Traffic had picked up. It seemed more people drove around San Francisco in the afternoon than in the morning on a Saturday.
Darcy deftly drove through traffic, knowing when to change lanes because one became a turn lane. And knowing the few places you could apparently make a legal left turn.
"I thought I would drive through Union Square on our way to our next destination," he glanced over at Lizzie, trying to ascertain how well both the prospect of seeing that tourist site would strike Lizzie, and how well she was recovering from what was a rougher choice for their post-lunch stop.
"No way William. That thing is ugly," Gigi called from the back seat. Lizzie turned to look at her.
"What thing? I didn't know there was anything to look at in Union Square," Lizzie asked. "I thought it was an open park."
"Exactly, it is this big ugly square with a few green patches. I don't see what people make such a fuss about." Gigi stuck her tongue out at Lizzie.
"But it is the cultural center of the City. It's the center of the fashion district and there are so many great restaurants and theaters around it," Darcy argued. "See there's Nieman Marcus, and Macys is down the block," he called out as they drove down Geary and came into sight of the square.
He navigated the car around three sides of the square so Lizzie could see the square itself and all the surrounding businesses. Meanwhile Gigi kept up a tirade against what she felt was Union Square's ugliness. Darcy argued that it had its place as a symbolic icon for San Francisco.
"I take it you are not the shopping or theater type?" Lizzie finally asked Gigi as they left the area behind.
"Not really," Gigi confessed wrinkling her nose.
The drive was short and this time Lizzie had an idea of where they might be going when she saw signs for Japantown on the street as they drove.
They passed a beautiful, symmetrical hotel and pulled into an under-ground parking garage.
"I thought you might want to do some shopping." Darcy looked across the console at Lizzie. "It can't be a day of all high-brow pursuits." He attempted a smile to gauge how she was doing.
"That sounds great. Though I thought your sister just said she wasn't the shopping type?" Lizzie glanced back at Gigi.
"Well I like to eat, and I am sure there are some great nibbles to be had here if I remember this place correctly!" She said eagerly.
They took an elevator up out of the parking garage and ended up in a shopping mall.
"Hey, I remember these stairs, William did you bring me here when I was little?" Gigi exclaimed as they came around a corner from the elevator and saw a large set of curved, red lacquered stairs. "You have to get our picture!" And she hauled Lizzie up the stairs to the middle while Darcy fumbled with his phone to take a picture. Gigi wanted to take a couple of funny poses, but Lizzie was feeling embarrassed and watched while Darcy indulged his little sister as she tried to think of funny ways to pose on stairs: stomping dramatically, pretending to slide down the banister, that kind of thing.
There were a few stores to explore, and even one tiny museum which had a collection of samurai swords on display which they walked through. Even Gigi liked looking at the swords.
"There is more to see," Darcy said, placing his hand on Lizzie's arm. She looked up from the tag she was reading. "And you haven't bought anything yet." His eyes twinkle when he smiles, she thought.
They walked on, and Lizzie discovered that the mall was divided in two, with a large open space in between. She could see an open plaza through some large glass doors and was walking towards them, when a hand jerked her back.
"Oh no you don't! We haven't been to the dollar store yet," that snaky smile was on Gigi's face again. "You have to check out the Daiso store. I remember this place. It is like the dollar store, but everything is $1.50."
The Daiso store had a crowd of people which spoke to its popularity. It had rows of tall shelves and pre-packaged items, everything you might apparently need in your house, and most items apparently for $1.50. Lizzie had fun looking at all the items. Some of them were cheaply made, but others were of better quality, and some even unique, and she thought about coming back to the store if she ever did get around to furnishing her first place away from home.
Gigi found a tablet with some cute characters on it, and a little rack that would apparently fit perfectly on a bathroom shelf. Lizzie found it odd that someone who had more money that she could perhaps imagine, would need or want to shop at a dollar store, then stopped herself from that line of thinking and instead exclaimed over her friend's finds.
In the line to check out, Gigi discovered some boxed Japanese treat and added that to her purchases.
"I'll share it with you Lizzie, you'll love it."
