§ § § -- September 1, 1995
Late in the afternoon, with the sun low in the sky and painting pale-orange stripes on the floor through the shutters of the study in the main house, the door opened and several people came in: Myeko, Camille, and Reiko Tokita. "Hi, everyone," Leslie said with a welcoming, if questioning, smile.
"We're not interrupting anything, are we?" Reiko asked.
"No, Father's out at the moment. Sit down. What's up?" Leslie got up from the desk and came around front to half lean, half sit on it.
Reiko looked a bit distressed. "Toki's left, Leslie. He didn't bother saying goodbye to anyone—he just left a note. Poor Mother's in tears, and my father's furious at Toki for his treatment of her. I can't figure out what his problem is."
"He never even came to see the kids," Myeko broke in, eyes flashing with outrage. "Do you believe the nerve of him?"
"Hate to say it, but I do," Leslie admitted wryly, shaking her head to herself. So my advice obviously fell on deaf ears. "I'm sorry, Myeko."
"Mother just wanted to talk to him," Reiko exclaimed indignantly. "But all he said in the note was that he needed to get back to work before he got fired, and to pass on his good wishes to Alexander and Noelle."
"Good wishes aren't going to get the kids new clothes," Myeko spat. "His child-support check's late again. Leslie, I'm so mad I could strangle him. How can he be so cold to his own family? All that matters to him is that stupid job of his. What on earth could be so wonderful about it that he puts it above his parents and his children?"
"He's making loads of money, for one thing," Camille said thoughtfully. "Last time Tommy called, he said Toki's doing a really great job and he's thinking about giving him a raise when his next review comes around."
Reiko, Myeko and Leslie stared at her. "What?" Reiko blurted.
"Does he work for Tommy?" Leslie asked, astonished.
Camille looked taken aback, shifting her surprised gaze from one face to another. "You mean you didn't know? Tommy hired Toki as his vice president of operations. He says the guy's a natural."
"If he's making so much money, then why is his check late this month?" Myeko demanded in frustration. "I swear, I'm going to fly to Honolulu and kill him myself. I don't care if Clark throws me in jail for the next four hundred years. The jerk deserves to die a slow and grisly death."
Leslie suppressed a smile; Camille wasn't quite so tactful. Reiko sighed. "I'd join you, if I didn't know for a fact that Mother and Father would disown me."
Leslie pushed herself off the desk and went to a drawer while her friends and Reiko watched curiously, pulling it open and withdrawing a battered-looking check. "Myeko, I think you need this much more than we do. I'm going to cash it at the bank tomorrow and then I'll give you the proceeds."
"What is it?" Myeko asked.
"Toki evidently had a fantasy of sorts," Leslie said ruefully. "He came in yesterday to see Father about talking to me, and I guess he thought the only way he could make it happen was to have it granted to him as a fantasy."
Myeko peered at her curiously. "Really? Did you talk to him?"
Leslie nodded. "Reluctantly, but yes. He had the crazy idea that, with him divorced and me widowed, he and I could get together. I set him straight on that one in a hurry. I also told him a few home truths, but it sounds to me like he wasn't ready to face up to them just yet." While Myeko contemplated this, Leslie turned to Reiko. "So Toki never tells you or the rest of your family anything about his life these days?"
"Nothing," Reiko confirmed. "He's so evasive, you'd think he committed a crime. Why on earth would he refuse to tell us that Tommy hired him?"
Leslie shrugged. "I wish I could answer that, but I have no clue. Myeko, this was for six hundred dollars. When I saw it last evening while I was preparing the deposit, I thought it might be best to set it aside, because it made no sense for Toki to write a $600 check just for an hour of my time. After all, advice is free, isn't it?" The girls chuckled. "So, like I said, I'll drop by tomorrow around lunchtime and give you the money."
"Okay, thanks, Leslie," Myeko said with a sigh. "It still isn't the full amount he owes. When Mr. Roarke drew up the divorce papers, he put in a proviso that Toki had to send a thousand a month to make sure the kids were adequately cared for." She paused a moment, glanced at Reiko and Camille, and smiled sheepishly. "Listen, you two, thanks for coming, but is it okay if I talk with Leslie alone?"
"No problem," Camille said easily. "I'm glad I could at least tell you about Toki's job. Come on, Reiko, let's hit for home." Reiko nodded; both girls said goodbye and departed.
Myeko got to her feet and heaved a deep sigh. "Would you walk to my house with me, Leslie, if you can get away?" she asked. "My mother's staying with Alexander and Noelle and I promised her I'd be back before sunset."
Leslie smiled. "Let me just write Father a quick note." She scribbled a few lines on a notepad, and a moment later accompanied Myeko out and along a shortcut path that would take them to the small Asian settlement where Camille and Myeko had grown up and still lived. "How're the kids these days?"
"Lively," Myeko remarked. "I don't know where they get the energy. Leslie…what exactly did Toki say to you, anyway?"
Uncomfortably Leslie stalled. "About what?"
"Anything," Myeko said. She stopped and faced Leslie head-on. "If you think you're going to upset me, don't worry about it. I've always known he had a crush on you, and I've also always known that you could barely stand him. Whatever problems Toki has that might be related to his feelings for you, they aren't your fault, and I'm fully aware of that. So unless you promised him your conversation with him was in confidence, I'd really like to know what he had to say."
Leslie regarded her friend with surprise and relief, then smiled and spontaneously hugged her. "You're one in a zillion, Myeko Sensei, and don't you ever forget it."
"I know," Myeko said demurely, and they both burst out laughing. "All kidding aside, really, Leslie, spill it. Maybe I'll learn something I didn't know."
"I'm not sure there's much to tell," Leslie said. "But if you were wondering why he was so against you working, you might be interested in knowing that he told me the females in his family never worked. His mother never did, Kayoko didn't, Reiko still doesn't even though she isn't married, and he seems to think Michiko's idle rich." Myeko snorted at that idea, and Leslie grinned agreement. "Precisely. In any case, I think it was a matter of pride. He wanted to be the sole breadwinner in the family, and it was a blow to him when you told him you wanted to get a job."
"Hmph," Myeko mumbled, shaking her head. "Well, so tell me what else he said."
Leslie outlined her chat with Toki as they walked, and the recap brought them all the way back to Myeko's cottage. "Amazing," Myeko commented with a sigh, starting up the front steps. "I never thought he…hey, hold it. What's that?"
Leslie followed her gaze. There was a blank envelope wedged between the door and the jamb. Myeko pulled it free and turned it over a couple of times before ripping it open and withdrawing a note folded around a check.
"Oh my God," Myeko said. "It's the child-support check Toki owes me for this month. The full thousand." She unfolded the note and read it aloud. "Hi, Myeko. Sorry this is late again. I promise to try to do better from now on. I'm sorry for all the grief I've put you through. Best of luck with Mokuleia. Toki."
The two women looked at each other for a moment, surprise on both their faces. "I guess something I said must have penetrated that thick skull of his after all," Leslie commented, half amused.
"Whatever it was, I'm glad you said it, then," Myeko remarked. "He's still missing out on a lot. But I guess that's his choice."
"It's a start at least. Maybe someday he'll make the choice to reconnect," Leslie mused, meeting Myeko's hopeful gaze and smiling at the same time she did.
THE END
My next story is going to fall under the "whimsy" category. Wait till you see what happens to some college frat boys!