Programmed Lives - First Stage
Chapter Fifteen
Following his parents' Mercedes, on their way to the Arakawa residence, Ryosuke found himself, once more, driving at a ridiculously low speed, so slow in fact that even the FC's engine seemed to complain about it.
'Geez, what's wrong with the old man!' Keisuke said from the passenger's seat, voicing Ryosuke's own thoughts.
'Nothing, he's just that: old,' Ryosuke said laughing.
'Oh well, at least it's you the one doing the driving. My FD would fall asleep if I drove this slowly…'
'Thank you for this Keisuke.'
'Ah, don't mention it. I always enjoy in when you let me ride in your car. Besides, you needed an excuse so Akiko can take her own car to pick that James guy up from Maebashi's station,' Keisuke replied.
The youngest of the Takahashi spent a few moments observing his brother. He definitely looked better.
'Are you nervous?' he asked Ryosuke.
'A bit,' Ryosuke confessed, then, behaving more like himself, he added, 'but I'm confident everything will work out. After all, all of this happened because of father and Doctor Arakawa. If you come to think of it, we're just doing exactly what they wanted from us in the first place,'
'Yeah, that's right,' Keisuke agreed before adding, 'I've been thinking of what you asked me last night,'
'Uh-huh,' Ryosuke said egging him on to continue.
'Well, it seems like a good idea. This way I'll be able to keep an eye on that girl,' he said.
'No need for that Keisuke. I trust her.'
'You do?' Keisuke asked not hiding his surprise.
'I do. I'm not going to go too deep into this but I know that she's got the best intentions when it comes to you.'
'You describe her as though as she was some sort of saint,' Keisuke commented.
'Believe me, she's not a saint, but she knows a thing or two about living with an over controlling father.'
Keisuke didn't say anything to that.
When they finally arrived at the Arakawa's residence, the butler took them directly to the sitting room where both Dr Arakawa and Akiko were waiting for them.
'Do you know what the meaning of all of this is?' Doctor Takahashi asked his colleague after exchanging the usual pleasantries.
'I've got a vague idea,' Doctor Arakawa said smiling contentedly. Akiko exchanged a brief look with Ryosuke and, the way she smiled at him made him think that Doctor Arakawa wouldn't be smiling for much longer.
'Shall we go to the dinning room?' she said.
As it was convened in these occasions, they filled the entire time that the meal lasted with small talk, reserving the main topic of conversation for after the dessert had been served.
Then following the established pattern, Ryosuke got up and, picking up a fork he softly rapped his glass.
'May I have your attention, please?' he said in his most formal voice.
Keisuke looked at Doctor Arakawa who now looked as a cat after catching a mouse.
'Father, Doctor Arakawa, Akiko and I have had some time in the past few days to get to know each other and we've decided to accept the agreement you proposed.'
His father gasped while his mother limited herself to look at Akiko with a motherly smile.
'Are you sure you aren't going to change your mind again?' Sousuke asked his son but, for some reason, had directed his gaze towards Akiko.
'Yes, we are sure,' Ryosuke replied then, looking at Akiko and then at his own brother, he added, 'however, we have some requests.'
'And what are they?' Doctor Arakawa asked, his smile beginning to falter.
'Well, one is that we'd like the wedding to be organised directly by us. We'd like an intimate ceremony, just close family and a few friends,' Ryosuke said.
'And?' Doctor Arakawa insisted seeing that Ryosuke was far from having finished.
'The other one,' Ryosuke said, this time looking at his parents, 'is that we'd like Keisuke to move in with us. Clearly, he'd be living in his own apartment, one that we'd make out within the house itself.'
His parents seemed to consider this and, taking by surprise both the Takahashi brothers and Akiko herself, Doctor Takahashi said:
'That sounds reasonable. After all, ever since he started junior high, he's been completely out of our control. I think it's better if he remains under your supervision, as long as your future wife doesn't mind.'
'Not at all, Doctor Takahashi, both your son and I agree that this is the best solution,' Akiko said.
'Oh well, then, that's sorted. Shall we toast to the engagement?' Sousuke said looking almost relieved to see that, he had managed to conclude a very propitious agreement at the same time than removing what he had considered his biggest problem at home.
'Not so soon,' Akiko said, this time getting up as well. Ryosuke looked at her confusedly.
'What is it?' Doctor Takahashi asked looking almost afraid of what this girl, a troublemaker in his books, would come up with.
'Well, the thing is, I've had the chance to see how very professional Ryosuke is with his racing team and, I have a proposal for you all.'
'Akiko…' Doctor Arakawa said admonishingly. Akiko just ignored him and carried on:
'You two know how very hard dealing with the hospital's administrations is. From the medical point of view, the training Ryosuke and I will have to go through is something we can do anytime at any of the three hospitals. However, Ryosuke would have to acquire the knowledge to manage the hospitals through any of you two. Unfortunately, I doubt that you'll have the time to ensure he gets a proper training.'
'I fail to see what this has anything to do with racing,' her father said.
'Father, in the racing world, the biggest challenge is not winning the races, is getting and keeping the sponsors for your team. I think that this is an excellent training field for Ryosuke to learn to deal with your investors.'
Ryosuke and Keisuke looked at her finally understanding what she was getting to. Ryosuke felt a warm sensation in his chest: this girl was definitely something special. He decided to let her do the talking.
