Chapter 8

And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor--
And this, and so much more?--
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow, or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
"That is not it at all,
That is not what I meant, at all.''

("The Love Song of Alfred J Prufrock", T.S. Eliot)

I

She had begun the day with a spring in her step and buoyant about the future. In an instant, however, all that had come to naught. Dashing out of the elevator, she tore down the corridor weeping piteously, hoping that no one had seen her or recognized her.

I was a fool to think that I could run away from Ma. I will never have the kind of life I want. To make my own decisions about how I want to live my life, who I can or can't be with. Can't she ever let me go?

By now her surroundings were a blur, her vision hampered by an incessant outpouring of tears. So much so that she failed to notice the familiar figure that lightly brushed against her arm. To him she was the sheltered, ex-prodigy and to her he was the overly critical best friend that detested her.

What the… She's here? What is she doing here? Is she crying?

"Rui…" Steve Wong called after her. "Is that you? Is everything alright?"

She was too intent on her destination and too preoccupied to notice or listen. Wong, accustomed to being slighted, shrugged it off as one of her dramatic temper tantrums.

They must've had a spat. When will he realize what everyone else already knows and that the heart of mummy's girl lies elsewhere… He's a fool pining over her in this fashion. As I was…

Anyway, it's his funeral… I suppose there's no reasoning with him… It does, however, explain why he's gone AWOL the last twenty-four hours.

Wong wandered off in a different direction. She, on the other hand, couldn't get into her hotel room soon enough and when she did, she was greeted by her husband whose pleasure on seeing her was soon replaced by distress as he saw her red, puffed-up eyes.

"Rui… what happened?" Justin whipped a large handkerchief from out of his pocket and gave it to her

She made no attempt to reply. Instead, she muffled her sobs with the handkerchief and had the appearance of someone for whom the end was nigh.

Her husband was perplexed. "Are you still angry with me about what happened this morning?"

She shook her head and responded with a whimper.

"Then what is it… Is it something Chiaki said or did?" Again, she shook her head and gave a heartbreaking wail.

"Was it that strange wife of his?"

Yet again, all he received was more head shaking.

Justin was experiencing a growing frustration but wisely refrained from asking any more questions.

Eventually he was rewarded for his patience. "It's Mama…" She paused before dropping the bombshell. "She found me… us… she's here… downstairs… and she wants me to nullify the marriage.

Oh… crap…

Unfortunately for them, Mama was in the lobby haggling with the hotel manager insisting that he surrender a room to her immediately. She spoke in a tone of voice that was calculated to draw attention. Unfortunately for her, she was unaware that she was dealing with an old hand.

"Madam… I'm sorry but we are fully booked until the end of the week. We are currently hosting a conference here and there are no more rooms available. Can I suggest that you inquire at the Hyatt just two blocks from here? "

"Look young man… do you know who I am?"

"I'm sorry Madam, but the fact is, we really have no more room."

"I am the mother of the piano prodigy, Rui Son, and I…"

The manager maintained his cool, having been witness to the ugly side of human nature for twenty odd years. Ah… one of those. Control freaks who think the world owes them. Parents riding on the success of their children. "Mrs Son, I wish we could help you but quite frankly, you have come at a most inopportune moment. Again, I'm sure the Hyatt will be happy to accommodate you. In fact, we can help you make the necessary inquiries, if you like."

Mrs Son swung her large leather handbag over her shoulders and left the manager in no doubt of her displeasure. "Hah… This won't be the last you'll hear from me on this matter." She threatened and then promptly strutted out of the hotel like a peacock whose feathers have been plucked.

As soon as the coast was clear, the lowly receptionist turned to the manager who had remained unflappable through out. "Aren't you afraid that she's going to make trouble? We could have found her a room somehow."

"She might… she might not… but we get these types frequently enough… often their bark is worse than their bite."

II

Chiaki loosened his tie and stretched out on the sofa. I wonder where she's got to.I might ring her and we could meet somewhere for lunch.

He pressed 1 on his speed dial in an attempt to make that appointment. After a short burst of ringing, his call was immediately transferred to her voice mail.

Typical. Can't reach her when I want to… What is she doing that is so important that she has to switch off her phone?

An unpleasant thought struck him. She hasn't gone to watch something without me, has she? She's quite capable of it too.

