Salvation of a Saint (2 page)

Tatsuhiko nodded. ‘Yep. They told us we could stay out as late as we wanted. Said they were actually looking forward to taking care of a baby again. Sometimes it’s convenient to have your parents living nearby.’

‘Though, to be honest, I’m a little worried,’ Yukiko admitted. ‘Your mother takes a little
too
much care of him sometimes, if you know what I mean. My friend says you should let them cry a little bit before you go to pick them up.’

Hiromi stood up from her seat, noticing that Yukiko’s glass was empty. ‘I’ll go and get you some water.’

‘There’s a bottle of mineral water in the fridge, just bring the whole thing,’ Ayane told her.

Hiromi went into the kitchen and opened the refrig -erator. The fridge was enormous, with double doors that
opened in the middle. The inside of one door was lined with bottles of mineral water. Hiromi plucked one out and returned to the table. As her eyes met Ayane’s, Ayane’s lips moved, forming the words ‘Thank you’.

‘It must really change your life, having a child,’ Yoshitaka was saying.

‘Certainly your home life revolves around the kid,’ Tatsuhiko replied.

‘I should imagine. But doesn’t it affect your work, too? They say having children increases your sense of responsibility. So, how about it? Do you find yourself going that extra mile now that you’re a daddy?’

‘As a matter of fact I do.’

Ayane took the bottle of water from Hiromi and poured a glass for everyone, a smile on her lips.

‘Speaking of which, isn’t it your turn next?’ Tatsuhiko said, his glance shifting between Yoshitaka and Ayane. ‘You’ve been married for how long, a whole year now? Aren’t you tired of the newlywed couple thing yet?’

‘Honey!’ Yukiko swatted her husband’s arm. ‘That’s none of our business.’

‘Fine, fine,’ Tatsuhiko said with a forced chuckle. ‘Each to their own, I suppose.’ He downed the rest of his wine, his eyes turning to Hiromi. ‘What about you, Hiromi? Don’t worry,’ he held up a hand, ‘I’m not going to ask a single woman anything improper. I was just wondering how things are at the school. Everything going well?’

‘So far so good. There’s still lots to learn, though.’

‘Well, you have the best teacher,’ Yukiko said. She turned to Ayane. ‘So are you just leaving everything to Hiromi these days?’

Ayane nodded. ‘I’m afraid I’ve already taught her everything I know.’

‘Well, that’s impressive,’ Yukiko said, smiling at Hiromi.

Hiromi’s expression warmed and she cast her eyes downward. She was sure that neither of the Ikais cared much about what she did. They were just trying to find some way to include her, the younger fifth wheel at a table with two couples, in the conversation.

‘Which reminds me,’ Ayane said, standing, ‘I have a present for you two.’ She fetched a large paper bag from behind the sofa and brought it back to the table. When she revealed its contents, Yukiko gave an exaggerated yelp of surprise, covering her mouth with her hands. It was an elaborate patchwork bedcover, intricately quilted. It was much smaller than the usual size.

‘I thought you could use it for the baby’s bed,’ Ayane said. ‘And when he gets too big for it, you can hang it on the wall as a tapestry.’

‘Oh, it’s marvellous!’ Yukiko said, an ecstatic smile on her face. ‘Thank you so much, Ayane.’ She clutched the edge of the quilt in one hand, feeling the fabric. ‘I’m sure he’ll love it. Thank you!’

‘That’s quite the gift. Don’t those take a long time to make?’ Tatsuhiko asked, turning his eyes towards Hiromi for confirmation.

‘How long
did
that one take, half a year, maybe?’ Hiromi asked Ayane. She was only vaguely familiar with the process for making this particular style of quilt.

Ayane furrowed her brows. ‘I don’t exactly remember –’ she said, then turned her attention to Yukiko ‘– but I’m glad you like it!’

‘Oh, I love it!’ Yukiko said. ‘But I don’t know if I should accept it. Honey, do you know how expensive these are? A genuine Ayane Mita bedcover goes for a million yen at the gallery in Ginza.’

‘Whoa,’ Tatsuhiko exclaimed, his eyes going a little wide with genuine surprise that something made out of little bits of cloth sewn together could cost so much.

‘Frankly, I’d never seen her invest so much passion into one of her quilts before,’ Yoshitaka told them. ‘Even on my days off she’d be sitting there on that sofa, working her needles. All day long, sometimes. It was an impressive display of dedication.’

‘I’m just glad I finished it in time,’ Ayane said quietly.