'Father, you and Doctor Takahashi won't even consider retiring for at least ten or fifteen more years. By then Ryosuke will have more than fulfilled his dreams in the racing world and will be more than ready to take the hospitals over from you.'
'Are you saying that we won't be able to count on him for the next ten years?' Dr Takahashi asked.
'Not in the slightest. He'll need to start his residency as soon as we sit our finals. What I'm saying is that you should let him off his duties as the future director of both the Arakawa and Takahashi Groups. This way I think he'd have the time to pursue his aspirations within the racing world, acquiring some very valuable knowledge in the process. Either way, you win.'
Both doctors looked at each other.
'What about an heir for the Arakawa Group?' Doctor Arakawa asked.
Akiko looked briefly at Ryosuke and for the shortest of moments she seemed to lose her composure. Then, after taking a deep breath to steady herself, she said:
'That's my job, isn't it?'
Only Ryosuke seemed to perceive a very small amount of bitterness in her voice.
'Alright then,' Doctor Arakawa said.
'Five years Ryosuke. We give you five years to do whatever you please with your cars. After that, you'll have to apply yourself to the management of the hospitals,' Sousuke said looking at his son.
'Fine,' Ryosuke said feeling happier than he had ever been in his life: he got to become a doctor without having to give up his dream.
'Son, are you sure you'll be able to cope with the residency and the racing?' Kinue Takahashi asked concernedly.
'Yes, I will. So far I've managed to cope with it on top of university and helping father, haven't I?'
'Yes, but this time you'll also have a wife to take care of.'
'A wife who'll do her best to help him,' Akiko said firmly.
Not being able to argue anything else, the two doctors found themselves having to agree.
'Now, with your permission, I think we have plenty to celebrate tonight, so we're going to go out,' Ryosuke said.
'Alright, we have business to discuss anyway,' Doctor Arakawa said.
'Drive carefully,' Kinue said making both Ryosuke and Keisuke smile.
'You're amazing,' Ryosuke said the minute he, Keisuke and Akiko entered the Arakawa's garage.
'Not really, is just that for the first time in his life, my father has to listen to what I have to say.'
'Well, I'm very impressed,' he said.
She shrugged her small shoulders and said:
'I just hated to think that you'd have to give up something you obviously love more than anything in the world,'
'What about your dream?' Ryosuke said.
'I think I'm living it,' she said then she turned round and, opening her 10AE's door, she climbed into it and started its engine.
Ryosuke took the hint and he and Keisuke got into the FC.
'Aniki, I'm not going to complain about Akiko-san ever again,' Keisuke said once they were on the road, following Akiko's car.
'Since when do you have so much respect for her?' Ryosuke asked, surprised of his brother's sudden change of mind.
'She has more than earned it: she's managed to allow you to carry on with Project D and whatever you want, she doesn't want to split us up and, if you ask me, if she isn't in love with you, she's awfully close to it.'
Ryosuke chose not to say anything to that confirming Keisuke's theory that his older brother, too, was slowly falling in love with Akiko.
After a short detour to pick James up from Maebashi's train station, the two Mazdas arrived at the club's car park where, to Keisuke's immense pleasure, Kyoko was already waiting for them inside her black FD.
Once they were all five of them together, it was introduction time. Keisuke, putting his hand on Kyoko's shoulder, he said:
'Kyoko, this is Aniki's fiancée Arakawa Akiko and I take this is her friend James and, just in case you don't remember him, this is my brother Ryosuke.'
'Oh of course I remember him! It's a real pleasure meeting you Arakawa-san,' she said and then, making a visible effort, she said in what she hoped was correct English, 'welcome to Japan, James.'
James laughed and tried, failing miserably, to say 'thank you very much' in Japanese.
'Oh well, I tried,' he said in English to Akiko while walking to the club's entrance. Akiko laughed softly knowing that James would take no offence.
Thanks to Keisuke's connections, they skipped the club's queue and got immediately inside where, to Akiko's immense pleasure, the DJ was playing a selection of the best Super Eurobeat tunes.
'Nice music!' James shouted in her ear.
'It is, let's go and dance!' she replied smiling.
'With your permission,' he said to Ryosuke who, not really liking dancing to that kind of music, limited himself to nod at James.
Kyoko and Keisuke remained with him until Kyoko said to her darling:
'Do you want to join them?'
To her immense displeasure, he shook his head no.
'Alright then, I'll go by myself,' she said walking towards where James and Akiko were dancing, having the time of their lives. Soon James started dancing with the two girls.
'Are you sure he's gay?' Keisuke asked Ryosuke who, on their way to the club had informed his brother about the Englishman's sexual tendencies.
'Positive, don't worry, he's not going to make a move on Kyoko,' Ryosuke replied.
'Who's worried?' Keisuke said a tad too defensively.
'You should be. Keisuke, Kyoko is a very good looking girl and she's not going to wait for you forever.'
'What?'
'I'll put it in a way that you'll understand it: if you don't make your move soon, someone's going to get ahead of you and steal her away from you.'
'Aniki, you know what I think about having a girlfriend right now…'
'I know Keisuke: you think that you won't be able to focus on your racing career if you have a girlfriend. You've been very honest with me in these past few days and now I'm going to do the same with you: in my opinion, you're using the racing as an excuse because it scares the hell out of you the way she makes you feel.'
'Speaking from first hand experience?' Keisuke said almost sarcastically.
'Maybe,' with that, Ryosuke left his brother alone as he went to get a soda from the bar.
To be continued…