"I thought we would go find something fresher for a snack," offered a voice. They turned to look at Darcy who was standing a few feet away watching them.
They walked out of the store and Lizzie finally got a look at the open area outside. It was a small, intimate plaza with a large five-story structure at one side. There was apparently another shopping area on the other side.
"This is the Peace Plaza." He explained in his best tour guide voice. "And the Pagoda was a gift from the City of Osaka." They walked over and leaned against a railing that lined the edge of the sunken plaza.
A number of groups of people were in the plaza. Some were obviously tourists, cameras in tow as they took pictures of the pagoda. Along the back wall, on a stage, a group of young women seemed to be dressed in costumes and were choreographing a dance of some kind. A man had three little dogs with him, letting them run off-leash.
"Oh my god, they are cos-playing!" Squealed Gigi. And she walked off from Darcy and Lizzie to cross the plaza and approach the women on the little stage of the plaza. She started to talk to them as they continued to choreograph their dance.
"What did she just say?" Asked Lizzie.
"I don't know," answered Darcy as they watched his sister.
"You know, those women sort of look like superheroes in very short skirts," frowned Lizzie.
"Yes," he answered automatically, then seemed to stiffen as if he shouldn't have acknowledged that he was looking at women wearing too-short skirts.
Gigi returned with a big grin, "Yup, they were cos-playing. Doing bits from Tokyo Mew Mew." Lizzie and Darcy looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language. "Come on, let keep going!" Gigi headed towards the other shopping mall.
The second shopping area was much larger than the first. Lizzie stumbled on a shop that sold nothing but decorations for the hair and purchased a headband for Jane.
There was a mixture of electronic stores and import stores and jewelry stores. There was even a Hello Kitty store which seemed crass in a way. Gigi insisted that they go in. Darcy refused to go inside on the grounds that too much pink would make him nauseous. Gigi squealed over one thing and then another, and dragged Lizzie over to look at all the little minute cute things to be had for a price.
Lizzie was beginning to get tired of Gigi's enthusiasm and finally called it quits, saying should would wait outside.
Darcy met her with his hands full. Each hand held two bags with a golden brown treat peeking out. He inclined his head over to a little indoor koi pond, and they went and sat next on the edge.
"Here, this is tai yaki, it is a Japanese treat that is filled with either red bean paste, which is traditional," he held up his left hand "or chocolate," and he held up his right. Lizzie reached for his right hand.
"I don't know that I am brave enough to try red bean paste. After all, I tried mole for lunch and I think being brave once today was enough." She peaked at her bag. The tai yaki was shaped like a fish and smelled quite like a waffle. She took a bite and found it exceedingly sweet, sweeter than she had anticipated.
"Do you like it?" Darcy munched on one of the red bean paste tai yakis. Lizzie just smiled and nodded her head.
Gigi found them, and insisted on showing them her multitude of little knickknacks that she had scored at the Hello Kitty store.
"Gigi, are you being unusually annoying today?" Darcy rolled his eyes before handing her the remaining chocolate tai yaki. Gigi nibbled away at the edges, while she dipped the fingers of her free hand in the water and just smiled her snaky smile.
"I take it you come here often?" Lizzie broke the tension directing her question to Darcy.
"Not that often. I love sushi—there are a couple of great places around here—and there is something intimate and real about Japantown. It is actually contained in quite a small area whereas Chinatown is more spread out."
"I sort of figured with it being so near Chinese New Year that you might take me there." Lizzie finished up her tai yaki, looked at her fingers, but resisted the temptation to lick them. Darcy handed her a napkin.
"Well I wanted to share my version of San Francisco. And I guess I fit in Japantown better than I fit in Chinatown."
They continued on their way. There was another snack place that sold elaborate waffle treats with ice cream and Gigi groaned when she saw them; then groaned again when she saw the cupcake store around the corner.
Lizzie found a little jewelry store which seemed to be tucked away almost in a storage closet, and she spent some time looking over some unique pieces; though they all seemed a bit out of her price range. There was a pair of earrings that appeared to be flip flops, but which if they were flip flops seemed out of place with netsuke and other traditional Japanese pieces dangling from necklaces or earrings.
