6/10/04
Chapter Three: Intro to Jade
A light breeze blew past Jade as she waited for the bus. She looked to the right and saw a lonely truck parked in the lot and leaned into the wind and closed her eyes. Her husband, Lapis, sighed and kissed her cheek lightly, then sat down on the bench.
A car beeped its horn and Jade looked over. "Jade! Over here!" a voice called. Jade smiled. "Ah, Sapphire! I thought you had forgotten about me!" Sapphire grinned and picked up Jade's luggage. "Well, you should know me better than that! You know the trains in this area are ridiculous!" "Ah, yes," responded Jade amusingly, "how could I forget?" Sapphire embraced Jade tightly. "Aagh, Sapphire, I can't breath!" gasped Jade. Sapphire let go and Jade smiled at her. "I was ready to take the bus if you had been any later." Lapis laughed, "You should have heard her on the way here! She did nothing but worry that something would go wrong." Sapphire smiled warmly and hugged Lapis. "How have you been, Lapis?" Sapphire asked. Lapis replied, "I have to live with Jade. How do you think I've been?" Jade playfully pushed him, and then kissed him. "Shall we go?" enquired Sapphire. Jade and Lapis nodded excitedly.
"Well, Sapphire, I see you've been living well! This is, of course, the first time I've been to your house since I helped you unpack years ago." exclaimed Jade as she entered the house. Sapphire beamed, "Well, I try." Lapis looks around the house and stops at a hanging tapestry. "That's very nice tapestry, Sapphire," he commented. Sapphire turned her gaze to the wall. "Ah, yes," she replied, "it's from Japan. I got it on one of my trips there recently." Jade smiled, "Oh, I did see one like that! I almost got one, but I went for the vase instead. Very nice vase, it is."
They conversed over a cup of tea, then went out for supper. "What do you guys want? Mexican? Italian? Japanese?" asked Sapphire as she drove through town. "Oh, anything is fine," replied Jade. Lapis looked out the window of the car and yelled out, "Adult Toy Store?! We have to go! Oh, can we? Please?" Sapphire burst out laughing as Jade began to scold Lapis for his behavior. "Oh, Jade!" laughed Sapphire, "you don't have to shout! We can go after we eat, I don't mind at all." Jade crossed her arms angrily, but agreed. "Can we have Japanese?" asked Lapis politely. "Oh, of course!" replied Sapphire happily, "there's a new place in town, you'll love it!"
Arriving at the restaurant, Lapis looked up at the sign on the front. "Sapphire's Sushi Shop?" he mused. Sapphire smiled as Jade gasped in surprise and Lapis shook his head in amusement. "So, why didn't you say you own the Japanese restaurant? I would've suggested Mexican," laughed Lapis jokingly. "Sapphire! You said you were a manga and anime artist! You never mentioned owning a shop!" exclaimed Jade in surprise. "Well," answered Sapphire, blushing, "I guess it just slipped my mind on the phone." "Slipped your mind?" laughed Lapis, "I think you're just being modest!" Sapphire cleared her throat and led them in.
"Ah, Sapphire, ma'am. I was hoping you would be arriving with guests tonight," said a waitress as she approached the party. "Yes, they decided to come here, though they did get a bit of a surprise when they saw it," replied Sapphire without hesitation. The waitress laughed, "But you expected that, didn't you?" "Opal?!" shouted Jade as a girl walked by. The girl turned and nearly jumped out of her skin. "Jade?" she shouted in reply. The girls embraced, nearly knocking the waitress off her feet. "Hey," scolded Sapphire playfully, "Jade, Opal, you two are going to scare off my customers!" People around the restaurant began to look at the spectacle being created. Lapis and Sapphire escorted Jade and Opal to a table where the four of them sat down as the waitress placed menus on the table.
"So," said Sapphire looking over her menu at her guests, "what'll it be, guys?" Lapis looked at his menu and furrowed his brow in concentration. "Hmmm, how's the sushi here?" he asked skeptically. Sapphire grinned, "Some of the greatest outside of Japan!" Lapis smiled, "Good. Cause I've had a craving since we left home." "Jade continued to look at the menu. "Hey," she began, "do you have a buffet?" "Oh, yes! I think I'm going to have that, in fact," answered Sapphire enthusiastically.
After their meal, the friends headed out to Sapphire's car and Opal departed. "Sapphire," asked Jade curiously, "are you still with that guy? Oh, what was his name again? Dante?" Sapphire smiled and answered, "Why yes, I am." "Oh," replied Jade, "how's that going?" "We're getting married," answered Sapphire happily. Lapis snickered as Jade stopped dead in her tracks and began to stutter, "B-but... you.... Y-you s-said that he w- wasn't ready! You h-had even considered b-b-breaking up w-with him!"
Sapphire smiled, "I knew you'd be like this. Actually, dear, I said I was worried and that he was going to dump me, not the other way around!" Sapphire sighed. "Look," she continued, "I know you're not especially fond of him, but I love him. And he loves me. I know he does, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed with me this long because he wouldn't have wanted to listen to me bitch constantly, you know that." Jade shook her head in disapproval, "Well, I guess that's that. I suppose you have plans?" Sapphire shook her head and said, "Not yet. We're still looking at the calendar and trying to schedule. We will soon." Jade nodded in acknowledgement. "Say, I need help designing my wedding dress..." began Sapphire pointedly. "Really?" said Jade happily. "Oh, yes," continued Sapphire, "Would you care to help?" Jade raised an eyebrow, "I don't know. You sure you want me?" Sapphire grinned, "Who else could help me with something as special as this?"
The three friends got into the car laughing and joking, not knowing what lay ahead, but anticipating nonetheless.
"Say," said Lapis as they left the parking lot, "can we still go to that Toy Store?"
