A Picture of Summer
by: Venusskies
email: venus_skies@excite.com
Standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter 3: And So It Begins
I stood there, leaning on the railings, the wind blowing steadily against my face. The ship had departed a few days ago from Japan, and we were now on open sea. There was not a single trace of land anywhere I looked. It was all water, cerulean waves, and uncertain depths. Chiharu sat on a chair behind me doing some knitting. I heard the soft clicks of the needles as she hummed a song softly to herself.
I was beginning to miss home, especially Kenshin. The ship seemed so quiet with only a few children on board. I remembered how Sano and Yahiko would pester me with their boisterous quarrels, and Kenshin trying his best to calm them. There were some ladies a few feet away from us, who were busy chatting excitedly about some subject unknown to me, and I suddenly remembered Megumi, who seemed a lot like one of the ladies. I remembered her white hands, which loved flipping her hair; her elegant form walking poised down the streets. But remembering her couldn't make me forget Misao. I smiled as I began to wonder what Misao was doing at that very moment.
The ship was... exquisite. We walked on red carpets laid on shiny wooden floors. There were butlers and servants who opened and closed the doors for us and escorted us to our seats in the dining area. There were always musicians playing some classical tunes to entertain us. Ladies and gentlemen dressed elegantly, even when eating plain meals like breakfast. And everyone was so polite. You could see gentlemen moving aside for ladies to enter, opening and closing the doors for them. They even pulled the chairs in the table for the ladies to sit down. I have never seen such customs at Japan. The Western world is truly different, yet fascinating.
"Kaoru-chan," Chiharu called from behind.
I turned to her, tucking some stray locks behind my ears.
"We should go back to our cabin now."
"Alright," I replied. We silently headed back to our room.
It was actually a deluxe suite. Comfy and antique in design, there were two rooms within one big room, a small living room and a table for two. When we first came in, there was a fire cackling for us, having been lit by one of the crew beforehand.
We knocked on the door before we entered, and found Aunt Mikako and Uncle John sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace. The elder man was reading the newspaper and smoking a pipe, while Aunt Mikako was simply sipping some tea, reading a book. She smiled at us when we came in.
"I guess we could go down and have breakfast now," she said. Uncle John cleared his throat and folded the newspaper.
"Yes, now that the both of you are here," he said. "We should go down now before the food runs out."
Have I described to you Uncle John? Well, I suppose not. He's a tall man with fair skin of course, and has white hair and a mustache. He's balding off the top, and a little red in the face, but his eyes are hazel nut just like his daughter's. His cheeks are quite chubby, his neck too, as well as his arms and legs. His stomach's a little big. But he's such a nice person, very warm and hospitable. He's been so kind to me ever since we saw each other, and always sees to it that I'm comfortable.
How about Aunt Mikako? Well, she's beautiful. As she walked down the stairs to the dining hall, I finally knew where Chiharu inherited her lady- like persona. By nature, Aunt Mikako was raised a lady. With light brown hair and dark brown eyes, she was supposed to be engaged to a wealthy landlord, live in a palace and bear the landlord's children. That's why she was taught all the proper etiquette a woman of high class should possess. She was taught how to play the samisen. But then the landlord died, and her parents got sick. So she started to work in order to pay for her parents' medications, and that's when she met Uncle John. He helped her and her parents get well. They fell in love, and the rest you know.
We reached the breakfast hall and helped ourselves to the breakfast buffet. When we were all seated in our table, Uncle John started talking.
"The Whitmans are here with us too," he stated.
"Really? They're here? With their two children?" his wife asked.
"Yes. They'll be joining us at London and during the rest of the trip."
"That's good news."
I turned to Chiharu and whispered, "Who are the Whitmans?"
"Father's business partner is Barry Whitman. He has a wife and two kids who are also good friends. I've played with their two kids before when we were little, although we haven't seen each other much," she explained.
"Oh," I nodded. "What are they like?"
"Nice people," Chiharu replied. "They're pretty hospitable, although I can't say much about them."
Mind you, I was already speaking English with Chiharu at that time. Before, when oto-san would take me to Osaka to see Chiharu, Aunt Mikako would teach me English because it was the only language her daughter knew that time. I learned a lot from her back then, and I would use it to amaze some of the kids back at home. I loved the looks on their faces whenever I would speak a word or two of it to them.
