"Your hair is such a disgrace!" Mother scolded as I did my best to wash it in a large cooking basin in the kitchen. The dark strands of my hair had turned the soapy water grey.
"It's been so long since it's been properly washed" I admitted as I did my best to scrub my scalp with the last scrape of soap we had stowed away. The hairdresser in Gion had long ago his closed shop, so I was left to my own devices.
"I think I have some oil somewhere" Mother murmured, tapping her lip with a finger. "We can't have you representing the Nitta Okiya looking like a peasant."
"As long as I don't offend anyone's sense of smell, I'm sure we will manage."
"I found the bottle of oil, Achiko-san" Auntie said, coming into the kitchen. Mother took the bottle and examined it.
"It's a pity we don't have any wax, or scent" Mother sniffed the air. "Everything smells like smoke these days."
"Sayuri-san, you had better dry your hair quickly" Auntie scolded. She took a faded towel from her pocket. I took the towel from her and began vigorously rubbing my hair.
"When your hair is dry, I will comb the oil through your hair. It should give it a lovely shine" Auntie told me.
"Yes, but I still wish we had scent for her" Mother fretted. "That Hideo Suzuki no doubt still has engagements with other geisha in Tokyo. Some of those okiyas are making quite a profit off the war." Mother looked upset at the thought of losing all that revenue. Gion had long been closed for entertaining and Tokyo was still very much active. No doubt it was due to its heavy military presence.
"I'm sure Sayuri-san will be quite lovely in the kimono that Mameha-san is lending her" Auntie said, patting Mother's arm. "But I am worried about how we are going to tie the obi for her. I wish Bekku-san was available." Our dresser, Mr. Bekku had relocated because of the war.
"Are you certain the mistress has make-up?" Mother demanded.
"She said she had some hid away."
"I hope she does. Your skin looks so dull and lifeless." Mother began pinching my cheeks, trying to make them appear more red. Like a good daughter, I stood there and let her.
"It is so imperative that you look your best" Mother admonished. "Be pretty and remember your training. Powerful men only help pretty women."
"Yes, Mother."
"I can't begin to tell you how important this is for us. Your danna owes us this obligation. Goodness knows that rice is becoming more valuable than gold. You must do whatever it takes to find out about Toshizaku. If he is some kind of trouble…well I won't worry about now, but if he is, this Okiya is going to take a hard hit."
"There is always the kimono" Auntie offered. She leaned against her cane and coughed. "We were able to get two big bags of rice for the black one we sold." Mother shook her head.
"If we have any chance at survival after the war, we must have them to cloth our geisha. Enough of this talk!" Mother was becoming agitated. "Sayuri knows what she needs to do."
"Yes, Mother." My hair was still damp but it was dry enough. I turned towards her and gave a swift bow. "Whatever it takes, I will find out about Nobu-san."
"And then he will pay us the money he owes for your upkeep" Mother promised grimly. "It is the only way I can see us surviving this winter. "
…..
Although Auntie was feeble with coughing, she managed to dress me in Mameha's borrowed kimono. It was a grey slate kimono with scarlet leaves on the bottom. My obi was pink and black with a yellow leaf design. It was kimono that was really meant to be worn in the autumn, but because all of our kimono were packed away, I had no choice. I had to make do with what Mameha had on hand.
"I wish we had some of our hair ornaments here" Auntie lamented when she was done. She looked at me, scrutinizing. "You look so plain."
I thought of the red star comb, but I wanted it to remain hidden in my pillow case.
"I'm sure Hideo-san is used to seeing the geisha of Gion this way." I looked at myself in the old three- way mirror that we always used when dressing. "At any rate, I was fortunate that Mameha-san had this kimono on hand. I don't know what I would have worn otherwise."
"At any rate, at least you are reasonably clean" Auntie remarked, and then paused "…although your hair could have done with wax." I touched my hair self-consciously. It was clean, but also arranged very simply in a swept up bun. It was a far cry from the days when I entertained as a first-rate geisha.
"Be sure to look at him a lot with your eyes" Auntie told me. "They were always the most remarkable thing about you." She sighed. "You were so lucky to have been born pretty."
I looked away in embarrassment. For some reason her comment reminded me of Nobu-san. He was always remarking on my beauty.
"I'll be lucky if my beauty helps us during this time. Even beautiful people are capable of starving." Auntie nodded. She touched the hollows that were beginning to gather under my cheekbones.
"You are a smart girl to realize that. That is a lesson Hatsumomo probably never learned, yet. If she survives this war, she might understand at last."
