And I Hate You So - Chapter 4

A few minutes after the trio placed their order for drinks, Kari and Mimi came trailing out of the bathroom. Both seemed to be a little drunk already, and did not seem to notice that the others were already seated until Tai called out to them.

"Kari! Mimi!" Tai called. Matt lifted his head immediately. Mimi? In front of him, he saw two girls walking towards them. The younger one seemed to be Kari, as her features were similar to his friend Tai's, and the other girl...

Mimi looked up. There was a girl similar to her age, with short, orange-red hair and a charming smile. She supposed that that was Sora. Beside him was Tai. She had already met him before. The last member was a boy probably slightly older than her. She had never seen him before. Her eyes drifted to his deep sea blue eyes, which immediately caught hers. He gazed at her with a probing intensity. She unapologetically stared back.

Tai introduced Sora to Mimi first, and there were immediate smiles, hugs and congratulations. Then, he proceeded to introduce the mysterious blond.

"Kari, you won't even know him. He was an old friend who I lost contact with, but apparently, just got reacquainted right after our honeymoon. He's -"

"Matt Ishida," Matt interrupted. He watched a smiling Mimi freeze. She slowly turned her gaze from Tai to him.

'It couldn't be...it just...couldn't be...' Mimi thought, but his mischievous smile told her that there was no mistake. She walked towards him, never letting her stare wander away from him. She was still holding a glass of beer, and she did the only thing that came into her mind.

The cold beer splashed on his face. Matt used his sleeve to wipe the liquid off his eyes. Mimi put the now empty glass back on the table. Gathering her overcoat, she began to walk away.

"Sorry, Sora. It was nice meeting you, and sorry Tai, Kari, but I have to go now. Bye!" The four watched her walk angrily out of the bar.

"You should continue to criticize him." Jennifer said.

"Yes, by popular demand." Katie agreed. Jennifer and Katie were Mimi's workmates. The two girls, with Kari and Mimi were having lunch at a nearby food court. They knew all about the 'little argument' with the Radio DJ, Matt and the Newspaper Columnist, Mimi, and were encouraging her to further this interesting drama.

"Many readers will support you, you know." Jennifer continued with confidence.

Mimi smiled warily. "No need for that. I personally attacked him. Good enough."

"Are you afraid he'll sue you?" Katie asked.

"You can go and sue him." Jennifer added.

Kari suddenly came out of her silence and spoke. "I don't think that he'll sue you. There's bound to be more."

'More what?' Mimi thought. Dismissing the thought, she went back to her eating.

Matt walked out of the apartment, and pressed the small square button that would bring him down to the bottom floor. He turned and his eyes came upon a pile of newspapers in front of his neighbour's front door. Even though he knew that he shouldn't, he picked up the paper, and took out the piece in the middle where Mimi's columns usually were. As the elevator doors opened, he walked in, carrying the paper with him.

'What will she write this time?' he thought. Instead of a come back, he came upon...

Robots, by Mimi Tachikawa.

I love robots. Blue-collar robots. The ones in factories. Why isn't there a domestic assistant robot...

Finishing the piece, Matt began to ponder. 'This had to be a trick' he thought, before turning right to the direction of the library.

"Thanks," Matt said as he followed the librarian's finger and walked to the newspaper section. Taking out a large pile, he placed them on the table and took the first one from the pile. 'There has to be a good article from her somewhere in this pile' he thought. Not somewhere in the pile, but the first one from the engorging stack was an article that caught his attention.

Old Loves, by Mimi Tachikawa

I have a white umbrella. When it was new, it was beautiful. Long and slim, contrasting from the crowd of black. Like an outstanding woman.

Unfortunately, her beauty faded quickly. After a while, the white turned yellow and stains appeared like freckles. Also, the length was certainly a disadvantage, compared to the foldable umbrellas.

So I began to create opportunities. To take it out on rainy days, hoping to leave it behind. Let it disappear, a painless separation. A perfect excuse to buy a new one. Won't that be nice?

