Chapter 38: Time for School
"What do you think they're going to learn about...?" Sakura asked.
It was a Saturday afternoon. Sakura and Ruri were both at Misaki's place and the guys all went to take a labor coaching class. In their neighborhood, a wealthy couple were holding the class to "educate" and "prepare" expectant fathers.
"There isn't much they can do is there?" Misaki asked. "Like what can they do anyways?"
Ruri shrugged. "Not my problem. We'll find out when they get back."
Sakura laughed. "How awkward do you think that class is?"
"Probably very awkward," Misaki said. "I don't know why Takumi agreed."
Here's how it went. Ruri had a friend who expecting too. (Must be the year for babies, huh?) That friend told Ruri about the class because it was her great aunt that was hosting it. Ruri then told Misaki and Sakura who told her husbands. Takumi went without much of a fuss. Misaki just told him about the class and he said he'd go check it out. Ruri and Sakura must have convinced Tora and Kuuga somehow because they all went together.
"I can get more chex mix," Misaki offered, getting off her couch.
"Make sure it's original!" Sakura called.
Misaki refilled the bowl and sat back down. "How long was the session suppose to be?" she asked.
"A couple hours, I think," Ruri said.
"Wait, you told me one," Misaki said. "And that's what I told Takumi!"
"Oops..."
"We'll make them lunch," Sakura suggested. "To thank them for being so cooperative."
"Why didn't we go?" Misaki asked as they walked into the kitchen.
"I don't know," Sakura said. "Make them go test it out."
Ruri opened a cabinet. "Whoa..." she said, taking out pots and pans. "Takumi is really into cooking..."
"Yeah," Misaki said, opening her fridge. "I don't understand why he needs so many."
"Well, he has every pan I've ever seen," Ruri said. "It's kind of cool."
"So what are we going to make?" Misaki asked, setting a bunch of vegetables on the counter.
Sakura snapped her fingers. "Let's do a Shepherd's pie."
"And mushroom chowder," Ruri added.
"I can make parfaits," Misaki offered.
"Perfect," Ruri said. "Let's get going then. Let's help Sakura first because her's has the most ingredients."
Shepard's pie was basically a casserole with ground beef, mash potatoes, and cheese on top. Sakura said it tasted better with a little bit of vegetables.
"I think I might want to get this pan..." Sakura said, studying it. "I really like baking but cooking is fun too."
Misaki sat on a stool and peeled potatoes- the only job she was trusted with. Sakura dumped the peeled potatoes in boiling water.
"Have you decided on a name?" she asked Misaki.
Misaki shook her head. "I haven't even started thinking of names."
"I have an announcement," Sakura said, placing the lid over the pot. "Kuuga and I are having a son!"
Ruri and Misaki clapped.
"That's great!" Misaki exclaimed. "I'm having a girl. You're having a boy. Now we're just waiting on Ruri."
Ruri sighed, rubbing her belly. "Still behind," she said. "Aren't you, little one?"
Misaki finished washing the vegetables and began working on dessert. While Sakura and Ruri sliced, cooked and seasoned, Misaki was content with scooping frozen yogurt into 6 tall glasses.
"I think Takumi should really just open up a restaurant," Sakura said, opening up the pantry. "Look at this!" Sakura sniffed a few spices. "I never even heard about these but they smell amazing."
Misaki rinsed out a colander of berries. "Help yourself," Misaki said. "What ever you think tastes right."
Ruri grabbed a can of chicken broth. "Where's your can opener?" she asked, opening up the drawers.
"Uh..." Misaki said, helping her look. "Oh, right here," she said, handing it to Ruri. "Should we do an appetizer?" Misaki asked, drizzling a strawberry sauce over the top of all the parfaits. "I'm done already."
"Yeah, chips or something," Ruri said, stirring a pot.
Misaki filled a small bowl with dip and dumped a bag of chips into a bigger bowl. "We can just have them eat in the kitchen," Misaki decided. "It's more casual."
"I agree," Sakura said, sliding the shepard's pie into the oven.
Ruri looked through Misaki's fridge. "Can we drink the cider?"
"Yeah sure," Misaki said, opening the cabinet. "I have cups right here."
They heard the door open.
"Hello...?" Takumi called. "Anyone home?"
"In the kitchen!" Misaki yelled.
"Something smells good," Takumi said, walking in.
"How was the class?" Ruri asked Tora.
Tora had a disturbed look on his face. "Please don't ever go into labor," he said. "I don't ever want to go through that again."
Ruri elbowed him.
"What happened?" Misaki asked.
Takumi cleared his throat. "The class was very...um... interesting."
Kuuga rolled his eyes. "I have never felt more uncomfortable in my life," he informed everyone.
"You're killing me," Misaki said. "What did they do in that class?"
