One Kiss in Tokyo... (12 page)

She stepped up right under his nose and whispered, ‘Say the word, Avery, and I'll take you shopping. I can guarantee complete and utter chaos.'

He slid his hand into hers. ‘I think I'll stick with the Japanese garden.'

They wandered around the gardens for nearly an hour. The main part of the gardens had a large central pond surrounded by hills and trees. Katsuko led him to a bridge and stopped halfway. ‘Look over there. That's
garyu-seki
.'

He wrinkled his nose as he stared at the half-submerged rock in the water surrounded by a whole array of turtles. ‘What does that mean?'

‘It's called the sleeping dragon rock.' She gave him a nudge. ‘If you close your eyes and squint a little it looks like a dragon.' She couldn't hide the hint of laughter in her voice.

He tilted his head from one side to the other, obviously trying to picture the rocks as a dragon. ‘It might have helped if they'd painted it.'

She laughed. ‘You're supposed to use your imagination.'

He pointed to the widely dispersed small buildings surrounding the pond. ‘What are those?'

Something inside her fluttered. She'd had lots of different colleagues from all parts of the world. It wasn't the first time she'd taken someone sightseeing around Tokyo, but sightseeing with Avery felt different than normal.

No one else had kissed her at the Hachiko Crossing. Most people wanted to go to sumo wrestling or one of the theme parks. She'd never really shown a colleague the things that she loved in Tokyo. The things that she would miss most if she ever left.

She stepped a little closer. ‘If I tell you, will you promise to behave?'

He put his hand on her hip, pulling her closer to him. ‘Me? Behave? After you've already gotten me naked?'

She shook her head. He was going to bring this up for ever. A little breeze blew between them, sweeping her hair across her face. His fingers reached up and stroked her face, catching the hair and tucking it behind her ear.

For a second she was lost. It was like an instant flash forward to something that would never exist. She'd kind of like to feel like this for ever. She could picture him in fifty years' time, telling their family that Katsuko had got him naked on their third date.

She sucked in her breath sharply. Where had that come from?

‘You okay?' He must have seen her moment of panic. His stubble brushed against her ear and she caught her breath again. Time to focus.

She nodded. ‘Those are Japanese tea houses. I thought you might like to visit one and see a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.' She held up her hand. ‘But be warned. It takes just under an hour. You'll have to learn some patience.'

He caught her unawares, leaning forward and brushing his lips against hers. ‘You're teaching me everything I need to know about patience.'

If he hadn't stepped back when he did she would have responded instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck and demanding to be kissed like before. Instead, he slipped his hand into hers again and gave it a little tug.

She pointed to the nearest tea house. ‘This is the one we'll go to. It's built from wood from the Meiji period. It survived the war.'

‘What's the Meiji period?'

‘It was the late eighteen hundreds right up until the First World War.'

The free-standing tea house had a good view of the sleeping dragon, built in an arbour on a stream that ran through a gorge. The water fell down through the rocks, sending a light spray into the air, and a large collection of koi circled nearby. There was a tranquillity about the place—even though it was in the open air. Quiet noises of the lapping water, rustling leaves and forest wildlife echoed around them.

‘It's beautiful,' he whispered.

She smiled. ‘Yes. Yes, it is.' She gestured towards the tea house. ‘We call them
chashitsu
.' She pointed to a variety of exquisitely dressed women in traditional kimonos with their hair in intricate styles decorated with combs and ornaments. ‘And these are the
teishu
, the host and teachers of the tea ceremony.'

He looked amazed. ‘Are we going in there?'

‘We are. Now, take your shoes off and...' she put her finger to her lips ‘...don't speak.'

The
teishu
met them at the door and gave a little bow. The floor was covered with tatami mats. She invited them to sit down and Katsuko sat cross-legged on the floor and Avery joined her.

She loved the tea ceremony but she enjoyed it even more as she watched Avery's face. She could see him itching to ask questions at every part of the ceremony. Even though it was called a ceremony it was more like a carefully choreographed dance.

The host ritually cleansed each item for the ceremony—the tea bowl, whisk and tea scoop, using prescribed motions, and then placed them in a precise order. The whisk was used to create a thin paste from water and a special type of powdered green Japanese tea called matcha. The paste was then whisked into a thick liquid.

This was the part of the ceremony that Katsuko loved. It was rhythmical, almost hypnotic, watching the liquid being whisked. Avery hardly moved. He was even breathing quietly as he watched everything intently. She slid her hand over next to his. He didn't even blink but must have sensed it was there because his warm hand covered hers. His thumb found its way under her palm where he stroked softly, sending a whole host of tingles up her arm. No. She'd never felt like this at a tea ceremony before.

