Disclaimer: I do not own A Time Apart or Digimon
Participants in the Project
Sharenadi (Share) Ishida-age 14
Matt Ishida-Share's father, an anthropogy professor at the university
Tai Kamiya-a doctoral candidate in English literature and an aspiring writer, father of Kari
Mimi Kamiya- a graduate student in psychology, mother of Kari
Kari Kamiya -age 5
Davis Motimiya- a carpenter and craftsman of fine furniture
Yolei Motimiya- a nurse
Joe Kido- high school science teacher
Sora Kido-elementary school teacher
Tommy Kido-age 9
T.k. Kido- age 7
Henry Wong- travel agent
Jerri Wong- Florist
Koji Minamoto-Jerri's younger brother, age 15
Takato Matsuki-auto mechanic, avid outdoorsman
Reika Matsuki-aerobics instructor, former marathon runner
Dr. Izzy Izumi-chairman of the anthropology Department at the university, director of the project
Chapter 1
When Share arrived at London's Gatwick Airport after an eight-hour trnsatlantic flight, her father was not there to meet her. She was fourteen years old, and her sole preparation for emergencies was one hundred dollars in American bills and a list of telephone numbers. She had not wanted to make this visit, much less make it by herself, but she was under the impression that her father was looking forward to it. At the least she had expected him to show up.
She looked at the crowd gathered on the far side of the customs barrier. Some of them seemed quite excited, waving and cheering as they spotted thier friends. None of thier faces looked familiar. Share wondered, with mixed hope and dismay, whether she had merely forgotten what he looked like.
As the crowd began to thin, she noticed several people holding signs, a few of them crudely hand-lettered. Off to the left she spotted a man. He was looking straight at her in a curious way. He was holding a sign and it had her name on it.
She headed in his direction, trailing her a little black suitcase. "I'm Sharenadi Ishida," She said.
The young man smiled and took her bag, introduced himself as Cody, and explained that he had been sent to pick her up by someone named Izzy. This worried Share because she had no idea who that was.
"I was supposed to meet my dad," she said.
Cody continued smiling; it seemed to be his one expression. "Your dad couldn't get away," he said. "Izzy said he'd take you out there. This way!" Confident that she would follow, he strode off toward the exit. After all, he had her suitcase.
"But I don't know himIzzy," Share insisted, troting alongside Cody as he briskly wove his way through gaps in the crowd, expertly steering around cartloads of luggage.
"Dr. Izumi," he called over his shoulder. "Izzy Izumi." When Share still showed no sign of understanding, he added, "Head of the departmentyou know?your dad's boss."
"Oh," said Share. She had never heard his name before. That would be the man who had designed the Iron Age project from wich her father "couldn't get away."
"I'm just gonna be here for a little while," she said.
Back home in Houston it would still be dark, maybe about four in the morning. Her mother would be asleep. Share pictured her curled up under her beautiful Nantucket quilt, with its soft fabric and faded colors.
Then she realized with a pang that her mom might not be home at all, but at the hospital. Was the surgery today or tomorrow? Why hadn't she gotten all that straight? There had been so much to take in all at once.
Over the span of a mere two days Share's normal life had been brought to a halt, and she had been packed off to her father in England. For at least half that time her mother had been on the phone.
Share had felt the storm brewing even before it hit. She could tell by the expression on her mother's face, by the tone of her voicestrained, half whisperingas she talked on the telephone. "Can I call you back on this?" she had said. "I really have to make some arrangements." when Share had asked what was going on, Zoe had said, "I'll tell you about it later," and started dailing again.
Share woke in the middle of the night to the sound of her mother's voice, still talking on the telephone. She padding down the hall , stood outside her mother's door and listened. "Yes, that's right," her mother was saying, her voice frantic. "Zoe Ishida. Calling from the U.S. Yes, I absolutely do have to talk to him today." Then there was a pause, then, "I understand, and I very much appreciate your going trough the trouble, but it really can't wait."
Izzy Izumi's office was on the ground level of an old building. "Ah, Sharenadi!" Izzy greeted her, "Thank you, Cody."
Cody left and returned with a pile of homespun garments over his arm and handed them to Share. "Is everbody wearing this stuff?" Share asked. "Indeed they are," said Izzy , far to cheerfully.
Zoe hadn't prepared her for this. Camping, more or less was what she had implied. Share stood there. fingering the rough wool of the garments, feeling foolish.
"Go ahead, Sharenadi," Izzy urged. "Take a left, and it's halfway down the hall."
Share laid the cloak on a filing cabinet before heading to the ladies room to change. "I won't need this," She said. She'd be gone long beofre it got to cold.
Share wondered how much her mother actally knew about this Iron Age farm she was ending her to. Zoe had been so anxious to get Share squared away she might have sent her to the space station if that's where her father had been, It was unlike Zoe to be so hasty.
Looking back now, Share was ashamed. That night she had wept about basketball camp and a community play, and missing her dog give birth to puppies. She had not wept about her mother having cancer. It just hadn't seemed real somehow.
The frist thing Share thought when she saw the village was What a dump! The only impressive feature was the roundhouse, which was very large. From where she stood she could scarely see the walls, for the enormous thatched roof not only was tall but hung over the sides almost to the ground. It looked like a big, squashed, hairy tepee.
A handful of smaller buildings were scattered about the muddy compound in no apparent order, and the whole business was encompassed by a rustic fence.