"Things you don't ever need to see..." Kuuga said, helping himself to a chip.
"Can I please have a shot of something?" Tora pleaded.
"Tell us first!" Ruri said as Tora poked around the Walker's bar.
"Takumi..." Misaki said.
"Um... They hired two people who claimed to be very experienced. It was a man and a woman who had ten kids."
"T-Ten?!" Misaki exclaimed.
"They did a birthing skit," Tora said, picking a bottle and walking over. "Except the man played the woman giving birth."
"Okay..." Misaki said, giving Tora a weird look."
"Yeah, he had a giant pillow thing on his stomach. The woman was the encouraging husband," Kuuga continued. "Birth sounds traumatic. It sounds even worse when it's a man pretending to be in labor."
Misaki laughed. "Did they teach you anything useful?"
"Sure, breathing exercises, calming massages, encouraging words," Takumi said, shrugging.
"I don't think I ever got past the part when the man all of a sudden goes into labor..." Tora muttered. "The second time around, they called for a volunteer. The poor guy that got dragged up there. The pregnant man was like screaming and wailing and that poor guy almost passed out."
Misaki burst out laughing. Sakura and Ruri laughed too.
"Some of the insults were pretty scary," Kuuga added. "I'm going to cut off your body parts so you never get me pregnant again!" he mimicked.
Misaki felt her eye twitch. "That's harsh..."
"That wasn't even the worst," Takumi said. "Can we eat? I'm starving."
"Uh...yeah..." Sakura said, sliding on oven mitts.
Ruri first served everyone soup and they sat around the counter eating it. "So, was there a big picture?" Ruri asked.
Tora smirked. "When you're doing your thing, I'll just stay out of your way."
"Comforting..." Misaki said, cutting into the Shepard's pie,
"Sakura made this," Kuuga said after a bite.
"Ruri made the soup," Tora said.
"I peeled the potatoes!" Misaki offered. "And I made dessert! Frozen yogurt."
"Sounds like my wife," Takumi agreed.
Everyone laughed.
They finished up the late lunch and Takumi washed the dishes.
"Well, thanks Ruri for the wonderful suggestion for the class," Kuuga teased. "I will treasure the memory always."
"You're welcome," Ruri replied.
After cleaning up, Misaki's friends went home and Misaki leaned against the kitchen table.
"Takumi, was it honestly that bad?" Misaki asked.
Takumi just gave her a forced smile. "All for you, my love."
"I kind of wish I saw," Misaki said.
"No, you don't," Takumi said, walking over to her. "But now I am reassured my experience won't be worse than today."
Misaki laughed and hugged him. "Thanks for going?" she asked.
"You're welcome," Takumi said. "Here I even got a certificate."
"Certified husband labor coach," Misaki read. "Wow, I'll be depending on you then," she said, patting his arm.
Misaki's intercom rang.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Mrs. Walker. This is Sharon from the front desk. You have a client who would like to see you. No, she does not have an appointment."
"Oh, that's okay," Misaki said. "Send her in."
"Very well. Good day, Mrs. Walker."
A few minutes later there was a knock on her door.
"Risa," Misaki said, surprised.
"Hey," Risa greeted, walking over. "Am I bothering you?"
"No, not at all," Misaki said, giving her a hug over her desk. "Sit down. Tea?" Misaki asked.
"No, thank you," Risa said, setting her expensive purse on the desk.
"What can I do for you?" Misaki asked, sitting down.
"It's not really a legal matter," Risa sighed, tapping her manicured fingers on the table. "More of a friend matter."
"Okay?"
"Help me find a job."
"What?" Misaki asked, caught off guard.
"Help me find a job," Risa repeated.
"I heard you the first time but why?" Misaki asked, confused.
Risa lived in their neighborhood meaning she was very wealthy too. She also seemed like the kind of person who was content with her lavish lifestyle.
"I want to do something with my life," Risa explained. "I was looking through some old stuff last week and I found my degree certificate. I haven't worked in years but I was thinking of maybe working again."
"What did you major in?" Misaki asked, surprised.
"I was an accountant," Risa told her.
"I don't know how I can help you," Misaki admitted.
Risa grinned. "Well, you got a job. I was thinking you could look over my credentials and suggested places I should go interview at."
"You trust me?"
"Of course!" Risa exclaimed. "Everyone's been going on about how Misaki Walker is making big bucks and using her degree."
"I thought you launched a swimsuit line," Misaki said.
"Yeah but that was to kill time. This is serious!" Risa exclaimed. "Will you help?"
Misaki nodded. "I'll let Ruri and Sakura know too. We'll definitely help you."
"Yay!" Risa cheered, squealing. "Thank you, dearest!" she said; hugging Misaki. "Oh yeah," she said, touching Misaki's belly. "When are you due?"