When the tea was ready it was served in the tea bowl—the same tea bowl used by everyone. Bows were exchanged and Avery followed her lead. She raised the bowl as a gesture of respect to the host. Katsuko rotated the bowl, took a sip, complimented the host then wiped the rim of the bowl clean and passed it to Avery.

He mimicked her actions perfectly. He never even grimaced when he tasted the bitter tea.

When the ceremony was complete the
teisha
invited Avery to ask questions. And he did. More than Katsuko could ever have imagined. He'd paid attention to everything.

Every day this guy did something else to make her like him more.

An hour after the ceremony started it was finally complete. They emerged back out into the afternoon sun and had only taken a few steps when Katsuko's phone buzzed.

She pulled it from her pocket and sucked in a breath. ‘Not again.'

Avery turned towards her. ‘What? What is it?'

She paused, well aware that she was about to ruin a perfectly good day. ‘I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to go. It's my grandmother.'

‘Is she sick?' There was instant concern on his face.

She gritted her teeth. If she were sick, things would be more straightforward. She gave a wry smile. ‘Not sick, just cantankerous. She's flung her carers out. She does this on a regular basis.'

He half smiled. ‘She what?'

Katsuko turned on the path to head back to the train station. ‘It's like dealing with a toddler. At least I think it's like dealing with a toddler. Every now and then she throws her carers out and texts me to complain. What it means for tonight is that there's no one to make her dinner or get her ready for bed. I'll need to go and help.' She shook her head. ‘Then I'll need to phone whoever she's insulted this time and apologise.'

Avery kept pace beside her. ‘She does this a lot?'

‘Oh, yes.' Katsuko was trying to calculate in her head the simplest way for Avery to get back to base. She pulled their tickets from her pocket.

‘I'll tell you which line to get and where to change.'

He shook his head. ‘No, you won't.'

She stopped walking. ‘Why?'

He stuck his hands in his pockets and kept walking. ‘Because I'm coming with you.'

She couldn't hide her surprise. ‘What? No, you can't. I mean, you don't want to do that. You go back to base. I don't know how long I'll be. It's not fair.'

He slung his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. ‘Life's not fair. Anyway, I want to meet your cantankerous old grandmother.'

Now she felt horrified. ‘Why would you want to do that?'

He smiled down at her. ‘I want to see if you've inherited any of her traits.'

CHAPTER SEVEN

A
S
A
DOCTOR
, Avery Flynn had met a lot of cantankerous patients in his time. But he'd never met anyone like Hiroko Satou. She definitely won the prize.

From the second they left their shoes at the entranceway and entered her single-storey home he could sense the tension in the air. Not that he could understand a word of what was going on.

She didn't shout, but her tone spoke a thousand words. Katsuko tried to introduce him but he was instantly dismissed with one look. Then the tirade clearly aimed at Katsuko started.

Avery had never been rude, but as the staccato words flowed freely he started to get annoyed. It was clear Katsuko was doing everything she could to placate her grandmother, who clearly wasn't listening.

After about fifteen minutes Katsuko threw her hands in the air, walked through to the kitchen and started banging things around. She'd already warned him she'd need to make something for her grandmother's dinner.

He folded his arms and leaned against the wall. It could appear impertinent. But he was a twenty-eight-year-old man—not a boy—and now he could understand clearly why Katsuko had looked nervous on the way over.

The smell of food cooking quickly wafted from the kitchen. ‘Can I do anything to help?' he asked.

There was a tiny rise of the old woman's eyebrows. Interesting. Katsuko had said she didn't speak or understand a word of English. Avery wasn't so sure.

‘No, thanks' came the reply from the kitchen. ‘She wouldn't like it.'

Avery caught the sharp gaze of the woman in the wheelchair currently scowling at him and gave her a knowing smile.

He started to walk slowly around the room. As expected, it was clutter-free with everything in easy reach. She had a giant modern television on the wall and her tablet sitting on the table next to her. It seemed she wasn't entirely steeped in tradition.

He stopped as he caught sight of a photograph in a frame on the wall. A beautiful young Japanese woman, around Katsuko's age, dressed in a traditional red kimono smiled back at him. The photo had aged a little around the edges. It had obviously been there for a while. He glanced around the rest of the room, looking for any photos of Katsuko. There were none.

‘Your daughter was beautiful,' he said quietly. ‘You must miss her.'

She blinked and her scowl deepened.

He kept walking. Her eyes occasionally darted towards the kitchen. She could hear Katsuko making dinner. Avery kept walking slowly, aware that the old lady's eyes were following his every move.