The unloved are sensitive. One day, it just disappeared, without wasting my energy. Umbrellas have their dignity too. But wait. I'm not ready. It can't disappear without my permission. I became determined to get it back. I thought about where I had left it. Bookstore? Restaurant? Subway? I went all over the place.

I finally found it in the cinema. It was pouting, waiting for me. I recovered my love, and all was well. But from another angle, if I had really lost it, it would be gone forever. Would that touch of regret suit me better?

All lovers' reunions are beyond words. Right?

Matt's voice was loud and clear as he spoke confidently into the microphone. "Last week I mentioned the 'Beauty of Regret'. I was attacked by a woman for it. She said that I was brutal. Well, my listeners should know that I seldom read papers, especially those whiny columns. I wasted precious time just now to read this woman's works. Listen as I read this - it's quite long. The title is 'Old Loves'. I have a white umbrella..."

Finishing the column, he began to tell his own story. "...I bought a second hand vinyl record. An ex-boyfriend trying to lose it. This 'love gift' he never wanted to see again." Matt smiled as he talked. He was on a roll. "As the host for Starlight Music, do you think that I should have rescued this record and share it with you all? Think about it. If this 'love gift' was returned to the ill-tempered giver, then goodbye to this record." Matt pressed a button, which displayed a shattering noise, illustrating his point before continuing. "Although I despise this rough woman, she's quite a good writer, if only she could control herself. Now, enough of my voice. Let's listen to a song."

Matt let out a smirk to himself. If she could take a step back, then so could he. Then, he relaxed and listened to the song words, as he always did. "I have a gift of love. I want to give it to you. It is my heart. My deep love for you will never change..."
The boss of the radio station wore a happy and excited smile as he showed the staff their ratings. "Look at our success," he commented, his smile becoming broader and broader. "Just look at our success! Everyone wants to listen to our station, all thanks to our Matt here." He walked over to the star and patted him on the head, with childish gleefulness. "What do you say we invite this Mimi over to be your guest star, eh?" The staff nodded enthusiastically. 'This should be interesting,' Matt thought.
Mimi squinted as she looked through her messy apartment for her dictionary. Only a week, and it had disappeared under the books again.

"You must accept," Greg said. He's been following her around the apartment, nagging her about the invitation to the radio station, persuading her with exaggeration. "It's great publicity. He has tens of thousands of listeners."

"I'm not falling into his trap. He just wants to use me."

"Well, use him back. This is called revenge."

"He talks dirty. I'm afraid." She bent down and tossed some books out of the way. Where was it?

"You've already thrown beer on him. You're just as bad... Cockroach!!!" Greg suddenly jumped onto a nearby chair, staring at the floor as if it held deadly poison.

Mimi shook her head in annoyance. "Books and papers attract cockroaches. You're a coward."
Bending down once more, she saw the red book she was looking for and walked to the living room, leaving Greg on the chair, still not sure whether it was safe to come down yet.
"Welcome, Miss Tachikawa." The boss was immediately welcoming their guest. "Kathleen will take care of you. Please, don't be polite." With an encouraging smile, he left the office, leaving the room empty except for Mimi, Kathleen, and Matt.

Mimi seated herself on the far left chair. Kathleen followed her and sat next to her. Matt sat next to Kathleen on her other side. They all had drinks, but no one was drinking, and no one was speaking. The tense atmosphere was almost suffocating.

Kathleen smiled at Mimi awkwardly, not knowing what to do. "Matt has already prepared some questions. Just talk normally." She turned to Matt, nudging him. "Talk about your questions." When Matt did not respond, she turned back to Mimi, giving her an apologetic smile. "Have a drink."

Mimi picked up the plastic cup, but instead of drinking it, she fiddled around with the straw, jiggling the ice in the drink.

Matt stood up, holding his drink. Walking over to Mimi, he held the drink above her head, tilting it slightly, making it seem as if he was going to dump the liquid on her, just as she did to him.

After a few seconds of his threatening behavior, he placed the straw in his mouth and proceeded to drink noisily. "It's not drugged," he informed her nonchalantly.
"I have my first guest in two years. Miss Mimi Tachikawa!" Matt introduced into the microphone.

To be continued...