Goddamn, I missed this city. The traffic, the back and forth bickering between the sidewalk and the person on their fire escape, the cab drivers getting torn a new asshole for trying to be friendly. Home sweet home. I didn't even mind the biting cold in the air. This was home to me. And as much as Tokyo has grown on me, this was home. Oh, New York, you haven't changed a bit. It's nice to see you again. Forgive me for being away so long. I still had to be careful, though. This city may have a soft spot in its heart for me, but that didn't mean the people in it did.
"So, Reila…" Ritsu took my hand, "Where to first? I've never been to New York before. I know nothing about it."
"Well," I decided, already feeling guilty that it's taken me this long, "First things first, we need to pay someone a long overdue visit."
"What are we doing here?" he wondered as we turned the corner to the only cemetery in Williamsburg, "I thought you said we were going to see someone. I had visions of meeting somebody while we were here."
"Give me a second," I ran my hand down a few other headstones until I found the one that said Vanessa Mendoza on it, "Here. This one."
"Who's Vanes…" Ritsu stopped himself, immediately realizing what was going on here, "Oh."
"Yep," I nodded, "Hi, Mama."
"You want me give you a minute, Rei?" he asked, treading lightly.
"No, no, no," I took his hand, "Stay. Besides, you did tell me that you'd pay her your respects, too."
"And I would," Ritsu assured, "I just thought you'd want a minute with your mom."
"It's ok," I allowed, sitting at the edge of Mama's grave, "I really don't mind. And I know damn well she wouldn't either."
"Ok," he sat next to me, "I've never really done this before."
"Consider yourself lucky," I brushed it off, trying my best to hold myself together, "I know he's not Daddy, but I figured I could bring Ritsu with me, too. I hope you don't mind. Mama really would've loved you, Ritsu…"
"You think so?" Ritsu pulled me into his lap, giving me the reassurance he was there.
"I know so," I promised, hiding a little smirk from him, "It's too bad she won't get to see your two left feet."
"Fuck off," he giggled.
"I'm joking," I laughed with him, "You're trying your best and that's all I can ask of you."
"Exactly," Ritsu hugged me a little tighter, "The shit I go through for you, Reila."
"Mama was a sucker for big parties like this," I told him, "Any excuse for her to dance, she was down."
"Your mom danced, too?"
"Oh yeah," I went on, "She was a competitive ballroom dancer when she wasn't in the courtroom. Mama was a hell of a dancer. If you remind me later, I can show you some of her old competition tapes. Or better yet, I'll show you Mama and Daddy's wedding video."
"I suppose you had to get it from somewhere," Ritsu shrugged.
"Daddy's good, too," I reminded him, "You saw how good he was. I guess it comes from both sides."
"So," he wondered, "Who taught who?"
"Daddy taught Mama," I smiled a bit, remembering the million and one times I'd walk in on them dancing in the kitchen when I was younger, "I mean, Mama already knew a lot. That was just part of her upbringing. But then, she met Daddy and Daddy taught her how to salsa. I've never seen a better one than those two. She brought him on as her dance partner on the competitive circuit once and they cleaned house. It was definitely something when they'd be on a dance floor together. And Mama's swing! Oh my sweet Jesus. No one could dance swing like Mama. I'm sure if she were still around, she'd be teaching you, too."
"Looks like I got to settle for the next best thing," Ritsu cuddled me a little closer, "I think her daughter will do just fine."
"Aww…" I melted, "I'm flattered, but I'm nowhere near as good as Mama was."
"I don't know, Rei," he thought it over, "I think you're pretty damn good. I saw you and your dad. You two could probably compete and clean house, too."
"Daddy would never go for it," I let out a heavy sigh, "I've asked him about it, but he couldn't do it. Not without Mama. He said it wouldn't be right. And honestly, I couldn't blame him."
"Would you ever do it?" Ritsu wondered, "Competitive ballroom?"
"I've thought about it," I admitted, "But I don't know. If I had a good partner that didn't step on my feet every time I tried teaching him a basic step."
"Again, fuck off."
"I'm screwing with you, Ritsu," I laid my head in his shoulder, "Relax."
"I know," he kissed the top of my head.
"I miss her…" I hardly spoke above a whisper. All this reminiscing about Mama got me emotional.
"I know what you mean," Ritsu sympathized.
"We've had this conversation," I looked up at him, "Have you tried talking to her now?"
"I mean…" he got skittish. Somehow, I'm not surprised.
"I didn't bring you here to corner you about it, Ritsu," I promised, "Just curious."
"I doubt that it'd even work," Ritsu figured, "She'd probably see it was me and not even bother picking up. Or even worse, send me straight to voicemail."
"You never know," I pointed out, "Maybe she'd answer."
"Maybe I'd get the balls to do it one day," he sighed out, "But not today."
"Ok," I let it go, "I don't know about you, but I want coffee."
"When don't you want coffee, Rei?" Ritsu teased, shaking off that mild unpleasantness.
