Shelf #017
Julie held Kuu's arm and the two left the garden. True to his guess, they walked through the hallway to the end, where Sebastian waited at the door. The second he saw them, he bowed and led them outside. They went down the steps, with Kuu holding Julie's hand tight as she stepped carefully. He looked up and gasped.
He thought only Cinderella had a coach of her own given by her fairy godmother. . . He too also had his own coach tonight. . .
Parked there in front of him was a shining black limousine, with red carpet rolled to meet him. Sebastian held the door for them to went inside, and closed it. He went to the driver's seat and drove the limousine.
As the black coach drove away, Kuu looked at the window and saw his fairy gods. He realized that they had hidden somewhere near the garden watching both of them from afar. Jelly, Dior, Armani and Lina stood at the steps, waving happily at him and blew kisses in the air.
Tonight's date started with a few minutes-drive towards Kyoto airport. Kuu couldn't think of an idea why the heck they were at the airport in suit and gown, but he just went along with the flow with Julie leading the way. The limousine drove to the private route and Kuu saw a private jet waiting for them, complete with flight attendants bowed low in greeting along the side of the red carpet.
For the very first time, Kuu felt a treatment of the first class. This must what it felt like to be treated so special and important. Sebastian led Julie and Kuu inside, and the jet took off.
As the jet flew smoothly on the night sky, the captain's voice spoke on the plane's speakers, alerting the two who had a nice drink of champagne.
"Well now should be a pretty smooth flight, Ms. Julienna Scott –– The weather is clear all the way up to Tokyo. . We should be there in about, fifteen minutes."
Kuu looked at the window and saw little lights twinkling down below, the sight of Tokyo widely awake tonight. The plane landed smoothly at Narita Airport. Sebastian led them towards a shining black limousine, quite longer and bigger than the one they had ridden on, and drove to the opera house in the city.
They arrived on time, and many eyes stole glances at the two gorgeous couple when they walked the corridor. Eyeing them, the guests sighed in secret. How on earth did they ever caught each other?
As they reached the top box, a few heads turned to their direction. Kuu had gotten used to this. He was being held at an arm's length a couple of times, so he felt the same way to this.
They watched a wonderful play, the famous 'Moulin Rouge', which told an interesting story of a young English poet/writer, Christian, who fell in love with a terminally-ill star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and a courtesan Satine. It was a breathtaking play, that Julie and Kuu shed a few tears halfway towards the end of the story. Kuu thought secretly if he was Christian, and saw Julie as his Satine, died in his arms, he wouldn't know what to do. Julie felt she didn't want Satine to die so sad like that. If she were Satine, she'd die of old age in Christian's arms, her Kuu. . .
At the end of the play, the entire audience, including the special ones at the top box of the opera house, gave a standing ovation to the wonderful performance.
"Did you enjoy the opera, dear?" an fashionable elderly woman asked from the other side of the box. She was looking up eagerly at Kuu. Other guests had started to leave.
Kuu wiped a small tear on the corner of his eyes. Looking at the stage, he spoke. "Oh it was so good I almost peed my pants."
"Oh!"
Then he walked away. Julie wanted so much to laugh, but she controlled it. She went to the woman. "He said he liked it better than 'The Pirated Prince', and left. Julie caught up to Kuu and she laughed at the thought. Poor woman.
Later, they had a hearty dinner at an exquisite, very smart Japanese restaurant. Same thing, there were heads turned in their direction and many thought they the most beautiful couple they had ever seen.
Julie and Kuu sat a good spot near the window. They had a nice conversation. Now they were near the end of their meal on the table.
"So, who left who?" Julie asked, looking curiously at Kuu.
"She left me."
"Why?"
Kuu looked deeper in her eyes.
"She saw through me, " he said. Julie chuckled softly.
"Uh-oh. That's not good."
They were suddenly aware of the loud conversation at a nearby table –– now they can clearly hear it. Group of three rowdy men.
"No-no-no! Give me Julienna Scott any day," said one of the men.
Kuu and Julie looked at each other.
"I didn't like that last film of hers," said the other. "I forgot. . What's that again where she played a high school student–?"
"–Tsukigomori," the rest replied in unison.
"–Yeah that! Fell asleep from the moment the lights went down."
Again –– Julie reacted.
"I love that film. She sang just like a nightingale to that song. And it was live, okay? Live! I don't understand the language but I know the song talked about how much she loves the man. She sounded so much like Lara Fabian. You know her? I cried the moment that song finished."
"That song is in Italian. She sang it in Italian," said the second guy.
"Mhm. . She sang it so smooth, like a lyric soprano. She sang with a vocal range that spans three octaves from C3 to G#6. Take that!"
Julie's cheeks suddenly turned soft pink. Kuu smiled. Too bad he hadn't watched that film.
"Don't really care what films are like," said the third guy. "Any film with her in it –– fine by me."
"No –– not my type at all, really," said the first one. "I prefer that other one –– blonde, sweet looking –– has an incredible orgasm every time you take her out for a cup of coffee."