"We'll probably meet them at lunch," Chiharu said. "We'll eat with them I guess."
"Okay."
"Then you'll get to meet them."
"They're nice people right?"
"They're fine."
"Just yes or no."
"Well… in between…"
"You're scaring me…"
"You'll be fine. Trust me."
"Okay…"
I sat quite stiffly on my chair, Chiharu to my right. We were seated on a table for 8, and since there were only four of us, we were waiting for a company of four. Then, the door of the dining hall opened, and in walked a small, pudgy man dressed in a trench coat. He wore glasses that seemed to magnify the size of his eye bags had a white mustache, and held a cane to support himself.
"He's so fat he can't even walk without a cane," Chiharu leaned and whispered to me. We both giggled quietly after.
Beside the pudgy man was a tall, thin lady whom I assumed was his wife, with ravishing red lips and a pointed nose. She too wore glasses, and had her blonde hair tied in a tight bun behind her head. My first impression of her was that she had a sharp tongue, and an unpleasing personality.
Behind the two of them were two boys, both a little bit taller than the lady. I daresay they were as tall as Sanosuke or Aoshi, and one of them strongly reminded me of the latter. He had blonde hair, just like the lady, and very handsome features. His eyes were grave, reflecting a look that I had seen in Aoshi's eyes before. Then the other one had a softer expression, with short brown hair. He wasn't as handsome as the other boy, but I knew I would like him better than the other. The four of them walked to our table, and Uncle John rose. He went to the pudgy man and shook hands with him, bending his head down while the pudgy man looked up at him.
"Good morning Barry," Uncle John greeted.
"And a good morning to you too John," the pudgy man named Barry replied.
"I see you have decided to bring your family with you," Uncle John said.
"I have, yes, thanks to you," Barry replied in a jolly tone. "And the three ladies over there must be your family."
"Yes, they are," Uncle John said. He began to introduce each one of us. "My wife, Mikako, my daughter, Chiharu, and my niece, Kaoru."
"Oh, nice to meet you," Barry smiled and he shook hands with each of us. "I'd like you too meet my family. This is my wife, Lea, and my two sons." He turned behind him and showed us his sons.
"This is my eldest, Phillip," he said, patting the blonde one on the shoulder. "And this, is the younger one, Dave." The two of them shook hands with Uncle John and Aunt Mikako, then kissed my hand. I blushed faintly at the gesture since I wasn't so used to it. Chiharu must've seen me, for I felt a mighty stomp on my foot from under the table. I bit my lip hard to fight the urge to scream. Sometimes, she was just too cruel.
Breakfast passed by quickly. I found out that Barry, or Mr. Whitman to me, was a family friend of the Marcs(Uncle John and co.). His wife, Lea Whitman was good-natured, much to my surprise. Phillip seemed vain, while Dave was much more humble than his older brother. Later on, as we headed back to our cabin with Uncle John sharing stories about the Whitmans, I found out that Phillip was 2 years older than me, while Dave was my age. Phillip was born in London, England, but then brought to Tokyo before he was two. Shortly after they had arrived in Tokyo, Uncle John met Aunt Mikako, which led them to marriage a year later. Then, they had Chiharu while the Whitmans had Dave.
We were in our undergarments (i.e. petticoat) which were much more comfortable. Chiharu was busy refreshing my English and correcting my accent and I listened to her patiently, very much wanting to learn.
But then something distracted me. I suddenly had the image of Dave Whitman in my mind, irremovable. How come? I asked myself. How come I couldn't forget him for the time being? His image remained there in my mind, and I found myself slowly drifting away from Chiharu and focusing on his image. I felt like I had seen him before, and that he looked strangely familiar. I studied his features, from his hair to his cheeks, to his lips and to his eyes... And I realized that he had violet eyes, just like Kenshin.
"Kaoru-chan!" Chiharu exclaimed, shaking my shoulders slightly. "Are you paying attention?"
"W-what?" I replied. "W-what were you saying?"
"I said, were you paying attention?" Chiharu repeated.
"Y-Yeah… I was…"
"Looks like you weren't. You were staring into oblivion."
"I just remembered Kenshin…"
"You lovesick pup! Oh well…"
"Let's just carry on with the lesson okay?"