"I'm frozen, dude," I got up from his lap, "And nothing would hit the spot right now like coffee, so I want some fucking coffee!"
"Alright, you spazz," he settled me, "Let's get you some coffee. Where's a good café in this town?"
"Where isn't one?" I scoffed, "Throw a rock in any direction. You'll probably hit one."
"Really?"
"Welcome to Williamsburg!" I greeted him, "Enjoy your stay."
"So far, so good," Ritsu reported, "Other than the fact that my girlfriend is demanding coffee from me, but again, what else is new?"
"Fuck you!" I giggled, throwing myself into his chest.
"Seriously, Rei," he wrapped his arms around me, looking for body heat, "Where is there a good café from here?"
"I know one," I wiggled out of his embrace and kissed the top of Mama's headstone like I did every other time I was here, "Love you, Mama. Sorry I didn't see you before I left. I'll be back this time. Probably with Daddy, too. Might leave Ritsu at the airport, though."
"Hey!"
"Ok, ok," I rolled my eyes, "I'll take pain in the ass, too."
"Damn right, you will," Ritsu put his foot down, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Vanessa. It's too bad we couldn't do this face to face."
"I'm just happy you were here," I wrapped myself around his arm, "Come on. Coffee. Now. Or I'm going to start bawling and it's not going to be pretty."
"I don't know, Rei," he started walking me out of the cemetery, "I've seen you cry before. It's weird to say it, but dammit, you're a pretty crier."
"And you're a sadistic mother fucker."
"No, no, no," Ritsu shook his head, "Not what I mean. There are two kinds of people in this world. There are ugly criers and then, there are pretty criers. And when you're crying…I don't know. It makes me want to love you all that much more. That's probably empathy, though."
"Probably." You really would love him, Mama. Because I know I do.
Before I really did turn into an emotional mess, Ritsu and I walked up the block to this cozy café that smelled like quintessential Williamsburg. A good dark roast and a mixture of pot smoke and cigarette smoke coming from the apartments upstairs. Yeah. Smells like home. And a little bit of food, too. When we walked in, some up and coming acoustic duo played on the small stage in the corner. They weren't bad. I hope they go places.
"Hey," Ritsu pulled on the bottom of my jacket, "Go ahead and find a table. I'll be there in a sec."
"Ok, baby," I let him go, finding a table closer to the back.
I remember doing some business for the narrows back here once. A couple drug runners were asking me for use for a big shipment and I wasn't having it. Their boss got pissed and came to me here. And when their boss realized just who ran the narrows, he made the mistake of underestimating me. He saw this little girl sitting in the corner of a café, dangling her legs over the edge because her feet couldn't touch the floor. Of course, I wasn't alone. I had a couple guys keeping an eye on me. Daddy never did like when I'd go out by myself, so he'd send some of the lower level guys to make sure I was ok. He trusted me, but everyone else was iffy. But like I said, he made the mistake of underestimating me. Daddy always said not to throw the first punch, but always make damn sure to throw the last one. And I did. All it took was dropping my last name and suddenly, he left me alone. And his guys weren't asking for the narrows anymore.
My nostalgia aside, I'm curious as to where my boyfriend ran off to. See, now that I'm back in town, I still didn't have to worry too much, but I'm sure someone wouldn't mind picking a fight with Ritsu. He's not exactly a little guy. Not to mention, he was, and I'm quoting him here, cursed with a mean face. One look at the wrong person and Ritsu's in a fight. I had no doubt. So, color me curious. I got up from our table and took a quick look around for my beloved boyfriend. Ritsu…Where did you go…? But then, I noticed a nice ass standing by the bathrooms. That was my ass.
"Sorry it's so late," Ritsu leaned against the wall with his phone up to his ear, "I…I'm in New York right now. The time exchange is hell. Just…If you get the message, call me back. I know I'm the last person you want to hear from…Well…Probably the second to last person you want to hear from. But please…I miss you. It'd be really nice to hear your voice again…"
As soon as he hung up, I took off like a bat out of hell and sat back down at our table, playing innocent. I totally wasn't listening to you on the phone, Ritsu. Sweating? Who's sweating? I'm not sweating. It's the change in temperature. Yeah! That's what it is. It's the whole going back and forth from cold to hot and that's all it is. Totally not me lying to you. Come on, Rei. You got a fucking incredible poker face. You can keep this under wraps, can't you?
"Hi," I took a good, heavy drink from my coffee, letting it warm me from my mouth to my toes…and into the deepest pits of my soul. Mother of God, I miss good coffee.
"Hey," Ritsu sat down across from me, putting his phone on the table.
"You ok?" I wondered, looking over his bloodshot eyes, "You look like you snuck upstairs and burned one."
"No," he shook his head, "Bathroom."
"Ok," I let it go. I had a feeling about who he was trying to get a hold of. For the sake of everyone in this café and for his sake, it'd be best if I didn't go digging too deep on that.