Damn it… I told her… to wait…

Perhaps it was the word 'wait' that did the trick but annoyance was immediately replaced by guilt. Well, I can't blame her… I can't expect her to sit around all day waiting for me like a dutiful wife.

A dutiful wife… she definitely isn't... even if she has clung on to her fantasies all these years.

Chiaki sank further into his sofa and uttered a sigh. It had been a relatively satisfactory day in the office. The mood among members remained tensed with some nervously peering over their respective shoulders wondering if they were going to fall victim to the inexplicable whims of the sender of the poison pen notes. The motives behind these notes continued to be a mystery… there were no demands accompanying them so they could not be said to be strictly blackmail. Whatever his or her motives were, they had struck fear in the hearts of those who had skeletons in their proverbial cupboards and took their attention away from the more mundane aspects of the conference.

All this speculating and waiting was causing Chiaki to mope about restlessly. We should've been more organized. I should've got her to tell me where she was going. Still, I wasn't expecting to be finished quite this early.

After several minutes of bemoaning about what he should have done, Chiaki decided to head down to the restaurant for a bite to eat… all the while wondering what that intrepid wife of his was up to… whether she was enjoying herself… whether she was pigging out somewhere or worse still, if she had met with a mishap somewhere in her travels. That thought stayed with him until he found himself standing at the entrance of the restaurant.

"Husband made a sandcastle?"

"Oh yes… not just any sandcastle. He modeled it after the Sacre-Coeur Basilica."

"The building in Montmarte with the three big half onions? Wow… really? At seven years old?"

"Has he never mentioned it? It was one of his proudest moment… until of course some older children came and knocked it over. He was so upset that he didn't say a word for the rest of the day."

Husband almost never talks about his childhood. "I thought he hated going to the beach."

"He does? He used to pester us constantly about going to the beach."

"Husband's childhood is a locked diary and Nodame would like the key to find out more."

"He doesn't talk to you about his childhood?"

"Not much..." Nodame averted her eyes. Almost never...

He could hear her unmistakable cackle as he walked through the entrance. Nodame? Here? Why didn't she return to our room or let me know that she was back? That woman. Really. Just like her to think of her stomach first…

Somewhere on his way to confronting her, he froze in tracks. That Nodame was not dining alone, he had established from her incessant chatter and raucous laughter but to see that her companion was his own father sent electric shocks all over his body. Dad chatting in a friendly manner with Nodame? How did that happen?

It was a moment he had strenuously avoided for the past eighteen years. Despite being He had no intention of having a conversation with his father or even keeping up appearances in public that he and the old man were on speaking terms.

Quickly he mastered his emotions and strode to the table. "What are you doing here, Nodame? You were suppose to meet me upstairs."

"I was?" She looked at him bewildered.

"Shinichi, it's good to see you too." Masayuki Chiaki was a picture of self-possession, which annoyed his son all the more.

"Come on… we need to go…" Shinichi took his wife's arm.

"We do?" Again, she looked confused.

"Only a son of mine would take his wife to a conference on their honeymoon." The father remarked.

"I'm surprised that you remember you have a son." Shinichi did not bother to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "My life is not your concern, remember… mine and my wife's…"

The younger Chiaki pulled his wife away from the table and dragged her off deliberately giving his father the snub. The daughter-in-law waved apologetically to her father-in-law as she detected a sad smile on his lips and reluctantly allowed herself to be towed out of the restaurant.

"What was that all about?" Nodame looked at her husband indignantly as soon as they reached the confines of their room.

"What were you doing with that person?" Her husband spat angrily.

"That person… is your father, husband."

"You didn't answer my question. What were you…"

"He is my father-in-law… I saw him at the recital… We talked… His fiancée came to see me… She took me to see the old family house to pay your father a long overdue visit… We were having lunch and a nice conversation until you rudely interrupted." She said, matter-of-factly.

Chiaki made no attempt to hide his displeasure. "You had lunch with him?" The old man has never ever visited me once in the last eighteen years and he has lunch with my four day old wife after meeting her once? What is he up to?

"What's wrong with that? Doesn't it meet with your approval?" She asked facetiously.

His anger, however, did not make him wise. "You had no right to…"

She cut him off angrily. "No right? No right?" Nodame was at her belligerent best. "What gives you the right? I am your wife… not your slave. I see whoever I want to." Her arms flailing furiously.

"Not this person." Why doesn't she understand how I feel?