"Okay… So like I said, you have to make your sound rounder…"
To be continued…
by: Venusskies
email: venus_skies@excite.com
Standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter 3: And So It Begins
I stood there, leaning on the railings, the wind blowing steadily against my face. The ship had departed a few days ago from Japan, and we were now on open sea. There was not a single trace of land anywhere I looked. It was all water, cerulean waves, and uncertain depths. Chiharu sat on a chair behind me doing some knitting. I heard the soft clicks of the needles as she hummed a song softly to herself.
I was beginning to miss home, especially Kenshin. The ship seemed so quiet with only a few children on board. I remembered how Sano and Yahiko would pester me with their boisterous quarrels, and Kenshin trying his best to calm them. There were some ladies a few feet away from us, who were busy chatting excitedly about some subject unknown to me, and I suddenly remembered Megumi, who seemed a lot like one of the ladies. I remembered her white hands, which loved flipping her hair; her elegant form walking poised down the streets. But remembering her couldn't make me forget Misao. I smiled as I began to wonder what Misao was doing at that very moment.
The ship was... exquisite. We walked on red carpets laid on shiny wooden floors. There were butlers and servants who opened and closed the doors for us and escorted us to our seats in the dining area. There were always musicians playing some classical tunes to entertain us. Ladies and gentlemen dressed elegantly, even when eating plain meals like breakfast. And everyone was so polite. You could see gentlemen moving aside for ladies to enter, opening and closing the doors for them. They even pulled the chairs in the table for the ladies to sit down. I have never seen such customs at Japan. The Western world is truly different, yet fascinating.
"Kaoru-chan," Chiharu called from behind.
I turned to her, tucking some stray locks behind my ears.
"We should go back to our cabin now."
"Alright," I replied. We silently headed back to our room.
It was actually a deluxe suite. Comfy and antique in design, there were two rooms within one big room, a small living room and a table for two. When we first came in, there was a fire cackling for us, having been lit by one of the crew beforehand.
We knocked on the door before we entered, and found Aunt Mikako and Uncle John sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace. The elder man was reading the newspaper and smoking a pipe, while Aunt Mikako was simply sipping some tea, reading a book. She smiled at us when we came in.
"I guess we could go down and have breakfast now," she said. Uncle John cleared his throat and folded the newspaper.
"Yes, now that the both of you are here," he said. "We should go down now before the food runs out."
Have I described to you Uncle John? Well, I suppose not. He's a tall man with fair skin of course, and has white hair and a mustache. He's balding off the top, and a little red in the face, but his eyes are hazel nut just like his daughter's. His cheeks are quite chubby, his neck too, as well as his arms and legs. His stomach's a little big. But he's such a nice person, very warm and hospitable. He's been so kind to me ever since we saw each other, and always sees to it that I'm comfortable.
How about Aunt Mikako? Well, she's beautiful. As she walked down the stairs to the dining hall, I finally knew where Chiharu inherited her lady- like persona. By nature, Aunt Mikako was raised a lady. With light brown hair and dark brown eyes, she was supposed to be engaged to a wealthy landlord, live in a palace and bear the landlord's children. That's why she was taught all the proper etiquette a woman of high class should possess. She was taught how to play the samisen. But then the landlord died, and her parents got sick. So she started to work in order to pay for her parents' medications, and that's when she met Uncle John. He helped her and her parents get well. They fell in love, and the rest you know.
We reached the breakfast hall and helped ourselves to the breakfast buffet. When we were all seated in our table, Uncle John started talking.
"The Whitmans are here with us too," he stated.
"Really? They're here? With their two children?" his wife asked.
"Yes. They'll be joining us at London and during the rest of the trip."
"That's good news."
I turned to Chiharu and whispered, "Who are the Whitmans?"
"Father's business partner is Barry Whitman. He has a wife and two kids who are also good friends. I've played with their two kids before when we were little, although we haven't seen each other much," she explained.
"Oh," I nodded. "What are they like?"
"Nice people," Chiharu replied. "They're pretty hospitable, although I can't say much about them."
Mind you, I was already speaking English with Chiharu at that time. Before, when oto-san would take me to Osaka to see Chiharu, Aunt Mikako would teach me English because it was the only language her daughter knew that time. I learned a lot from her back then, and I would use it to amaze some of the kids back at home. I loved the looks on their faces whenever I would speak a word or two of it to them.