After dinner the party relocated to the living room, where the men announced they would move on to whiskey. Yukiko wondered aloud if she could have some coffee, so Hiromi headed back into the kitchen.

‘Oh, I’ll make the coffee,’ Ayane said. ‘Why don’t you get some glasses and water for the whiskey? There’s some ice in the freezer.’ Ayane went to the sink and filled the kettle.

By the time Hiromi returned to the living room with a
full tray, the conversation had turned to gardening. The Mashibas’ garden had numerous small outdoor lights placed at clever angles; even at night the various shrubs and potted plants were attractively displayed.

‘It must be tough taking care of so many flowers,’ Tatsuhiko said.

‘I’m a little fuzzy on the details,’ Yoshitaka replied, ‘but Ayane does seem to tend to them pretty regularly. There’s a few up on the second-floor balcony, too. She waters those every day. I couldn’t be bothered myself, but she doesn’t seem to mind. She really does love her flowers.’

Hiromi got the impression that Yoshitaka wasn’t particularly engaged in the topic of growing things; she was aware of his general indifference to the natural world.

Ayane brought coffee for three back from the kitchen. Remembering the whiskey, Hiromi hastily began pouring water into two glasses.

It was already past eleven when the Ikais started making rumblings about going home.

‘Well, that was a feast. And quite a present, too!’ Tatsu -hiko said, standing. ‘You should come over to our place next time – of course, it’s a complete mess with the baby and all.’

‘I’ll get around to cleaning soon enough,’ Yukiko said, jabbing her husband in the ribs before giving Ayane a smile. ‘You’ll have to come and see our little prince. Though he looks a bit more like a fat cherub right now.’

Ayane assured her she’d love to come and visit.

It was getting close to the time when Hiromi needed to be heading home, too, so she decided she would leave with the Ikais. Tatsuhiko offered to have their taxi drop her off at her apartment.

‘Oh, Hiromi, I’ll be out tomorrow,’ Ayane called out as the younger woman was slipping on her shoes in the entranceway.

‘That’s right, it’s a three-day weekend, isn’t it? Are you going away?’ Yukiko asked.

‘Not really, just to my parents’ place.’

‘That’s up in Sapporo?’

Ayane nodded, smiling. ‘Yes, my father isn’t doing so well, so I thought I would keep my mother company. It’s nothing serious, mind you.’

‘Well, that’s too bad. And here you are giving us a baby shower!’ Tatsuhiko looked sheepish.

Ayane shook her head. ‘No, please, don’t worry. Like I said, it’s nothing serious.’ Turning her attention back to Hiromi, she said, ‘If anything comes up, you have my mobile number.’

‘When are you coming back?’

‘Well …’ Ayane made a little frown. ‘I suppose I’ll have to give you a call when I know for sure. I won’t be away that long.’

‘Right, okay.’ Hiromi glanced towards Yoshitaka, but he was staring off into the distance.

Finally taking their leave, the three of them walked down a side road from the Mashibas’ house to the main street,
where Tatsuhiko hailed a cab. As Hiromi would be dropped off first, she got in last.

‘I hope we didn’t talk too much about children,’ Yukiko said as the taxi pulled out.

‘So? It
was
a baby shower,’ Tatsuhiko said from the front seat.

‘I was just thinking that we should have been a little more considerate of their situation. They’re trying to have children, aren’t they?’

‘Yoshitaka said something along those lines a while back …’

‘What if they
can’t
have children? You haven’t heard anything, have you, Hiromi?’

‘No, nothing. Sorry.’

‘Oh,’ Yukiko muttered, sounding disappointed.

Hiromi wondered if they had offered her a ride home in the hope of prying information out of her.

The next morning, Hiromi left her apartment at nine o’clock, as usual, to head over to Anne’s House in Daikanyama. They’d converted an apartment into a classroom where they taught patchwork quilting. The school was Ayane’s brainchild, and thirty or so students came to learn techniques directly from Ayane Mita herself.

As she walked out of her building Hiromi was surprised to find Ayane standing there, a suitcase by her side. Ayane smiled when she saw her.

‘Ayane! Is something the matter?’

‘No, I just wanted to give you something before I left.’ Ayane reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a key.

‘What’s that for?’

‘It’s a key to our house. Like I said, I’m not exactly sure when I’ll be able to return home … I was hoping I could give you this just in case anything came up.’

‘Well, I guess so.’

‘Would it be a problem?’

‘No, it’s not that. But this is a spare, isn’t it? You have your own copy?’

‘Oh, I don’t need one. I can just call you on my way home, and if you can’t make it, my husband will meet me.’