Julie mouthed 'Meg Ryan'.
"Meg Ryan," answered the guys.
Kuu and Julie smiled –– they were enjoying it.
"Drug-induced I hear," said the third one. "I believe she's actually in rehab as we speak."
Julie blinked. Kuu saw that Julie's twinkle faded. It must be hard for her take all these bunch of lies spread across the papers.
"And she modeled in Paris right?" said the first guy. "Why is she the top model? All those dresses were like rags and tattered shit. The last time I saw, that black one around her was like black electrical tape and plastic boots."
The other guys laughed out loud. Julie's head turned to the window, as if wanting to hide her face. Kuu held her chin and caressed it. He saw pain flickering on the eyes. She tried to smile at him. Hardly.
"You know –– some girls, they're all 'stay away from me, chum!' But Julienna, my. . She was absolutely gagging for it. Do you know that in over fifty percent of languages the word for 'actress' is the same as the word for 'prostitute.'
Now this was horrible. Kuu took a big sip of his wine. Surprisingly, as Julie looked on, he took many in one go.
"And Julienna is your top definitive actress –– someone really really filthy you can just want to flip her over. . And start all over again."
Kuu placed his now empty wine glass on the table.
"Right. That's it."
"Kuu– Kuu, please –"
Julie tried to stop him. He got up and went round the corner to the men. There were in fact five of them, the two meeker men, hung on the other guys' witty words.
"I'm sorry to disturb you guys, but ––"
"Can I help you?" the first one asked, the one who mentioned Julienna as the prostitute.
"Well, yes, I wish I hadn't overheard your conversation –– but I did and I just think, you know. . ."
They saw him as not a very convincing nor frightening figure. He tried though. But he wasn't afraid.
". . . . the person you're talking about is a real person and I think she probably deserves a little bit more consideration, rather than having real jerks like you drooling over her. . ."
"Oh, sod off, man! What are you, her dad?"
Julienna suddenly appeared at his side and whipped him away without being recognized.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't take it," Kuu said as they walked.
"No, it's okay. That's fine," Julie said. "I love that you tried. . . time was I'd have done the same."
They walked on and on. And then. . . .
"In fact, give me a second."
And Julie walked straight back. As she did, the loud stilletto footsteps made all faces on her sides turned to her. That familiar, fluid and smooth walk as if walking through neither ground nor water was the real thing. Then their mouths fell. They all quietly realized who this goddess in red actually was. They were speechless.
The guys on the table saw her. She stood straight, smiling ever crushingly at them.
"Hi."
Their eyes bulged wide. Who said she wasn't gorgeous personally? Drug-induced? This was the real Julienna Scott!
"Oh shit. . ."
"I'm really sorry about my friend –– he's really sensitive," she said.
The first guy stood up to bow. "No, look, I'm sorry–"
But Julie's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear now.
"–No. Please, please –– let's just leave it there. I'm sure you meant no harm, and I'm sure it was just. . Friendly banter! Haha, I'm sure you dicks are all the size of peanuts. A perfect match for the size of your brains. Enjoy your meal. The tuna's really good."
And she walked away, waving happily at some guests on the tables who were actually been her devoted fans for a long time. "Hi. Nice to see you, bye!"
"Love you Julienna!"
"Love your film!"
"You're the best at New York fashion show last month!"
"Bye!"
The men were utterly speechless and embarassed. All eyes in the restaurant glued on them. How daring of them to speak of Julienna Scott in front of her.
One of the guys looked at their first friend.
"You punk bastard."
During the flight back home to Kyoto, Julie couldn't believe her actions at the restaurant. Though she fought for both of them, that was her first time to have stood up headon against a bunch of men. Plus, there were five of them.
"I shouldn't have done that," she said, looking blankly at the window. Amazed. "I shouldn't have done that, Kuu."
"No. You were brilliant," he said. He felt really proud of her to have stood up to those bastards.
"I'm rash and I'm stupid and what am I doing with you?"
"I don't know, I'm afraid. ."
"I don't know either. . ."
The jet landed and the two drove back on the black limousine towards Westin Fuwa Hotel. It was already past midnight when the Cinderella Man's black coach arrived at the same back side of the hotel. They got out and stood for a while, looking at each other silently. Kuu wished the night wasn't done yet.
"Here we are," Julie said. There was a slight pause, as their eyes sank at each other.
"Do you want to come up?"
Kuu hoed a bit. He looked warmly at her this close. "There seem to be lots of reasons why I shouldn't. ."
"Yeah. . There are lots of reasons. ."
They lingered in silence. "But I have to let you know. . I really had a great time with you tonight. This was the best."
She smiled warmly. "Mm. . Me too. . . Do you want to come up?"
His look says yes. Her heart beat wildly. They stared deeply.
"Give me five minutes. .? Kuu?" she whispered tenderly. "Sebastian will take you up. . ."
Then he felt her hand brushed his. He watched her go –– and stood at the bottom of the steps, breathing nervously. This was it.
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