Ayaka sighed as the old Chinese woman tottered in on feet that could barely support her and hand been bound since her youth. "You need to see a real doctor."
"A real doctor?" she asked, the condition really did look painful.. Tiny feet for looks were a terrible thing to pay for in your older days. "But aren't you a real doctor?"
"I never went to medical school, and you know that, Mrs. Wu." She lead the old woman to the back room and helped her up onto the table. "I want you to promise me that you'll see an actual medical doctor tomorrow."
The old woman followed her with a slow, steady shuffle.. She barely lifted her feet off the floor. "I will go... Just help me today. Where would I go to get a doctor to look at my feet?" she asked as she got onto the table.
"I'll give you the address a very good doctor who speaks Mandarin like you do, Mrs. Wu. And tomorrow night, I will call him and ask him if a sweet woman who suffered for her beauty has come to see him, and I will be very unhappy if he says that he has not seen you and been dazzled by your wit." She took the old woman's shoes off and sighed. The sores had broken open again, and Ayaka was sure that they would get infected soon, if they weren't already. She put her hands on Mrs. Wu's ankles and put her energy into the wounds, encouraging them to heal.
Mrs. Wu smiled a kindly smile as the wounds on her feet slowly faded... And she started to feel her own get uncomfortable. Ms Wu nodded her head and reached out to pat her on the shoulder. "I will, thank you for helping me once again Ayaka... I will go tomorrow as you asked. It's a shame you never became a full doctor.. You have great talent, I believe."
Ayaka let go of Mrs. Wu's feet and grabbed some fresh bandages and a jar of herbal salve her mother made for the Chinese women who suffered from the same complaints as Mrs. Wu. She crouched down in front of the old woman again and rubbed the salve gently into her dry, oddly shaped feet, then wrapped them in bandages. "There. Now I'm going to call your son and have him pick you up. Making you walk here..." she shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Shameful."
"Thank you.. And I know, but he is a busy man sometimes, I can't really blame him... We can't hold our children forever, we must let them be sooner or later if that is what they wish.. How is your family, Ayaka?" She asked as she rested there, looking down at her wrapped feet. "Be glad you didn't have to do this sort of thing.. You should be much healthier then me when you grow older. At least in the feet."
"My family is well, thank you for asking." Ayaka picked up the phone and dialed Mr. Wu's cell phone number.
"Yes?" He asked after he picked up the phone in two things. There were the typical sounds of a busy office in the background, and the closer sound of someone typing at a computer.
"Mr. Wu, It's Ayaka Mori. Could you send someone to pick up your mother?"
"Mm? Oh, yes, of course. I'll send a cab right over, it'll be there soon. Thank you for calling Ayaka."
"One more thing. I'm going to give your mother the name and address of a doctor, and I want you to make sure she sees him tomorrow, okay?"
There was a pause before he replied questioningly. "How am I supposed to make her do that? Arrange for a car or something of the sort?"
"That would probably be a good idea. She really needs to see a doctor before one of those sores gets infected and her feet need to be amputated."
"... Yes of course. I will arrange for it as soon as I send a car. Good bye, miss Ayaka. Thank you for your time." He hung up and Mrs. Wu smiled at her a little bit.
Ayaka hung up and pulled her notepad out of her pocket. "Your son said he would have someone drive you to Dr. Lee tomorrow." she said as she wrote down the name, address, and phone number of the doctor she wanted her to see. She tore the page off with a flourish and handed it to Mrs. Wu. "A cab will be here soon to pick you up. When you get home, I want you to soak those feet in hot water and this..." She picked a plain brown packet out from the jars and packets on the shelves and handed it to her, then gave her the jar with the salve. "Then you ask that daughter in law of yours to rub this on your feet and rebandage them in clean bandages. Please try to stay off your feet so the sores don't break open again."