‘If you’re sure …’

‘Thanks.’ Ayane took Hiromi’s hand and placed the key in it, closing her fingers until she was holding it tight.

‘So long,’ Ayane said, and she walked off, pulling her suitcase behind her.

‘Wait,’ Hiromi said, thinking. Then, more loudly: ‘Ayane?’

Ayane stopped and looked around. ‘Yes?’

‘Oh … nothing … just, have a safe trip.’

‘Thanks.’ Ayane gave a little wave and resumed walking.

The quilting classes ran until late in the evening, and Hiromi hardly had a moment to herself. By the time she was seeing the last students off, her neck and shoulders were as stiff as wood. She had just finished cleaning up the classroom when her mobile rang. She took a look at the display and swallowed. It was Yoshitaka.

‘Classes all done for the day?’ he asked as soon as she lifted the phone to her ear.

‘Just now, yes.’

‘Great. I’m out with some clients now, but I’ll be home as soon as I’m done. You should come over.’

He spoke so casually that Hiromi wasn’t sure how to respond.

‘Unless you have other plans?’

‘No, not at all … you’re sure it’s okay?’

‘Of course it’s okay. Suffice to say, she won’t be coming back for a while.’

Hiromi stared at her handbag. The key Ayane had given her that morning was tucked inside the inner pocket.

‘And there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,’ Yoshitaka added.

‘What?’

‘I’ll tell you when I see you. I’ll be home at nine. Just give me a call before you come.’ He hung up before she could reply.

Hiromi ate by herself at a pasta place, then gave Yoshitaka a call. He was home, and there was excitement in his voice when he told her to come over quickly.

In the taxi on the way to the Mashibas’, Hiromi languished in a bit of self-loathing. It irked her that Yoshitaka didn’t seem to have a shred of guilt about what was going on. Yet, at the same time, she had to admit her own happiness.

Yoshitaka greeted her at the front door, smiling. He didn’t hurry to get her inside. His every movement was calm and assured. In the living room, she smelled coffee brewing.

‘It’s been months since I made my own coffee,’ Yoshitaka said, coming up from the kitchen with a cup in each hand, neither of them on a saucer. ‘Hope I didn’t mess up.’ He handed her one of the cups.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen you set foot in the kitchen.’

‘Maybe not! I haven’t done much of anything since I got married.’

‘She’s a very devoted woman,’ Hiromi murmured. She sipped her coffee. It was dark and rather bitter.

The corners of Yoshitaka’s mouth curled downward. ‘I put in too much coffee.’

‘Want me to make some more?’

‘No, don’t bother with it now. You can make the next pot. And I didn’t ask you here to chat about coffee.’ He set his cup down on the marble tabletop. ‘I talked to her yesterday.’

‘I thought you might’ve.’

‘I didn’t tell her it was you. She thinks it’s someone she doesn’t know. If she believes me at all, that is.’

Hiromi thought back to that morning, to Ayane’s face when she handed her the key. She hadn’t seen any scheme behind that smile.

‘What did she say?’

‘She accepted it.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes, really. I told you she would.’

Hiromi shook her head. ‘Maybe it’s not my place to say this, but I can’t understand how she could just
accept
it.’

‘Because those were the rules. Rules
I
made, but still … At any rate, you’ve got nothing to worry about. It’s all settled.’

‘So we’re good, then?’

‘Better than good,’ Yoshitaka said, putting an arm around Hiromi’s shoulder and drawing her close. Hiromi let herself fall into his embrace. She felt his lips by her ear. ‘You should stay the night.’

‘In the bedroom?’

Yoshitaka’s mouth curled into a little smile. ‘We have a guest room. It’s got a double bed.’

Hiromi nodded, still feeling a strange mix of bewilderment, relief, and lingering unease.

The next morning, Hiromi was in the kitchen about to make coffee when Yoshitaka walked in and asked her to show him how.

‘I only know what Ayane taught me.’

‘Good enough. Show me,’ Yoshitaka said, crossing his arms.

Hiromi placed a paper filter in the dripper and poured in coffee grounds with a measuring spoon. Yoshitaka leaned closer to check the amount.

‘First you put in a little hot water. Just a little. Then you wait for the grounds to sort of swell.’ She poured a little boiling water from the kettle into the dripper, waited about twenty seconds, then began to pour again. ‘You pour it in a circle. The coffee rises up a touch as you pour, and you want
it to stay at about the same level. Then, as you’re pouring, you watch the lines on the serving pot and take the dripper off the moment you have enough for two. Leave it on and it’ll get weak.’