"This is stupid. Grown men behaving like children. Hasn't this gone on long enough, husband? Isn't it about time that the two of you bury the hatchet?" Why can't he just bury the past and move on?

"I don't want to."

"Fine. If you don't want to see him, you don't have to see him. I want to see him."

"Why?"

"Because he is your father… he…"

"So what?"

"He is an important piece of the puzzle…"

"What puzzle?"

"You."

"Me?" The husband felt as if he was having two conversations instead of the one.

"Husband hardly ever talks about his past. What he did as a boy…"

"There's nothing to tell." Chiaki deliberately averted his eyes. "You already know most of it. I spent most of my childhood in music."

"And…?"

"That's it." was his decidedly final answer on the subject. "What's with this sudden obsession with my past anyway?"

"It is not sudden. Nodame has been very busy in the past trying to catch up with Shinichi. But Nodame has always had many questions and Nodame wants answers. If Shinichi won't give them, then gifu will."

Shinichi was astonished at the easy intimacy that had sprung up between Nodame and his father in a short space of time. He found himself swirling in a whirlpool of emotions: bitterness, envy, sadness and rage. In the heat of the moment, he lashed out. "Don't get involved in matters that don't concern you."

As soon as those words escaped his lips, he instantly regretted saying them.

Her eyes turned dull. "So these things don't concern me?" She replied in a quiet but frosty tone of voice. He could just discern an undercurrent of suppressed rage. "It seems that even though we're married, I'm not still important enough to be burdened with family matters." She added coolly.

"That's not what I said." Shinichi protested. "The matter concerns that person and I."

"But not us obviously. You make it sound like it's some regular business transaction."

"Just stay out of it… and stay away from him…"

A strained silence fell over them for some moments before she broke it with a steely comment.

"Don't worry, Chiaki senpai, I understand how things really stand. I now realize that I am a wife in name only. All those things we said at the wedding ceremony were just meaningless words to make me believe that something had changed about our relationship."

Hearing her address him in the old way, stunned Shinichi into the realization that the situation had gone ridiculously out of hand. He knew then he had to forestall the raging bull. "Nodame, it's not like that…"

"Isn't it? To you, I am still just the stupid hentai whose music you like. I don't know why you even bothered to marry me. Probably a reward for putting up with your bad temper all these years. The truth is... nothing in our relationship is different to what it was before. Except maybe for the sex."

"You don't understand…" Surely she doesn't really believe that?

"And I never will as long as you keep hiding things from me and treating me like a mushroom."

"Treating you like a mushroom?" exclaimed a bewildered Chiaki.

"Never mind… It doesn't matter. If that's the kind of marriage you want, it's alright with me. You lead, I follow. I will be the simple, dutiful wife as always. No hard questions."

"Nodame… listen to me…" How can you think that… after all this time?

"So that you can hide behind words again? Sorry, I'm not interested."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Chiaki Shinichi, you're more like your father than you think. If you're going to make the same mistakes he did, then perhaps I should prepare myself by spending more time with him learning about them, don't you think?"

Saying that, she stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. Chiaki stood motionless for some moments reeling from the after effects of that rather disastrous conversation. That tirade seemed to come from no where. The day had started off well enough for them. Who would have thought that it would come to this? Why was she so angry with me? During the entire conversation she acted as if it was a personal slight against her.

When he finally came to his senses, he was ready to go after her. That was when the phone in the room rang.

III

Chiaki was both frustrated and relieved. Frustrated because the unresolved issues which had now loomed between himself and Nodame were nagging at him. Their first major fight as a married couple had apparently been blown completely out of proportion… during their honeymoon. All the warning signals blaring in his head were telling him that she had slipped out of his grasped… her unceremonious exit told him that much. Tumultuous and confused, his heart was urging him to seek her out but once again he was thwarted by guild duties, namely the matter of the poison pen notes.