Chapter Three: Intro to Jade
A light breeze blew past Jade as she waited for the bus. She looked to the right and saw a lonely truck parked in the lot and leaned into the wind and closed her eyes. Her husband, Lapis, sighed and kissed her cheek lightly, then sat down on the bench.
A car beeped its horn and Jade looked over. "Jade! Over here!" a voice called. Jade smiled. "Ah, Sapphire! I thought you had forgotten about me!" Sapphire grinned and picked up Jade's luggage. "Well, you should know me better than that! You know the trains in this area are ridiculous!" "Ah, yes," responded Jade amusingly, "how could I forget?" Sapphire embraced Jade tightly. "Aagh, Sapphire, I can't breath!" gasped Jade. Sapphire let go and Jade smiled at her. "I was ready to take the bus if you had been any later." Lapis laughed, "You should have heard her on the way here! She did nothing but worry that something would go wrong." Sapphire smiled warmly and hugged Lapis. "How have you been, Lapis?" Sapphire asked. Lapis replied, "I have to live with Jade. How do you think I've been?" Jade playfully pushed him, and then kissed him. "Shall we go?" enquired Sapphire. Jade and Lapis nodded excitedly.
"Well, Sapphire, I see you've been living well! This is, of course, the first time I've been to your house since I helped you unpack years ago." exclaimed Jade as she entered the house. Sapphire beamed, "Well, I try." Lapis looks around the house and stops at a hanging tapestry. "That's very nice tapestry, Sapphire," he commented. Sapphire turned her gaze to the wall. "Ah, yes," she replied, "it's from Japan. I got it on one of my trips there recently." Jade smiled, "Oh, I did see one like that! I almost got one, but I went for the vase instead. Very nice vase, it is."
They conversed over a cup of tea, then went out for supper. "What do you guys want? Mexican? Italian? Japanese?" asked Sapphire as she drove through town. "Oh, anything is fine," replied Jade. Lapis looked out the window of the car and yelled out, "Adult Toy Store?! We have to go! Oh, can we? Please?" Sapphire burst out laughing as Jade began to scold Lapis for his behavior. "Oh, Jade!" laughed Sapphire, "you don't have to shout! We can go after we eat, I don't mind at all." Jade crossed her arms angrily, but agreed. "Can we have Japanese?" asked Lapis politely. "Oh, of course!" replied Sapphire happily, "there's a new place in town, you'll love it!"
Arriving at the restaurant, Lapis looked up at the sign on the front. "Sapphire's Sushi Shop?" he mused. Sapphire smiled as Jade gasped in surprise and Lapis shook his head in amusement. "So, why didn't you say you own the Japanese restaurant? I would've suggested Mexican," laughed Lapis jokingly. "Sapphire! You said you were a manga and anime artist! You never mentioned owning a shop!" exclaimed Jade in surprise. "Well," answered Sapphire, blushing, "I guess it just slipped my mind on the phone." "Slipped your mind?" laughed Lapis, "I think you're just being modest!" Sapphire cleared her throat and led them in.
"Ah, Sapphire, ma'am. I was hoping you would be arriving with guests tonight," said a waitress as she approached the party. "Yes, they decided to come here, though they did get a bit of a surprise when they saw it," replied Sapphire without hesitation. The waitress laughed, "But you expected that, didn't you?" "Opal?!" shouted Jade as a girl walked by. The girl turned and nearly jumped out of her skin. "Jade?" she shouted in reply. The girls embraced, nearly knocking the waitress off her feet. "Hey," scolded Sapphire playfully, "Jade, Opal, you two are going to scare off my customers!" People around the restaurant began to look at the spectacle being created. Lapis and Sapphire escorted Jade and Opal to a table where the four of them sat down as the waitress placed menus on the table.
"So," said Sapphire looking over her menu at her guests, "what'll it be, guys?" Lapis looked at his menu and furrowed his brow in concentration. "Hmmm, how's the sushi here?" he asked skeptically. Sapphire grinned, "Some of the greatest outside of Japan!" Lapis smiled, "Good. Cause I've had a craving since we left home." "Jade continued to look at the menu. "Hey," she began, "do you have a buffet?" "Oh, yes! I think I'm going to have that, in fact," answered Sapphire enthusiastically.
After their meal, the friends headed out to Sapphire's car and Opal departed. "Sapphire," asked Jade curiously, "are you still with that guy? Oh, what was his name again? Dante?" Sapphire smiled and answered, "Why yes, I am." "Oh," replied Jade, "how's that going?" "We're getting married," answered Sapphire happily. Lapis snickered as Jade stopped dead in her tracks and began to stutter, "B-but... you.... Y-you s-said that he w- wasn't ready! You h-had even considered b-b-breaking up w-with him!"
Sapphire smiled, "I knew you'd be like this. Actually, dear, I said I was worried and that he was going to dump me, not the other way around!" Sapphire sighed. "Look," she continued, "I know you're not especially fond of him, but I love him. And he loves me. I know he does, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed with me this long because he wouldn't have wanted to listen to me bitch constantly, you know that." Jade shook her head in disapproval, "Well, I guess that's that. I suppose you have plans?" Sapphire shook her head and said, "Not yet. We're still looking at the calendar and trying to schedule. We will soon." Jade nodded in acknowledgement. "Say, I need help designing my wedding dress..." began Sapphire pointedly. "Really?" said Jade happily. "Oh, yes," continued Sapphire, "Would you care to help?" Jade raised an eyebrow, "I don't know. You sure you want me?" Sapphire grinned, "Who else could help me with something as special as this?"
The three friends got into the car laughing and joking, not knowing what lay ahead, but anticipating nonetheless.
"Say," said Lapis as they left the parking lot, "can we still go to that Toy Store?"