Chapter 2
Matt Ishida wasn't at the farm either. He was still in the medow with the morning crew, cutting hay. He would be back around lunchtime.
"Ah, Yolei," Izzy said, "This is Sharenadi." Then to Share: "Meet Yolei Motimiya, our medical practitioner."
Yolei led Share into the roundhouse. It was cool and dark inside. "This is my husband Davis." Yolei said, indicating a man sitting on the far side of the fire, turning the handles on a griding stone. "Welcome to the Iron Age, Sharenadi," Davis said. You could tell he had a sense of humor.
"Share." She said.
"Share it is," said Davis.
She walked over to where he was sitting. "What are you doing?" Share asked.
"Well," he said, "I'm grinding wheat on a rotary quern. To make bread."
"I can do that," Share said. "My mom and I make bread every week."
"Well, that's good," Yolei said brightly, "because your dad could certainly do with some help in that department."
"My dad makes bread?" Share asked, incredulous.
"We have a cooking rota," Yolei said. "Everybody cooks. Everybody makes bread, Today it's Davis and me, tomorrow Jerri and Henry, and so on."
Share never even noticed when Izzy left.
About a hour later the haymaking crew beagn straggling into the village. The frist couple to trudge into the compound was accompanied by a small child. Thier approach had been fascinating to watch, because the little girl kept danceing around thier feet, wailing and shrieking. Once or twice she would throw her arms around her mother's legs, though Share couldn't be sure whether the girl meant to embrace her mother or trip her.
"Oh, dear," Yolei said, "Kari's in a state."
"The little girl?" Share asked.
"Yeah. She's fine most of the time around the compound if you give her something to do. But this haymaking is to much for her."
"She works in the field?" Share asked.
"No, but she has to go out there so her parents can watch her. When she gets to hot or bored, she gets like that. Come on and meet Mimi and Tai."
The Matsukis, Takoto and Reika dragged in next.
"Matt will be along soon," Reika said.
With no sign of Matt, a fourth family arrived. The Kidos had two boys. The boys, Tommy and T.K. looked like creatures raised by wolves.
The parents of the wild children were introduced as Sora and Joe.
Finally, Matt drug in. He spotted Share and waved airly.
Lunch was well underway when the last of villagers arrived. A couple and a teenage boy.
"Behold! The Fisherpersons return!" Davis called out.
"But where are the fish?" Tai added.
"We hooked a big one," said the older man, "But when we pulled it out of the water, it spoke to us, so we had to let it go."
"Oh, really?" Said Mimi, a suppressed smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "What did it say?"
"It said we could have three wishes. As a reward, you know, for setting it free."
Kari was enthralled by this story, beliving it to be the real honest truth. She left her seat on the log and ran to the man who was speaking.
"What did you wish?" she asked.
"Well..."he said with tantalizing slowness, then turned to his wife. "What was the frist wish?"
The wife press her lips together ina thoughtful manner. The story was only for Kari now. "I think it was for lunch to be ready when we got back."
Kari screamed in horror. What a wasted wish!
"What was the next one?"
"The second wish was...for Matt's daughter to be here."
Kari turned briefly to Share, her face showing vividly how unworthy she was of the wish.
"What was the last wish?" She asked.
"Let me think," the woman said. "Koji, do you remember?"
Koji, the teen, glanced away embarrassed. He was good-looking, Share thought.
"I remember now," the woman went on. "I wished Kari would give me a kiss!" She leaned over and offered her cheek.
Kari slapped her hips with both hands, stomped her feet. Mimi dragged her back to her place on the log. "She's only five, Jerri," She said to the woman. "You really shouldn't wind her up like that."
"You thought it was funny when she started," Koji snapped back.
Everybody stared. There was an edge to his voice and a challenge in his look.
"Let it be, Koji," Matt said. Then, before Koji could answer back, Matt plunged into introductions. "Share," he said, "I want you to meet Henry and Jerri Wong and Jerri's brother, Koji Minamoto. My daughter, Share Ishida."
Jerri and Henry came over and shook hands. Koji just nodded his head with half-closed eyes. It was a very sexy look, Share thought.
"We considered eating your lunch since you were late but decided against it," said Yolei, a little to cheery, anxious to smooth things over. She got up and led them into the roundhouse.
Share resumed nibbling on her bread. It wasn't much like regular breadit was more like a big. chewy biscuit and it tasted faintly of woodsmoke.But then Davis and Yolei hadn't had much to work with. Just coarse stone-ground flour, water, and salt. It was unleavened beacuse Iron Age people had had no yeast. Nor were there eggs to put in the dough. Though the village had almost forty hens, they were of old English variety, and none of them had laid much after the first clutch in spring.
Tearing off a bit of the bread, Share scooped up a dollop of soft white cheese from the small wooden bowel in her lap. It was freshly made goat cheese, flavored with wild garlic, it was tangy and good. Yolei had given her a taste earlier. When she said she liked it, Yolei said that was a good thing she'd be having a lot of it.
Share used her finger to scoop up the last bits of cheese that clung to the edge of the bowl. Sensing something, she looked up. Koji was still standing there, watching her. Share gave him a what's-it-to-ya? stare. Then she licked her finger and wiped the spit off on her skirt.
Koji laughed at that and went inside the rounhouse.
End of Chapter 2
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