§ § § -- December 21, 1996
By the time Katsumi and Haruko ventured into the clearing, the Saturday-night luau had been in full swing for about an hour. A little overwhelmed by all the people, Katsumi kept a good firm grip on her daughter's hand and began to search for Leslie among the throngs of tourists.
So far today, Katsumi had attempted mightily to keep her mind off Kazuo Miyamoto, with varying degrees of success. Soaking up sun on the beach had given her too much time and space to think; getting in some exercise at the swimming pool had cleared her mind. She and Haruko had spent a great deal of time at the little Japanese garden, both assaulted with homesickness and finding a sanctuary there. Haruko had cheered up quickly, though, and had pretended to have a little tea ceremony, the particulars of which she knew all too well from her upbringing at the geisha house. It had been this that had strengthened Katsumi's courage and resolve: eventually, Haruko would have seen far more than she thought was good for a young child, and they were both better off. She sensed a sympathetic spirit in Leslie, and kept buoying her flagging spirits with the consolation that Leslie would surely do all that was in her power to help Katsumi adjust to a whole new life.
"Something smells good, Mama," Haruko piped up, pulling Katsumi back into the present moment. "I'm hungry! Can we have something to eat?"
"Let's find Leslie first," Katsumi said. Leslie had insisted that both she and Haruko use her first name; when Katsumi had protested that it was bad manners for Haruko to address an elder so casually, Leslie had suggested that Haruko preface her name with "miss", as nearly all the islanders did. Katsumi herself was still trying to get used to the easy familiarity with which westerners addressed one another.
"I see her," Haruko exclaimed happily, and Katsumi let the child lead her to a table where Leslie sat with two other young women. One, Katsumi noted with great surprise, was Asian; the other had the palest hair she had ever seen and eyes of a startling green.
Leslie noticed their approach and brightened in welcome. "Hello, you two! Come and sit with us," she invited, indicating an empty chair. Katsumi sat down a little uneasily while Haruko stood between her chair and Leslie's, suddenly quiet.
"Guest, or new friend?" asked the Asian woman.
Leslie grinned. "Both, actually. This is Katsumi Nishimura from Kyoto, and her daughter Haruko. Katsumi, this is Myeko Sensei, and here is Maureen Harding."
Katsumi stared in amazement at Myeko and, without thinking, asked her a question in Japanese. Myeko stared blankly back and then turned red. "This," she told Leslie ruefully, "is one of those times I regret not knowing how to speak Japanese. Except for one shameful little phrase, that is." Sheepishly she said to Katsumi, "Nihongo ga dekimasen."
Katsumi blushed in her turn. "Ohh…gomen nasai. I am sorry."
"What'd you tell her, that you can't speak Japanese?" Maureen asked, amused, and Myeko nodded. "Well, what about Michiko's sister?"
"Reiko did some translating for us this morning," Leslie said. "As a matter of fact—" She glanced casually over her shoulder as she spoke, but never completed the sentence; her eyes went very wide. "Oh my God. Speak of the devil…"
Katsumi, alerted more by Leslie's expression and tone of voice than her words, twisted in her seat and followed her gaze, and thought she might faint. Strolling through the crowd, not twenty feet away, were Kazuo Miyamoto and Reiko Tokita, arm in arm and clearly oblivious to anyone else. She gasped softly and felt Leslie's hand on her shoulder in response.
"What's the matter?" Maureen asked.
"Um…this is sort of a delicate situation," Leslie said carefully—and at that precise moment, the couple both happened to look directly at them. Kazuo's face grew alarmed; Reiko brightened and pulled her reluctant companion over to their table. Katsumi hung her head in shame, unable to meet anyone else's eyes.
"Hi, Leslie," Reiko said cheerfully. "Did Mr. Roarke give you the evening off?"
"Something like that," Leslie said. "I guess you two are enjoying the luau."
"Well, Kazuo's on break, but…" Reiko cut herself off when she saw Haruko peering at her over Katsumi's bowed head and studied her with a puzzled, curious squint, and a long wired moment dragged by.
Katsumi refused to look up, and Leslie found herself with the feeling that she was caught in a rapidly tightening vise. She had earlier noticed Haruko's resemblance to her father, and knew it would be impossible for Reiko to miss. Uneasily Leslie watched now as realization blossomed across Reiko's face, followed by shock, then anger and betrayal. Like her older sister, Reiko couldn't hide her emotions. She and the little girl stared at each other until Haruko, frightened by Reiko's intense scrutiny and the growing anger on her features, clutched at Katsumi and lowered her own head.
Reiko then turned sharply on Kazuo. "That child looks like you!" she snapped.
Kazuo, startled, shook his head. "I can't father children, Reiko, I told you that before," he said in protest. "There's no proof that the child is mine."
"Oh, come on, Kazuo, she's practically a dead ringer for you," Reiko said. "No wonder you've always been so secretive about your life before you came here. You were hiding your family from me, weren't you?"
Kazuo's face filled with shock. "Reiko, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!" he exclaimed. "I didn't know that child existed till this morning, and I hadn't seen her mother in seven years!" At that, Maureen bit her lip; Myeko listened avidly, her eyes huge with fascination.
"You knew the mother?" Reiko cried, and Kazuo squeezed his eyes shut and groaned softly. "Were you ever going to tell me anything about yourself, Kazuo?"
"We never…" Kazuo began, looking around him with deep mortification. Leslie and Maureen glanced at each other, both deeply embarrassed for him, Katsumi and poor Haruko, before Leslie closed her eyes and bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.
"Never made any promises, right," Reiko finished, her voice thickening. "If you were ever planning on it, you can forget it now. It's all over between us, Kazuo. For good!" She stalked out of the clearing, leaving a stunned, shamed silence behind her.
"Wow," Myeko breathed at last. The one word jolted Kazuo back to life and he fled the luau; only then did Katsumi look up and watch him go. Leslie, Maureen and Myeko all saw the one tear that slid from her eye and hovered on her cheek.
Myeko's curiosity slipped its bounds. "What'll you do now, Katsumi?" she asked, meaning to be sympathetic.
"Myeko," Maureen muttered warningly, and Myeko blinked, then realized what she had done and turned brilliant crimson.
Leslie leaned forward, catching Katsumi's attention. "Katsumi, don't cry," she said softly. "It's not your fault. Now he needs to think."
Katsumi looked bleakly back at her. "We go in morning," she said, her accent made even thicker by impending tears. "We go home to Japan. Nothing here for us." Before Leslie had a chance to react, she stood up, gathered Haruko close and picked her up, and swiftly departed the clearing.
"We're not going to ask for details," Maureen said when she was gone, "since this isn't our business in the first place. But I think I can see what happened here. She brought her daughter from Japan in order to meet the girl's father, only to find that things weren't quite as idyllic as she'd painted them in her mind."
"That's a fairly accurate guess," Leslie said, heaving a sigh. "We can't stop Katsumi from leaving on the first plane in the morning if she's really determined to do it, but she'd be going back to a very bleak future." She got to her own feet. "You guys stay here and enjoy the luau for awhile. I need to go find Father."
"You coming back?" Myeko asked.
"I don't know," said Leslie. "Tell you what, if I'm not back in half an hour, it's up to you whatever you want to do."
Maureen nodded. "Okay. Good luck, Leslie."
"I'm not the one who needs it," Leslie said before plunging into the crowd in search of Roarke. Myeko and Maureen exchanged one rueful glance before Myeko flagged down a waiter and put in an order for a very large drink.