Mrs. Wu nodded her head and smiled graciously at Ayaka, taking the paper and items she was handed and tucking them away into a pocket. "Thank you, very much. I don't know what I would have done without you, Ayaka. You are a Godsend. You should consider going to medical school sometime, or nursing school, maybe..." She got to her feet slowly. "They almost feel like they are brand new."
"It is an honor to be of service, Mrs. Wu." Neither of them talked about the bill as the old woman pulled out the checkbook and wrote out the usual amount for these treatments. Traditional Chinese did not talk about bills. It was not polite.
Mrs. Wu smiled wider and bowed to her, then turned and walked towards the door. "Good bye, miss Ayaka. I will see you another time, even if my feet do not act up away." The woman left the shop to her, and all was quiet once again.
Ayaka groaned and sat down, kicking her shoes off and grabbing a jar of salve. Her feet throbbed a little but it wasn't as bad as she had expected it to be. She was getting used to it.. The salve gave her some much welcomed relief though. Hopefully, next time she saw Mrs. Wu, she wouldn't end up with sore feet. She sure was a nice old lady.. It was a shame about her feet. Without Ayaka's gifts.. She might have lost them a long time ago.
There were other old women that frequented the store who suffered from the same complaints with considerably less grace than Mrs. Wu. THEY paid nearly double what Mrs. Wu did. You'd think people would be more kind to those whom held the fate of some of their limbs in the palms of their hands. Some people were just plain stupid. It was a good thing the shop didn't get a whole lot of people though... The healing sometimes took a lot out of her.
Of course, if they did more business, she might actually be able to go to collage, then medical school. Actually put her talents to good use. If it was meant to happen, it would.. It was possible she was doing the most good right there in the little shop, as unlikely as it seemed.
But still... She could do so much with an actual degree and some real medical training. She sighed and shook her head. "And while I'm dreaming," she said aloud, "I'd like a pony."
"What on earth would you do with a pony?" she heard a man ask. He looked around the shop then nodded to himself. He was dressed in a rather nice suit, and a pair of expensive looking glasses. He was well groomed, and his finger nails were trimmed. His black hair was short and slicked back.
Ayaka looked up and frowned. Why hadn't she heard the bell on the door? "May I help you, sir?" she asked, standing up and sliding her feet back into her shoes.
"No, not really, I'm just looking for someone. I believe her name was.." He looked down and checked something written on the back of a card. "Ayaka? I think that's how it's pronounced.."
"May I ask who's looking for her?" she asked, slightly on guard. The shop was small, but one never knew what would attract the attention of the Tongs or the Yakuza.
"I knew of her, or we did, from her father. it's been a while and I'm looking to reestablish contact with her. That's all. Oh, I might as well pick up some ginseng root while I'm here too, I suppose.."
"Dried, powdered, or pickled?" Ayaka asked.
"Dried. Do you know where I can find her?" He glanced around the shop again and took out his wallet.
"I can let you know you were looking for her, Mr..?" she turned around and grabbed a jar of dried ginseng root. "How many ounces?"
"Eight ounces. And I am mister Watson. Here is my card." He gave her a card with his name, phone for office and cell, and the address for this consulting firm, Watson and Watson.
"I'll let her know you were looking for her." 'Just because you say you know my father doesn't mean I want anything to do with you.' she thought as she measured out eight ounces of the root and wrapped it up in plain brown paper. "Twelve forty nine, sir."
He took out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to her as he took the root with a smile, and held the bag under one arm. "Here you are, miss. Keep the change. Have a nice day." He waved to her, then turned and walked out the door without the slightest hesitation.
"You too, sir." she said, glad to see him gone as she slipped the twenty into the cash drawer. He seemed nice enough, even if he was a bit classy. He'd fit right into the MiB or high class gangster stereotype. She didn't trust him. She knew that eventually... he'd probably come back. It depended on how much they wanted to see her. Ayaka sighed and shifted her weight off her feet. All she could really do was hope for the best.
Ayaka rubbed the bridge of the nose and sighed again, looking at the clock. Another hour till her brothers got home.