‘Katsuko's a great nurse. A real credit to you.' He pointed to the photo. ‘I can see she gets her beauty from her mother.' He paused. The old woman really did have an unwavering glare.

He faced her square on. ‘You must be very proud of her.'

Finally, she drew her eyes off him, giving him a look of disgust. She understood a whole lot more than she admitted to.

Katsuko stuck her head back through the doorway. ‘Dinner will be ready soon. I'll just go and get her bed ready for later.' She crossed through the main room.

Avery leaned against the wall again. Hiroko Satou watched her granddaughter leave the room, then turned to glare at Avery again. He crossed one leg over the other and folded his arms. It was like a Mexican stand-off. But he wasn't afraid.

He could see the fury emanating from the old woman. In a lot of ways he felt sorry for her. Her gnarled hands were sitting on her lap. Her bare feet were visible under her blanket. The toe joints looked swollen and distended. Every bone in her body must ache. How many years must she have felt like this?

Had she been frustrated when she'd been unable to look after her granddaughter? Was that why she had such a poor relationship with the General?

But what was her excuse for the way she made Katsuko feel? There was no excuse for that.

He opened his mouth to speak again just as Katsuko came back into the room. Her grandmother started talking instantly, her eyes darting between Avery and Katsuko, her words low and fierce.

It took around ten seconds to realise that the latest rant was about him. Katsuko looked uncomfortable and she kept trying to answer, but her grandmother cut her off at every turn. It appeared that all her venom was now aimed at Avery.

He hated this. He had no clue what the words were, and he didn't care in the least that they were about him—all he cared about was the fact that Katsuko looked as though she was about to burst into tears.

If they were in the emergency department and a patient or relative spoke to her like this, she wouldn't be long in putting them in their place. But here, in her grandmother's home, she looked the most vulnerable he'd ever seen her.

He straightened up and walked over to her, putting his arm around her waist. Every muscle in her body stiffened but he pretended he didn't notice. He was sending a clear message to the woman who was upsetting the woman he cared about.

‘Let me help. What can I do?'

The words were simple but he hoped the look in his eyes told her a whole lot more. She stared up at him for a few seconds. Her brown eyes fixed on his and he could see her swallow nervously. ‘Let me help you,' he urged.

Her grandmother spat out some more words and Katsuko blinked back tears before turning and going back into the kitchen. Two minutes later she appeared with a bowl of food for her grandmother.

Avery went into autopilot. He wheeled the chair over to the nearby table and positioned her carefully. Katsuko brought some chopsticks and a napkin for her grandmother and gestured for Avery to sit down at the other side of the room. A few seconds later she joined him. ‘She doesn't like people watching her eat. She struggles to hold the chopsticks now.'

She stared down at her hands and he put his arm around her again, staring across at her grandmother defiantly. It was ridiculous. It made him feel like a teenager again, but he wasn't intimidated by the woman and he could see the affect she had on Katsuko. It was almost poisonous.

‘Why do you come when she texts?'

Her eyes were wet. ‘Who else would come?'

He pressed his lips together. ‘I get that she's in pain. I get that she's from a different generation. But I'm struggling to see what you get from this relationship.'

She blinked in surprise. ‘What does that mean? She's my grandmother.'

‘She is. But you don't have to like her. And you don't have to jump when she texts.'

She shook her head in bewilderment. ‘But then she'd have no one.' She sighed. ‘I try not to. Sometimes I text back and tell her I'm at work. One time she threw her carers out seven days in a row.'

‘Did she treat your mother like this?'

Her lips trembled. ‘I remember lots of arguments. My father used to refuse to visit. He didn't want my mother to bring me here.'

‘But here you are.'

He left the statement hanging between them.

There was so much he could say here. So much he wanted to say. But he wasn't sure how appropriate it was. It certainly wasn't appropriate to say it in her grandmother's house.

He took a deep breath and spoke quietly. ‘As I've grown older I've realised the old adage that blood is thicker than water means nothing. You should surround yourself with people who love you—or no people at all. People who have a positive impact on your life.'

Her brow furrowed. ‘Does that mean you don't see your family?'

A wave of sadness flooded over him. ‘My parents aren't the best example of family. And my sister seems to have learned from their examples. The air force helps me keep a distance. It's my family now.'

Katsuko glanced over towards her grandmother. She'd finished her food, her slightly trembling hands were back in her lap and her eyes were closed. Katsuko reached over and laced her fingers through Avery's. ‘That's sad,' she whispered.

‘So is this,' he replied.