"In the spring," Misaki said, blushing.
"Are you going to keep this job?" Risa asked. "Nanny?"
Misaki didn't like the sound of that word. "I don't know," Misaki said. "I don't really like the idea of a nanny taking care of my child."
Risa placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe work from home," she suggested. "I heard nannies these days are so irresponsible. The old ones can't keep up and the young ones all want to mooch of you."
"Really?"
Risa nodded. "Tamby has two girls right? So she comes home early one day and the nanny is with her boyfriend, in Tamby's house! They're drinking and not watching the girls at all. Tamby was so mad. She fired the nanny and threatened to sue the boy for trespassing."
"I can see why she would be angry," Misaki agreed.
"Don't even get me started on the husbands," Risa added. "Full time nannies are the worst. They don't do their job properly and go after the husband. That's why middle aged women DREAD having to bring in that young blonde nanny into their own house."
"Oh, that's unfortunate," Misaki said.
Risa nodded, continuing to share stories.
"Oh, look at the time," Risa said, pausing to look at her diamond encrusted watch. "I need to scoot. Call me, dearie! Mwa," she said, blowing Misaki a kiss and strutting out.
Misaki let out a breath of relief and sat back down. Risa left her a thick folder of papers and Misaki leafed through them. "Hmm..." she said, looking through the file.
Risa did have decent credentials. A quick search on the Internet and she already had some ideas. Misaki called Ruri and Sakura anyways to ask if they knew of any job openings.
"Misaki!" Mira said, opening the door.
"Hi, Mira," Misaki said, putting the folder away.
"You've been away for so long!" Mira pouted, sitting down at the desk. "You won't believe what happened though," Mira sighed. "Julian and I went on that trip for Walker Corps and so we had all our meals together and spent lots of time with each other."
"Are you closer?" Misaki asked.
Mira nodded. "Yes, we're very good friends now," she informed Misaki. "Thank you so much for the recommendation."
"You deserved it," Misaki said, smiling.
"He's so wonderful," Mira said, in a dreamy manner. "He and I could be so compatible too. We're the same age- no offense I always thought you were too old for him."
"I'm married..." Misaki reminded Mira.
"Right. So what was it like going to the most exotic resorts in the world?"
"Oh, it was breathtaking," Misaki told her. "It was paradise."
"I bet," Mira agreed. "Was it very steamy romantic...?"
Misaki blushed. "Mira!"
"Sorry, I'm just so curious about your life," Mira said, resting her elbows on the desk. "Mr. Walker is like an alien to me. He's just so up there."
Misaki laughed. "I use to think of him like that too... But for different reasons."
"Does the CEO actually like to have fun?" Mira asked.
"Yes," Misaki said.
"He's so... Professional. Does he ever tease you? It seems so unlike him."
"All the time," Misaki said, rolling her eyes. "He likes to make me feel flustered or annoyed."
Mira thought about this for a while. "Is he any good in bed? He looks so attractive on TV."
"MIRA!"
"Sorry, I just can imagine him sleeping with anyone either,"
"My husband is a regular human being," Misaki laughed. "He's a great husband too."
"Aw, how sweet of you to say that," as voice said.
"Takumi!" Misaki exclaimed, standing up. "W-What are you doing here?"
"I came to see how you were doing," Takumi said, closing the door. "Your secretary said you didn't have any meetings so I just came up. Am I bothering you?"
"No, you're fine," Misaki said.
"Hello," he said, nodding at Mira.
Mira looked at him with her mouth hanging open.
"Um...Mira," Misaki said, snapping her fingers.
"Uh...what?"
"This is my husband, Takumi. Takumi, this is my friend and coworker Mira."
"How are you?" Takumi asked, holding out his hand.
Mira just looked at his hand, stupefied until Takumi finally withdrew it and cleared his throat.
"Is she always like this?" he whispered.
Misaki shook her head. "She's a big fan of your's," she whispered back.
"Clearly..."
Misaki slammed her palm onto the desk and Mira jumped.
"I'm so sorry," she said, standing up. "My name is Mira. It is an honor to be acquainted with you, Mr. Walker."
They shook hands and Mira kept smiling. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure..." Takumi said, sitting on the arm of Misaki's chair.
"Do you eat?"
"Yes..."
"I mean, what do you like to eat," Mira corrected herself, hitting her forehead.
"Um... Ramen, curry, and good Italian food," Takumi replied.
"I see…"
Silence…
"Well, I'll leave you two alone!" Mira said, quickly leaving.
Takumi smirked. "So what was that about me being a great husband?"
"Shut up," Misaki said, tossing him her purse.
"And how I always make you feel flustered?" Takumi teased.
"I will beat you and throw you out of my office…"
"But Misaa Chan!"