*For my two reviewers. Thank you! What happened? This use to be so popular! I want to cry! Do I continue?

Like in his gift giving, Nobu was a generous lover.

I had never known it could be this way.

Whenever I thought of what men and women did behind closed doors, I thought of Hatsummomo and her noodle chef. Or, even worse Dr. Crab and the Sugi boy. At any rate, whatever was done that way was distasteful.

As a geisha, I had a low opinion of men. They were my income. I had to please them at all costs. I have entertained men at their worst, such as when they were drunk and rude. I have entertained them when they were beyond stupid, their remarks limpid like a dead worm.

At the end of their rude and vulgar, and often boring remarks, my job was to always smile and nod. Their words had the power to make me bob my head enthusiastically, as if every word was a fabulous haiku from the heavens.

I did this all for money.

With Nobu, it was different.

He could be rude. He could also be very cruel, but when he gave, it was freely, and deep down, it was kindly.

It was also true that he made my responses enthusiastic, but whatever his remarks were, they usually were sound and logical. Often, I thought he was brilliant. Others thought so too.

For what kind of man could turn around the tragedy of his life and become such a successful businessman?

I had worried aloud to Mameha about my fears of pleasing him, but now it seemed that I could put my fears to rest. When we came together, it was like dropping a stone into water.

It was hardly distasteful.

Perhaps, pleasing Nobu was easier than I thought. However, I warned myself not to count my rewards too quickly.

Unlike other men, Nobu did not have a wife. The Chairman had a wife and many children. Nobu often mentioned them to me in conversation.

Having a wife would not have hindered a geisha from entertaining her customers. Nor would it have stopped a man from coming to see a geisha. Such a thought was laughable! However, Mameha had warned me that men without wives were harder to please. They expected more because geisha were the only female source in their lives. No doubt they would require the attention and constancy that a wife could give them.

The question was though, was Nobu such a man?

Getting up, I softly asked Nobu if he required anything.

From his position on his futon, Nobu grunted and put his hand over his eyes.

I took that as a no and quietly slipped out of the room and into the guest bathroom.

After I tidied myself up, I found a maid and asked her if my dresser had arrived. She told me he had and I had her bring him upstairs and into one of the guest bedrooms.

Next I had her retrieve a kimono from Nobu's bedroom closet.

I found the guest bedroom and had Mr. Bekku help me into a fresh kimono. This one was a light spring one, the color of the underside of a conch shell, deep purple. Silver deer were dancing at the bottom. Matching it was a white and red obi.

I left my dresser in the hands of the household maid who would direct him where he would be staying. I felt more in control of the situation now that I had a fresh kimono on as well as a dash of my orange and vanilla perfume.

When I entered Nobu's bedroom, I expected him to still be lying on the futon, sleeping. But to my surprise he was awake.

He had already dressed himself in new clothing.

I gave a sort of surprised bow.

He turned to face me. I had expected a sort of half scowl grimace that he usually gave, but instead he smiled.

"Tell me, Sayuri, what is your secret? That you enchant every man that sees you, including all of Gion and Kyoto?"

"Nobu-san must be in a good mood if he is making jokes!"

"I am not joking, Sayuri. I only had tea with lunch but somehow your presence makes me feel drunk. It always has."

"My perfume is suppose to have an alcohol base to it, perhaps I should not wear it so heavily?"

"Or maybe it is your eyes? That yourself always reflects in them? Like your soul swimming in water?"

"Nobu-san you are an absolute poet!" I exclaimed.

"Hardly" he growled, now annoyed that I was not taking him seriously.

Trying to find a way to calm him, I went to my jewelry case which was placed on a shelf in Nobu's closet. Taking out the red star comb, I walked over to Nobu.

"Only a man with the heart of a poet could have picked out such a comb," I told him, showing it to him.

"It was only a trinket," he said, eying it and then taking it from my hands."But the moment I saw it, I thought of you. Strange, I had just met you."

I blushed.

"Nobu-san has always been in the habit of thinking too highly of me."

"Whatever the cost, it looks beautiful on you," he said.

He stepped closer and slid it into my hair. With his thumb, he caressed my temple.

"Beautiful" he said. "In the future, I will have to give you many more things so that you may bring out the beauty in them."

"Nobu-san has already given me so many fine gifts," I murmured.

"Nonsense. I am your Danna. It is my duty to give you things."

"In two days, the guests will be arriving and we will have to entertain them," he began, changing the subject. I nodded my understanding.

"If I may ask, do you know what geisha will be here, along with Mameha-san?"

"One named Chihiru and this girl they call Pumpkin."

"Pumpkin? The geisha that lives in my Okiya?" I was amazed.

"Yes...why? Is she not popular?" Nobu asked, concerned now about the entertainment for his guests.

"Yes, she is," I said, recalling the amount of money that she and Hatsumommo had continued to bring in to the Okiya. If they did not make so much money, I knew that mother would have liked to throw them out.

I now worried that Pumpkin would be coming to Nobu's party. Spending so much time around Hatsummomo had ruined her for any potential kindness. It had come to pass that we were truly rivals.

I imagined her trying to find any weakness to exploit in front of Nobu. It was an act that Hatsummomo would do.

Pumpkin had also known of my previous regard for the Chairman.

Mameha would be there, helping me, but would that be enough?

"This party is important. I would not have it if it weren't for this talk of war. If there is one thing I hate it is government officials and pretending to like them. However, we need the government to be on our side more than ever. If it came to war, they would shut us down."

"Is it that serious?" I murmured.

"Yes. I have lived through one war, and now it seems that I will live through another."

I thought of Mother and her remarks about Nobu-san being a valuable Danna in the event the war became a serious thing.

"I will do my best to ensure that things go smoothly, Nobu-san."

"See that you do," he said tiredly. "Come, I want to show you something that I bought for you."