***
Ayaka handed the delivery boy a twenty and took the pizza box. "Thanks." she said over little Sakura's 'singing'. She'd heard cats in heat that sounded better then that. It was a good thing pizzas kept getting bigger and bigger.. She sure didn't want to cook for the entire family, at least, not all the time. Hiro and Shin were quiet mostly... For now, watching some TV program or another. "Dinner time!" she announced, carrying the pizza over to the table. She went over to her mother's bedroom door and tapped on it. "Momma? Dinner's here."
"Pizza!" Hiro and Shin called out in near unison, racing each over to the dinner table, and Sakura started singing 'Pizza pizza pizza!'
Her mother smiled as she opened the door. "I heard.. Pizza, I'm guessing?" she said as she stepped out towards the table.
"Unless *you* feel like cooking something." Ayaka said. "Momma, I need to talk to you about something."
"I don't think so." She said with a chuckle. "I've had enough of cooking for you all.. I had done so for many years. What is it you wish to talk about?"
Ayaka glanced at her siblings to make sure they weren't listening. "Someone who said he knew Daddy came into the shop looking for me today."
"Mmm.. I see. You don't think he came from the east, do you? Why did he say he had come? Just to look for you? Interesting... Hm... Either it's one of his enemies or one of his friends.. It's hard to tell. What are you going to do?"
"His name is Western, but he has the look of an Asian." She pulled out the card the man had given her. "I'm going to wait and see what he does."
"A good decision. You are definitely your father's daughter. Speaking of the shop, how was it today?" her mother took the card and looked it over, shaking her head. "I do not remember it, but I may have forgotten.."
"Mrs. Wu came in, and I gave her the name and address of a good doctor."
"Good. It is about time that she went, even though you are a very talented healer yourself."
"I may be good, but I can't save her feet the way things are going."
"Not yet, you mean. I'm sure in time you will become a healer to be remembered for a long while."
"Mm.... we had better get out there if we want any dinner."
"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot how fast they go through those pies." She said and shuffled off quickly towards the table. Ayaka followed, pushing all thoughts of the strange man out of her mind on her quest for pizza.
"A real doctor?" she asked, the condition really did look painful.. Tiny feet for looks were a terrible thing to pay for in your older days. "But aren't you a real doctor?"
"I never went to medical school, and you know that, Mrs. Wu." She lead the old woman to the back room and helped her up onto the table. "I want you to promise me that you'll see an actual medical doctor tomorrow."
The old woman followed her with a slow, steady shuffle.. She barely lifted her feet off the floor. "I will go... Just help me today. Where would I go to get a doctor to look at my feet?" she asked as she got onto the table.
"I'll give you the address a very good doctor who speaks Mandarin like you do, Mrs. Wu. And tomorrow night, I will call him and ask him if a sweet woman who suffered for her beauty has come to see him, and I will be very unhappy if he says that he has not seen you and been dazzled by your wit." She took the old woman's shoes off and sighed. The sores had broken open again, and Ayaka was sure that they would get infected soon, if they weren't already. She put her hands on Mrs. Wu's ankles and put her energy into the wounds, encouraging them to heal.
Mrs. Wu smiled a kindly smile as the wounds on her feet slowly faded... And she started to feel her own get uncomfortable. Ms Wu nodded her head and reached out to pat her on the shoulder. "I will, thank you for helping me once again Ayaka... I will go tomorrow as you asked. It's a shame you never became a full doctor.. You have great talent, I believe."
Ayaka let go of Mrs. Wu's feet and grabbed some fresh bandages and a jar of herbal salve her mother made for the Chinese women who suffered from the same complaints as Mrs. Wu. She crouched down in front of the old woman again and rubbed the salve gently into her dry, oddly shaped feet, then wrapped them in bandages. "There. Now I'm going to call your son and have him pick you up. Making you walk here..." she shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Shameful."