On the other hand, that was also reason for him to be relieved. Now that the police had become involved, he no longer bore this burden alone. Privately, he thought it was long overdue and rejoiced at the prospect of the police taking the case over completely. It was more than likely that many of the members would not be happy with this turn of events but at that particular juncture, Chiaki couldn't care less. He was becoming less interested in the petty issues of the guild than the stark possibility that he could lose sight of the woman he loved. During his interview with the police, his mind wandered restlessly to thoughts of her behaviour during their vociferous dialogue – the stinging remarks, the incredible accusations that he had no respect for her. He remembered watching the light disappearing from her eyes almost instantly. Her attitude confounded him. From what he could see, Nodame had been ready to throw the sofa at him. After all this time, she still has trouble believing that I was sincere in wanting to marry her? For all the right reasons. Bringing up all this stuff about the past and throwing it in my face. What was that all about? And why the devil is she taking Dad's side in this? What has he been telling her… probably a whole pack of lies about him being the victim etc etc in all of this.

The inspector noticed that Chiaki's mind had wandered elsewhere and interrupted his chain of thought.

"Mr Chiaki, are you alright?"

"Sorry… you were saying?"

"You seem a bit distracted. Is there something bothering you about this case?"

"My apologies, inspector… my mind was on another matter."

The inspector shot him a penetrating stare. "A personal matter, perhaps?"

"You could say that."

Chiaki volunteered no other information and the inspector did not press him any further.

"I won't take up much more of your time, Mr Chiaki but I'd just like to clear up a few things."

"Of course."

"So you said that Mr Lee came to see you this morning about this particular note."

"Yes, he did."

"What was he like… his behaviour, that is, when he showed it to you?"

"Upset, of course. Agitated mostly."

"In your opinion, was he upset enough to be violent?"

Chiaki gave it some thought. "Possibly… though I think unlikely because they were just married."

"If, however, Ms Son had turned him down…"

"What are you implying?"

"That it would have given this note far more credibility."

"I suppose."

"The note was addressed to both of them… so it was more than a little suggestive that the 'maiden' in this verse was a reference to Ms Son."

"Do you think that there was an element of truth to it, Mr Chiaki?"

"Inspector, as I told Lee, I had nothing beyond a professional relationship with Ms Son. I was already involved with someone else who had recently become my wife."

The inspector noticed the quiver on Chiaki's lips when he said "wife". "Not you but Ms Son. Did she have feelings for you?"

"I… I… don't know."

"But you have your suspicions."

"Her tyrant of a mother seemed to think she did." Chiaki hesitated before saying. "I think she had a very sheltered and lonely life. She certainly didn't have a normal childhood. Her mother basically ran her life. I was the first conductor she performed with that made her feel… relaxed… perhaps she did mistake that for some kind of… er… infatuation."

"Does Lee know this?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know how much she has told him. I think he had his suspicions… he said as much."

"Does your wife know about Ms Son?"

"Oh yes, they met in Paris and were students at the Conservatoire together."

"So you music people seem to have all kinds of connections to one another."

"We're not a big industry… the classical music world… when compared to, say, pop music. So at this professional level, it's very likely that one could easily run into another person who was playing for the Berlin Phil when von Karajan was conducting on one day and meet Adrian Fowler's third wife the next."

"So news, rumours… that sort of thing… gets around rather quickly…"

"I suppose."

"Would it be true then that the same kind of networking exists in the guild."

"Very much so…"

"That's interesting. So then, the questions arising from Mr Drake's drinking and his marriage are not exactly news?"

"Not exactly but the part about Beresford being involved with his wife is."

"I see."

"Inspector, can I ask you something? Not that I'm unhappy that the police have shown an interest in this case, mind you. But what is your interest in all of this? Isn't this kind of thing rather beneath a man of your position? Isn't all this rather petty? Could be just the work of prankster"

"Good question, Mr Chiaki. Unfortunately, it is my job to investigate all kinds of suspicious circumstances as these things have a tendency to escalate when left to themselves. One man's life was in doubt until yesterday."

"You mean, Drake?" Chiaki looked puzzled. "Didn't he have a pre-existing condition?"

"That he didn't know anything about… that nobody knew anything about until yesterday."

"So it was just a coincidence then, right? There was no intent to harm anyone."

"Perhaps not physically. But there was still malicious intent. Mr Drake's drinking problem was an open secret in your guild and so was his wife's indiscretions. He was in a fragile state and someone was taking advantage of it to cause a rift between Drake and Beresford. It seems to be the case with every single one of these notes. To create a situation which thereby results in disarray and discord."

"Why…"

"That, Mr Chiaki is the million dollar question."

"To be honest, inspector, it isn't difficult for anyone to prey on the existing divisions in the guild, without having to resort to these childish rhymes."

"Oh yes?"

