to be constantly preoccupied with his work," was all she could say. As always, she added to herself.
"Why didn't Senpai come tonight?" Nodame asked in a rather feeble tone.
Seiko paused before replying in a vague manner, "He told me he had. . . things to do."
"Weddings are nice, aren't they?" piped in Nodame all of a sudden. She looked up at the massive crystal chandelier above them and smiled dreamily.
"Yes, I suppose they are. . ." Seiko said, surprised at the sudden change in topic. She gazed at Nodame with an amused expression on her face.
"Everybody looks different at weddings," Nodame continued. "It's as though they all transform from ordinary people into fairies and nymphs."
Seiko laughed softly.
"And the food served at weddings is heavenly!" said Nodame, her eyes twinkling with glee. "The music played during receptions is great too! It sounds so relaxing. It must be wonderful to get married. . ." Her voice trailed off as she let out a sigh, which had an undeniably melancholic ring to it.
"Maybe you should say, 'it must be wonderful to be at a wedding,'" Seiko suggested knowingly.
"Huh?"
"Weddings are pleasant," explained Seiko, "but marriages. . . . Well, not all of them turn out just as brilliantly."
"Oh!" Nodame exclaimed upon realizing something. "Nodame is sorry she brought this up, Mama. She completely forgot – "
"A person should never avoid the truth," said Seiko, interrupting her. "And even if you do, the truth will be thrown straight at you sooner or later. You can never stay away from it."
"But it must be painful to think about the truth."
"Yes," Seiko replied simply. "But that's just how it works. . . . The truth about my marriage with Masayuki-san is that it was meant to fall apart. He had many priorities. It just so happened that neither I nor Shinichi was one of them."
Nodame turned her head away so that her companion would not be able to see tears forming in her eyes.
They both remained silent for a moment, until Nodame asked in an almost inaudible voice, "Should a person get married?"
"I don't understand what you mean," said Seiko.
There was a long moment's hesitation before Nodame asked, "Is a person required to get married?"
"'Required?'" asked Seiko. "No one is ever obliged to get married. It's a personal choice whether you want to make that commitment or not. Unless you're caught up in an arranged marriage, of course," she added with a touch of humor.
"So is it also perfectly fine if a person never gets married?"
"There's nothing wrong with that decision," Seiko answered, "but you have to admit that it is ultimately a lonely future in store for you."
After a pause, she continued, "Nodame, are you planning on remaining single for the rest of your life?"
"No, not really," replied Nodame cryptically. "It's just. . . somebody proposed to Nodame a few days ago."
Seiko appeared as though she was at a loss for words. There was an expression of suppressed joy in her eyes.
"Finally," she said under her breath, leaning back on her chair and letting out a relieved sigh.
"Eh?" asked Nodame in wonder.
"He's finally proposed to you," Seiko replied. "I thought I'd never live to see this day. . ."
"Does Mama know Lucas Baudry?"
Seiko paused before answering, "No, I don't. Who in the world is that?"
"He was the man who proposed to Nodame," explained her companion.
"What?" Seiko found herself blurting out. It wasn't Shinichi? she added in her mind.
Nodame continued, "I met Lucas while I was studying at the Conservatoire in Paris. At the time, he was just a very small boy, but now he's really grown up! He teaches piano at a music school in Venice. . . . Oh, I forgot that he already resigned – "
"And did you say 'yes?'" interrupted Seiko at once.
Nodame did not answer right away and seemed to be in deep thought. After a while, she said, "Well, it depends on what question I answered. . ."
Seiko stared at her in utter confusion.
"Gyabo, I just can't get enough of these lobsters," Nodame put in gleefully as she picked up the lobster leg from her plate and started devouring it again.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm terribly sorry for taking so long to update this fic. It's just both of my hands have been aching for the past several weeks. I haven't been to the doctor yet, although I do have a feeling that I have carpal tunnel syndrome. My mum was diagnosed with it two years ago so she knows all the symptoms and she says I have all of the symptoms. She also told me to take a break from writing for a while, which is why I'm taking forever to update. My sincerest apologies to everybody who's been waiting so patiently for the next chapters. But never fear! I am determined to finish writing this story and I hope you can wait for whatever happens next! I hope you, guys, haven't become pissed off with me (yet). ;-)
Your comments are very welcome.