"We'll probably meet them at lunch," Chiharu said. "We'll eat with them I guess."
"Okay."
"Then you'll get to meet them."
"They're nice people right?"
"They're fine."
"Just yes or no."
"Well… in between…"
"You're scaring me…"
"You'll be fine. Trust me."
"Okay…"
I sat quite stiffly on my chair, Chiharu to my right. We were seated on a table for 8, and since there were only four of us, we were waiting for a company of four. Then, the door of the dining hall opened, and in walked a small, pudgy man dressed in a trench coat. He wore glasses that seemed to magnify the size of his eye bags had a white mustache, and held a cane to support himself.
"He's so fat he can't even walk without a cane," Chiharu leaned and whispered to me. We both giggled quietly after.
Beside the pudgy man was a tall, thin lady whom I assumed was his wife, with ravishing red lips and a pointed nose. She too wore glasses, and had her blonde hair tied in a tight bun behind her head. My first impression of her was that she had a sharp tongue, and an unpleasing personality.
Behind the two of them were two boys, both a little bit taller than the lady. I daresay they were as tall as Sanosuke or Aoshi, and one of them strongly reminded me of the latter. He had blonde hair, just like the lady, and very handsome features. His eyes were grave, reflecting a look that I had seen in Aoshi's eyes before. Then the other one had a softer expression, with short brown hair. He wasn't as handsome as the other boy, but I knew I would like him better than the other. The four of them walked to our table, and Uncle John rose. He went to the pudgy man and shook hands with him, bending his head down while the pudgy man looked up at him.
"Good morning Barry," Uncle John greeted.
"And a good morning to you too John," the pudgy man named Barry replied.
"I see you have decided to bring your family with you," Uncle John said.
"I have, yes, thanks to you," Barry replied in a jolly tone. "And the three ladies over there must be your family."
"Yes, they are," Uncle John said. He began to introduce each one of us. "My wife, Mikako, my daughter, Chiharu, and my niece, Kaoru."
"Oh, nice to meet you," Barry smiled and he shook hands with each of us. "I'd like you too meet my family. This is my wife, Lea, and my two sons." He turned behind him and showed us his sons.
"This is my eldest, Phillip," he said, patting the blonde one on the shoulder. "And this, is the younger one, Dave." The two of them shook hands with Uncle John and Aunt Mikako, then kissed my hand. I blushed faintly at the gesture since I wasn't so used to it. Chiharu must've seen me, for I felt a mighty stomp on my foot from under the table. I bit my lip hard to fight the urge to scream. Sometimes, she was just too cruel.
Breakfast passed by quickly. I found out that Barry, or Mr. Whitman to me, was a family friend of the Marcs(Uncle John and co.). His wife, Lea Whitman was good-natured, much to my surprise. Phillip seemed vain, while Dave was much more humble than his older brother. Later on, as we headed back to our cabin with Uncle John sharing stories about the Whitmans, I found out that Phillip was 2 years older than me, while Dave was my age. Phillip was born in London, England, but then brought to Tokyo before he was two. Shortly after they had arrived in Tokyo, Uncle John met Aunt Mikako, which led them to marriage a year later. Then, they had Chiharu while the Whitmans had Dave.
We were in our undergarments (i.e. petticoat) which were much more comfortable. Chiharu was busy refreshing my English and correcting my accent and I listened to her patiently, very much wanting to learn.
But then something distracted me. I suddenly had the image of Dave Whitman in my mind, irremovable. How come? I asked myself. How come I couldn't forget him for the time being? His image remained there in my mind, and I found myself slowly drifting away from Chiharu and focusing on his image. I felt like I had seen him before, and that he looked strangely familiar. I studied his features, from his hair to his cheeks, to his lips and to his eyes... And I realized that he had violet eyes, just like Kenshin.
"Kaoru-chan!" Chiharu exclaimed, shaking my shoulders slightly. "Are you paying attention?"
"W-what?" I replied. "W-what were you saying?"
"I said, were you paying attention?" Chiharu repeated.
"Y-Yeah… I was…"
"Looks like you weren't. You were staring into oblivion."
"I just remembered Kenshin…"
"You lovesick pup! Oh well…"
"Let's just carry on with the lesson okay?"
"Okay… So like I said, you have to make your sound rounder…"
To be continued…