"So," Ritsu asked, "How's your coffee?"
"I'm so happy," I beamed, indulging myself in the sweet elixir of life.
Snap.
"Perfect," he smiled a bit, tapping away on his phone screen.
"What was that all about?" I wondered.
"Nothing."
"Bullshit, Ritsu," I rolled my eyes, "What did you do?"
"Nothing," Ritsu assured, showing me his phone's lock screen, "Some people keep lockets. I like to keep a picture of my girl genuinely happy on my lock screen. Is that so bad of me?"
"Ok," I awed, blushing a little bit, "I'll let you have that one. That's actually kind of a cute picture."
"You think so?"
Beep.
"Huh," I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
Beep.
What the hell…?
Beepbeepbeep!
"What the fuck did you do?" I shot him a glare.
"I've done nothing wrong," Ritsu played off his innocence.
"You took advantage of a sweet moment is what you did, you dick!" I squeaked, showing him my phone screen. And the constant stream of text messages coming in from various members of the host club, "Ritsu…I have to live with these morons. So, I'm going to ask you again. What. The fuck. Did you do?"
"Nothing!" he shoved his phone back in his pocket, "I just sent a text to Morinozuka-senpai about you. And it may have included that picture. And I may have riled up the host club a little bit."
"Goddammit…" I slammed my forehead into the table, "Again. I have to live with these guys, Ritsu. Why would you do that to me?"
"I didn't realize how much it would've riled the host club up!" Ritsu defended, "I'm sorry that I have a wonderful girlfriend that I want to scream about from the fucking rooftops for the plain and simple fact that she means the fucking world to me! Is that such a controversial standpoint to have?"
"Why is it whenever we say nice things to each other," I growled, "we're always in a fight about it?"
"I don't know," he threw himself back in his chair, "Maybe because we're that fucked up."
"Maybe…" I started to calm down, lacing my fingers between his, "I'm sorry for blowing up like that. It's not your fault the host club lacks any sort of control."
"I'm sorry for sending that picture without asking you about it."
"Hey, Ritsu…"
"Yeah, Rei?"
I got up from my chair and sat in his lap with zero remorse for anyone around us. I didn't care about them. I wasn't here for them. A soft kiss found its way onto Ritsu's cheek, courtesy of yours truly, "I love you."
"I love you, too," Ritsu wrapped his arms around my waist.
Beep.
"I swear to fucking Christ, Ritsu…" I checked my phone one last time, calming down as quickly as I got pissed off, "Oh. Never mind."
"Who is it?" he wondered, looking over my arm.
"It's Daddy," I told him, "He says come home."
"Shall we?"
"Yes, please."
Daddy didn't sound too worried in his text. And he did tell us to be back by noon. It's going to take us at least half an hour to get back to the penthouse. Oh, well. I'm sure that whatever it is can allow us to be a few minutes late. I ordered another cup of coffee done just right and the two of us started heading back toward the penthouse. It made me curious, though. I wonder what Daddy's surprise could be. He said he'd tell me when we came back. When we walked in, he sat on the couch in the living room, waiting for us. What a guy.
"Hi, Daddy," I sat across from him and Ritsu next to me.
"Hi, baby," Daddy loved having me home. I could feel it in my bones, "How was the walk through town?"
"Needed," I swooned, "She hasn't changed a bit and I thank God every day for that."
"Be honest with me, Rei," he ordered, "Did you go see Mama?"
"Of course I did," I scoffed, "Honestly, Daddy. What kind of godless heathen do you think I am?"
"I know, I know," Daddy brushed me off, "You didn't get too far, did you?"
"The cemetery and some café," Ritsu told him, "Although, from what I've seen, I can tell why Rei's so attached to this place."
"Because it's home," I laid my head on his shoulder, "Plain and simple. This is home. Nothing and nowhere will ever change that. The hospital I was born in is about twelve blocks from here. The rooftop that could get me to stop crying when I was a baby and still to this day is just above our heads. My favorite café is a few blocks away from Mama. Daddy's right here. Tokyo's been great to me. Don't get me wrong. But this will always be home."
"That was beautiful, Reila," Daddy applauded, "It makes me wish you were staying here longer. Now, more importantly, I have a surprise for you."
"Neat," I chirped, "What is it?"
"Let me rephrase that," he had a dirty grin on his face. Not sure if that's supposed to make me nervous or excited, but I'm a good combination of both right now, "Reila, tengo una sorpresa para ti…"
"Que es, Papi?" I cocked my head. It's not often Daddy speaks to me in Spanish, but I knew enough to understand him when he did.
"Huh?" Ritsu looked at us both like we were on drugs.
"Ritsu…Te amo," I let out a heavy sigh, "Pero aprender español, cariño."
"Reila…" a sweet, lyrical voice floated through the air. One that I haven't heard in a very long time. And it was a punch to the gut, but one I so desperately loved, "Dios mio…Mi nieta…Te has vuelto tan hermosa…"
"ABUELITA!"