"They are zoris," said the woman in the shop. She was seated on a small chair. "You know we invented flip flops, they were based on Japanese sandals called zoris."
She could tell, looking at them more closely, that the foot shape was not the traditional curvy foot shape, but more squared off, and that the straps formed a more symmetrical triangle. The earrings were beautiful, and Lizzie made an impulsive decision to purchase them as a gift for Lydia. She wasn't sure when she would see her baby sister again since they had cut off communication, but perhaps when Lizzie's shadowing at Pemberley was over, and she had returned home, they might be talking again.
They continued shopping, and despite her best walking boots, her feet were getting tired. There were toy stores, stationery stores, a lot of different traditional and more Americanized food shops, and a large bookstore.
At first Lizzie looked in the social media section to compare its selection against her set at home, but then found herself perusing the language section.
She found a square little book that fit neatly in her hand: a book on conversational Japanese phrases. She couldn't think of a need for it, so put it back. There were books on San Francisco history, books on Japanese internment during World War II, books on tea ceremonies, but her mind kept wandering back to that little square book.
"What are you buying?" Asked Darcy when he saw her standing in the check-out line. She held it up for him to see.
"Just a souvenir of my day. I don't intend to take up Japanese any time soon. I still need to finish that degree. It's been a lovely, fantastic day." Her eyes lit up with such a delight that Darcy felt himself stagger a bit.
Gigi pounced on them when they left, "you have to come downstairs, all the manga books are downstairs."
"I really think I am done shopping," Lizzie politely tried to beg off.
"Oh Lizzie, I can show you what Tokyo Mew Mew is, and I am sure there is even something for him," and she jabbed a finger at her brother.
"Come on Gigi, we have to go down there anyways to get to the car, but I think Lizzie said she's done." Her brother frowned as he reached out his hand to guide, without touching Lizzie, her in the correct direction. Gigi 'hmphed' and lead the way down a curvy, modern brass and glass staircase.
"Are you ready for dinner?" he offered. "I had this idea that we could gate-crash a company party a friend of mine is having at the Asian Art Museum. Get to have dinner and see the museum after-dark. They'll have docent-lead tours, and…"
"No way! Are you kidding me William? Do you want to bore Lizzie and me to death? I can't believe that's what you thought would be a great evening 'activity'," she used air quotes, "well you're on your own. I'll just take a taxi home." Swinging all her packages, Gigi stormed out a set of doors onto the street. Darcy looked at his sister, then looked at Lizzie who looked at him, then down at the ground in a little embarrassment. He hesitated, not sure if he should leave Lizzie and follow his sister.
Gigi was already down the block on her phone with a taxi service when Darcy caught up to her. Lizzie trailed behind, giving them enough space so she wouldn't be intruding.
"Gigi you can't leave, come and have dinner," he pleaded.
"William it's a done deal, they're on their way. Besides, this way you can go do high-brow things after dinner and not worry about the kid getting in the way. Lizzie—actually I want you and William to go have a great dinner and go somewhere FUN—don't let him take you somewhere dry and boring like a museum." She reached out to hook her arm through Lizzie's. "Maybe you need to go somewhere touristy after all. Or just go somewhere with a view, like the top of Coit Tower or go to Ocean Beach." She reached down to squeeze Lizzie's hand.
"Okay? Promise me you'll get this guy," and she indicated her brother with her head, "to do something fun. Promise." She squeeze Lizzie's hand again.
"Okay, I promise we'll do something fun," Lizzie answered, unsure of making promises to Gigi Darcy.
"Great!" Gigi gathered up her packages which were arranged at her feet. They waited in an uncomfortable silence until a taxi arrived and Gigi hugged Lizzie goodbye, patted Darcy on the arm and took off.
"So, dinner…" he began.
"Yes, dinner, you know I don't think I am dressed for a fancy private dinner at the Asian Art Museum. Perhaps we can find somewhere else?" Lizzie looked down at her walking boots. Darcy looked at her shoes as if taking them in for the first time. They turned to start walking down the street.