"Thank you.. And I know, but he is a busy man sometimes, I can't really blame him... We can't hold our children forever, we must let them be sooner or later if that is what they wish.. How is your family, Ayaka?" She asked as she rested there, looking down at her wrapped feet. "Be glad you didn't have to do this sort of thing.. You should be much healthier then me when you grow older. At least in the feet."
"My family is well, thank you for asking." Ayaka picked up the phone and dialed Mr. Wu's cell phone number.
"Yes?" He asked after he picked up the phone in two things. There were the typical sounds of a busy office in the background, and the closer sound of someone typing at a computer.
"Mr. Wu, It's Ayaka Mori. Could you send someone to pick up your mother?"
"Mm? Oh, yes, of course. I'll send a cab right over, it'll be there soon. Thank you for calling Ayaka."
"One more thing. I'm going to give your mother the name and address of a doctor, and I want you to make sure she sees him tomorrow, okay?"
There was a pause before he replied questioningly. "How am I supposed to make her do that? Arrange for a car or something of the sort?"
"That would probably be a good idea. She really needs to see a doctor before one of those sores gets infected and her feet need to be amputated."
"... Yes of course. I will arrange for it as soon as I send a car. Good bye, miss Ayaka. Thank you for your time." He hung up and Mrs. Wu smiled at her a little bit.
Ayaka hung up and pulled her notepad out of her pocket. "Your son said he would have someone drive you to Dr. Lee tomorrow." she said as she wrote down the name, address, and phone number of the doctor she wanted her to see. She tore the page off with a flourish and handed it to Mrs. Wu. "A cab will be here soon to pick you up. When you get home, I want you to soak those feet in hot water and this..." She picked a plain brown packet out from the jars and packets on the shelves and handed it to her, then gave her the jar with the salve. "Then you ask that daughter in law of yours to rub this on your feet and rebandage them in clean bandages. Please try to stay off your feet so the sores don't break open again."
Mrs. Wu nodded her head and smiled graciously at Ayaka, taking the paper and items she was handed and tucking them away into a pocket. "Thank you, very much. I don't know what I would have done without you, Ayaka. You are a Godsend. You should consider going to medical school sometime, or nursing school, maybe..." She got to her feet slowly. "They almost feel like they are brand new."
"It is an honor to be of service, Mrs. Wu." Neither of them talked about the bill as the old woman pulled out the checkbook and wrote out the usual amount for these treatments. Traditional Chinese did not talk about bills. It was not polite.
Mrs. Wu smiled wider and bowed to her, then turned and walked towards the door. "Good bye, miss Ayaka. I will see you another time, even if my feet do not act up away." The woman left the shop to her, and all was quiet once again.
Ayaka groaned and sat down, kicking her shoes off and grabbing a jar of salve. Her feet throbbed a little but it wasn't as bad as she had expected it to be. She was getting used to it.. The salve gave her some much welcomed relief though. Hopefully, next time she saw Mrs. Wu, she wouldn't end up with sore feet. She sure was a nice old lady.. It was a shame about her feet. Without Ayaka's gifts.. She might have lost them a long time ago.
There were other old women that frequented the store who suffered from the same complaints with considerably less grace than Mrs. Wu. THEY paid nearly double what Mrs. Wu did. You'd think people would be more kind to those whom held the fate of some of their limbs in the palms of their hands. Some people were just plain stupid. It was a good thing the shop didn't get a whole lot of people though... The healing sometimes took a lot out of her.
Of course, if they did more business, she might actually be able to go to collage, then medical school. Actually put her talents to good use. If it was meant to happen, it would.. It was possible she was doing the most good right there in the little shop, as unlikely as it seemed.
But still... She could do so much with an actual degree and some real medical training. She sighed and shook her head. "And while I'm dreaming," she said aloud, "I'd like a pony."
"What on earth would you do with a pony?" she heard a man ask. He looked around the shop then nodded to himself. He was dressed in a rather nice suit, and a pair of expensive looking glasses. He was well groomed, and his finger nails were trimmed. His black hair was short and slicked back.
Ayaka looked up and frowned. Why hadn't she heard the bell on the door? "May I help you, sir?" she asked, standing up and sliding her feet back into her shoes.