"Tensions in the guild have been running high pretty much in the last decade. Our last election, in particular, was rife with factional conflict."

"Is that right?" The inspector gave Chiaki his full attention. "What happened?"

"The usual things… bruised egos… posturing."

"Specifics please, Mr Chiaki."

Chiaki looked surprised but relented. "To become a member of the Conductor's Guild is a very special privilege… a great honour. It is like being a part of music history and until more recently, it was the zenith of one's career to be accepted. Unfortunately, it does smack of elitism… and exclusivity. There are those who want that changed and those voices have been gaining momentum in the last several years. They are insisting that the guild be less an old boys club and more about education, mentoring and promotion. Justin Lee, for instance, has some interesting ideas about promoting classical music in schools in developing countries. He has been arguing the last three years for more support/funding for this area. Granted, he's an idealist but he has a lot of support and many of his ideas have merit.

"The older guard, on the other hand, are fearful that if they get their way, the prestige of being in the guild will be lost if any Tom, Dick and Harry was allowed in. They're satisfied with the status quo and don't see any need to see the guild expand its mission/portfolio. As far as they're concern, it is an old boys club for the crème de la crème of classical music to have drinks or a game of cards together.

Then, I suppose there are the moderates, those who hover some where in between. They think change is necessary but they believe that too much too soon tips the balance.

The irony is, that this entire affair has made the entire guild rally under a common cause, against a common enemy. So if they're trying to further polarize the guild, it's definitely backfired."

The inspector's expression told Chiaki nothing of what he was thinking. "So, where do you stand in all of this?"

"Me? I suppose I'm a moderate… most people see me that way which is why I was seen to be a safe choice for secretary. Plus I'm one of the younger ones and I'm the token non-European. To be honest though, I don't think anyone would have voted for me if I didn't have the backing of Vieira sensei and Herr Stresemann."

"Franz Stresemann?"

"Yeah… I was his apprentice once upon a time."

"Took my wife to see him conduct the Vienna Symphony Orchestra last year. Magnificent concert."

"He's certainly in a class all by himself." Chiaki muttered with more than a tinge of irony.

"You don't sound like you're comfortable with your role in the guild."

"The truth is, I hate politics and there's nothing glamorous about being secretary when half the time the members are splitting hairs over words and bickering over non-essentials. In fact, it's a workhorse's position. I didn't really want to be secretary… at least not yet. I've only been a member of the guild for three years and I was just getting used to the idea of being a member when I got talked into running for this position. Some days I feel like the whipping boy. Can't believe anyone would even want to vie for the position."

"There must be some benefits surely?"

"Well, if there are… I've quickly forgotten them already." Chiaki remarked with some degree of self-mockery. "I suppose there was the initial glow of satisfaction about being the youngest secretary in the guild's history. While the individual is treated like a workhorse, one does command the grudging respect of others for working details behind the scenes and maintaining a face of calm and civility in the face of mass hostility. The person who fills the role has to be seen as being competent."

"So you have no idea why anyone would want to send these verses to anyone?"

"Not a clue… It seems to me all quite pointless."

"I beg to differ, Mr Chiaki, I think they point to something but at this stage it is still a mystery begging to be solved."

"To be honest, inspector… I would love to wash my hands off this matter and leave them in your capable hands."

"Your help would be invaluable and you would be our eyes and ears within the guild."

"Sounds rather like spying to me."

"Call it what you will, Mr Chiaki. But we are humble policeman… we don't know how things work in your world. Think of it as a preventative measure, if it makes you feel better."

"You really think things will get worse?"

"It's hard to say… but I suspect that we've only seen the tip of the iceberg."

�

Author's Notes:

I apologize if it seems as if this is turning into a caricature of Days of Our Lives. I never intended for this story to be as short as A Roman Holiday… I certainly hope I didn't give anyone that impression.

My apologies also to those who expected to see a much more emotional father-son reunion but hey, it's me, right?… You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you:D After all the neglect the son has suffered over the years, it would be unrealistic for them to reconcile so quickly and of course I just love putting Chiaki through the emotional wringer. (diabolical laughter) And well, I am so not done yet. ;)

The expression "treating someone like a mushroom" will hopefully be a familiar one to my readers. But just in case you were wondering… it means to "keep someone in the dark and feed them bucket loads of bovine excrement". Where in the world Nodame picked up such an expression remains a topic of much speculation.