"Yes" I said, but inside I wondered if Hatsumomo was suffering as much as were in the okiya.
…
I knelt in the entrance way of the Ichiriki to take off my shoes. The mistress must have been waiting for me to arrive. I could hear the sounds of a shimesen being played in one of the father rooms.
"Sayuri-san!" the mistress greeted me. "Please hurry and come with me. We need to put some make-up on you before you see Hideo-san."
I bowed quickly. "Yes mistress." She took me by the hand and led me to her bedroom.
"I'm so glad I saved some make-up for times like this." The mistress laughed, "My poor husband thought I was mad for stashing away such frivolous things."
"I'm very grateful that you did, mistress."
"You are so pale, Sayuri-san" the mistress remarked as she brushed rice powder on my skin. "You need a blush to warm those pale cheeks." She brushed some pink blush onto my cheeks and then outlined my eyes in kohl. She finished by painting my lips a crimson red.
"There!" she exclaimed. "You still look a little lifeless, but this is a great improvement."
"Thank you mistress, I am very grateful."
She clapped her hands, "Come! You must be anxious to greet Hideo-san."
"Mistress, please before we go?"
"Yes?"
"I heard a shamisen playing."
"Oh? That is Ayeka-chan. You remember her?" I certainly did. She was one geisha that had not thawed to me during our shared time in the factories.
"I thought Ayeka-chan and her friend Yaechiyo would be pleasant to have around Hideo-san. He appeared to have enjoyed their company before."
"I see" I said pleasantly. "I'm sure it will be an especially enjoyable evening."
We walked to the far room by the garden. The mistress rolled open the door and we bowed, making our introductions. Ayeka was playing the shamisen while her friend Yaechiyo danced.
"Sayuri-san!" Hideo said. "This is a pleasant surprise!" Ayeka and her friend did not appear to take my presence so cheerfully. They made stiff rigid bows and returned to their playing.
I bowed again. "Hideo-san. I'm so please to see you again."
Hideo motioned for me to sit by him. "I have missed Gion, and your beautiful presence Sayuri-san."
"I have yet to thank you for the beautiful flowers you sent me" I told him, pouring him a fresh glass of sake. The mistress, true to her word, had left a bottle of precious sake on the table.
"I enjoy giving beautiful women beautiful gifts" he said, taking the glass and drinking deeply. "All that I am missing right now is Mameha-san's beautiful white arms. How is your elder sister doing?"
"She is keeping busy, like the rest of us" I answered. I did not offer any details. Surely Hideo-san was not blind. He could plainly see that everyone in Gion was living in reduced circumstances.
"So you are both working away in the factories." His eyes took in my kimono, no doubt noting that it was out of season. I give him a quick look also, noting that his eyes seemed more sunken and tired. His kimono also fit more loosely at his shoulders.
"Yes, we are proud to be helping our country." Hideo laughed. It was an ironic, harsh laugh.
"Sayuri-san, I just remembered that there is more to your company than a pretty face. Helping your country, that is one way to put it." He laughed again.
"To say otherwise would be treason" I said in an undertone.
Hideo sobered. "Yes, to say otherwise would be treason." He drank from his cup, as if he was determined take advantage of having sake at his disposal. "Still, you are a geisha, a pretty woman. No one would suspect that you had any motive for treason."
"No," I said, turning towards him, a puzzled look on my face. "I'm surprised that you brought up such a topic Hideo-san." I secretly wondered if Hideo was already drunk.
"It's hardly light conversation" Hideo-san said, drinking more of his sake. "You must forgive me, Sayuri-san. But treason is all I seem to hear about these days."
"I'm sure because of your exalted position…" I began, when Hideo suddenly coughed on his sake.
"Oh, Sayuri-san, you make a man feel young. Now I understand why Toshikazu had to have you." His face flushed red from the sake.
"Please, Hideo-san" I began again, but Hideo stopped me.
"I know what you are going to ask, Sayuri-san" he said tiredly. He downed the rest of the sake in a quick gulp.
"You do?" I said in great surprise. Had the mistress already informed him of my request?
"Yes, I do" he said. "Although we met under pleasant circumstances last time, and although I am fond of you and enamored by your grey eyes, I know that there was a reason that you sought me out." I blushed with embarrassment.
"Yes."
"You want to know why Nobu Toshikazu is being imprisoned for treason."
"What?" my heart skipped a beat and I saw black spots. The room began to spin in a sickening way. Hideo sighed and reached for the sake bottle. He poured the remaining sake in a fresh glass and held it out to me.
"You need this more than I do" he told me.