"No, not really, I'm just looking for someone. I believe her name was.." He looked down and checked something written on the back of a card. "Ayaka? I think that's how it's pronounced.."
"May I ask who's looking for her?" she asked, slightly on guard. The shop was small, but one never knew what would attract the attention of the Tongs or the Yakuza.
"I knew of her, or we did, from her father. it's been a while and I'm looking to reestablish contact with her. That's all. Oh, I might as well pick up some ginseng root while I'm here too, I suppose.."
"Dried, powdered, or pickled?" Ayaka asked.
"Dried. Do you know where I can find her?" He glanced around the shop again and took out his wallet.
"I can let you know you were looking for her, Mr..?" she turned around and grabbed a jar of dried ginseng root. "How many ounces?"
"Eight ounces. And I am mister Watson. Here is my card." He gave her a card with his name, phone for office and cell, and the address for this consulting firm, Watson and Watson.
"I'll let her know you were looking for her." 'Just because you say you know my father doesn't mean I want anything to do with you.' she thought as she measured out eight ounces of the root and wrapped it up in plain brown paper. "Twelve forty nine, sir."
He took out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to her as he took the root with a smile, and held the bag under one arm. "Here you are, miss. Keep the change. Have a nice day." He waved to her, then turned and walked out the door without the slightest hesitation.
"You too, sir." she said, glad to see him gone as she slipped the twenty into the cash drawer. He seemed nice enough, even if he was a bit classy. He'd fit right into the MiB or high class gangster stereotype. She didn't trust him. She knew that eventually... he'd probably come back. It depended on how much they wanted to see her. Ayaka sighed and shifted her weight off her feet. All she could really do was hope for the best.
Ayaka rubbed the bridge of the nose and sighed again, looking at the clock. Another hour till her brothers got home.
***
Ayaka handed the delivery boy a twenty and took the pizza box. "Thanks." she said over little Sakura's 'singing'. She'd heard cats in heat that sounded better then that. It was a good thing pizzas kept getting bigger and bigger.. She sure didn't want to cook for the entire family, at least, not all the time. Hiro and Shin were quiet mostly... For now, watching some TV program or another. "Dinner time!" she announced, carrying the pizza over to the table. She went over to her mother's bedroom door and tapped on it. "Momma? Dinner's here."
"Pizza!" Hiro and Shin called out in near unison, racing each over to the dinner table, and Sakura started singing 'Pizza pizza pizza!'
Her mother smiled as she opened the door. "I heard.. Pizza, I'm guessing?" she said as she stepped out towards the table.
"Unless *you* feel like cooking something." Ayaka said. "Momma, I need to talk to you about something."
"I don't think so." She said with a chuckle. "I've had enough of cooking for you all.. I had done so for many years. What is it you wish to talk about?"
Ayaka glanced at her siblings to make sure they weren't listening. "Someone who said he knew Daddy came into the shop looking for me today."
"Mmm.. I see. You don't think he came from the east, do you? Why did he say he had come? Just to look for you? Interesting... Hm... Either it's one of his enemies or one of his friends.. It's hard to tell. What are you going to do?"
"His name is Western, but he has the look of an Asian." She pulled out the card the man had given her. "I'm going to wait and see what he does."
"A good decision. You are definitely your father's daughter. Speaking of the shop, how was it today?" her mother took the card and looked it over, shaking her head. "I do not remember it, but I may have forgotten.."
"Mrs. Wu came in, and I gave her the name and address of a good doctor."
"Good. It is about time that she went, even though you are a very talented healer yourself."
"I may be good, but I can't save her feet the way things are going."
"Not yet, you mean. I'm sure in time you will become a healer to be remembered for a long while."
"Mm.... we had better get out there if we want any dinner."
"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot how fast they go through those pies." She said and shuffled off quickly towards the table. Ayaka followed, pushing all thoughts of the strange man out of her mind on her quest for pizza.