Going Solo

Part 39

The glass of water that just seconds before had been in Emi's hand was now in pieces on the floor. "W-What... did you say?"

Jasmine had come to visit. Jasmine. Emi's friend. Or so she thought.

Emi had poured Jasmine a glass of water, while Jasmine got up the nerve to tell her the truth. And once she did, it slipped out, just as plainly as it had come to her mind, as though if she didn't let it out right that second, she would never be able to.

"I said, Kenji and I had been sleeping together."

"Since when?"

"For a while now." Jasmine said.

Emi stepped over the broken glass on the floor to close the gap between the two of them, her expression unreadable.

Emi grabbed Jasmine's arm, dragging her to the door, and opening it.

"Get out." She whispered, eyebrows raised, eyes wide, and mouth slumped into a frown. She seemed confused. Not too confused, however to shove Jasmine  out the door.

That was easier than Jasmine thought it would be. Not that seeing Emi that way was easy.

Emi stood, back against the front door. The front door of her home. The foundation of which, was built on lies. Jasmine and Kenji? They had kept in touch. For how long had they been... with each other?

She stood there, slumped against the door staring at the broken glass. "So messy..." she mumbled.

By the time she heard Kenji's key jingling in the door, Emi had been standing there for about half an hour. Kenji pushed open the door lifting her to her feet.

He must have rushed home. He was panting. Had she told him? Had she contacted him to let him know that she'd told me?

She walked over to the broken glass, her back facing him. "You're home early."

He carefully walked over to her, grabbing her arms from behind, and nuzzled his head in the nook of her neck. "I'm so sorry."

Emi's body now limply fell to the floor, knees dropping onto shards of glass that undoubtedly sliced painfully into her skin. She lifted a corner of her mouth, so that it slightly resembled a smile.

"Shut up, Kenji." She bit out, shaking her head. Her voice began to break under the weight of the emotion. It took everything in her not to scream.

Maybe it was because Jasmine's words hadn't sunk in and it took having those words come out of Kenji's mouth for her to really believe it. But when she did... She broke. It was clearly visible to Kenji. The exact moment Emi lost it.

Her hand clutched her chest and she began furiously shaking her head as tears flowed down her cheeks. "No." She breathed. Her every breath hitched and ragged. "Why? When?" She sniffed.

Kenji sighed and pulled a chair from under the dining table. "Emi..."

"Are you still having sex with her?"

"Of course not! She's infected."

"What are you talking about?"

"Of course she didn't tell you." He scoffed. "She has Hepatitis B."

"What?!" Emi scrambled to her feet and grabbed Kenji by the collar of his shirt. "Are you kidding me? Are you infected? It hasn't been long since we've been together!"

"No! I'm not anymore. And you're not either. I made sure of that. She went too long without taking her symptoms seriously. They developed. Now she's in the chronic stages."

Emi released her hold on him and stumbled back to the floor in the midst of all the broken glass. "How did she get it?"

Kenji raised his lowered head and lifted his eyes to meet Emi's. "From me."

"Gracious Kenji! How many people were you sleeping with?!"

He turned his head to avert her accusatory gaze, "A few of my co-workers too."

"Kitanai! Kitanai! Kitanai! (Dirty! Dirty! Dirty!)" She screamed, head shaking to and fro. Tears streamed down Emi's face as she looked at him. How many years had she wasted on him? Was this really the man she'd given up school, a career, a life for? Looking at him now, she only felt disgust. He was so... dirty. She wanted to shower. It had only been a couple of nights ago that she been in his arms. Thilth. Trash. Hot tears streamed. Her temperature rose.

"Answer one more question."

Kenji dared to raise his face.

"Am I so plain, that I wasn't enough to satisfy you?" Her voice broke, pain etched into her face, eyes no doubt swollen.

Kenji could only shake his head. Face covered by his hands now.

Emi rose to her feet, powered only by the cries that came from the nursery. "I don't know what I can believe coming out of that mouth."

She fetched Haruko from her crib and limped back into the living room. Small glass shards still attached to her bleeding legs. "I'm going to see my doctor. Don't wait up. We won't be coming home."