Some 2 years ago, autumn
In Gion
He had been intrigued with geishas his whole life so when one of his father's old friend invited him for a gathering, he eagerly said yes. To him, geishas are symbol of female perfection. Imagine six years of hard work, perfecting art, music and performance, away from their family. He had utmost respect for them, and aware that in the past, they were misrepresented for sex symbols.
The dinner started and there were three geishas in the room. He guessed that the third geisha was a maiko as she sat and watched her sisters played the instrument and danced, while she occasionally poured sake around the table.
Her big round eyes and cherry red lips and dark eyebrows kept him mesmerized, as he stole glances towards her the whole night, while half-watching the older geishas sung and played the shamisen.
He finally turned to his father's friend, Kenji-san, "Sumimasen, are we allowed to speak to the geishas?" he asked, unsure about the etiquette. The older man smiled. "Of course! They are hosts. Which one of them attracted your attention?"
The young man blushed and his gaze turned to the lady sitting at the corner. "Ah-so-desu-ne. She is a maiko, an apprentice. Most of the time she is allowed to just observe and not speak to the guests. But I'm sure you can chat a word or two with her."
Before he could stop the older man, he was bidding her to come to their side to refill their sake cups. "My dear daughter, my young friend here would like to speak to you. Anata no namae-wa nan desu-ka." (What is your name?)
The maiko pushed her body up a little and shifted her bender knees, until she reached behind the two gentlemen. Bending low, she spoke in almost a whisper, "Kaguya."
"Kaguya? Are you the mysterious girl from the moon?" The old man laughed. "My friend here, Tsuru-san, would like your company." She bowed a little and poured sake into his cup.
"Are you from Kyoto, Kaguya-san?" He asked nervously. It was hard to read her expression through her white painted face.
She skimmed her eyes to look at him and gave a small smile. "Chi-gai-masu. I can't tell you where I come from."
He raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Is that a secret a maiko must keep?" His eyes could not pull away from her. Something about her eyes, her face pulled him in. How would it feel to kiss her? Alarmed by his thoughts, he quickly turned away.
"Sumimasen. I didn't mean to pry. Thank you for serving us today, Kaguya-san." He bowed a little which she returned another bow. "Would you like more sake, Tsuru-san?"
"Yes please," he said softly as he watched her delicate small hand pour the liquid into the tiny cup. They sat next to each other throughout the night listening to the shamisen played, without exchanging another word. But her presence next to him was assuring.
A maiko never smiled big. Kenji-san was telling a joke that caused everyone in the room roaring, even the geishas were laughing behind their sleeves.
When he turned to Kaguya, she was laughing, her eyes crinkled upwards, her face as bright as the moon. He smiled. She forgot to hide her face and she was beautiful.
"Okaasan, can I come in?"
"Yes, my son. Did you bring me afternoon tea?"
He bowed and smiled, a tray on his hands as he placed it down at the low table. Okaasan was sitting in her favourite armchair, her legs propped up, her hands busy knitting. The doctor had removed the shoulder and leg support but she needed to be careful not to put too much strain on her feet.
She glanced at her son. Since he came back, he had been restless. She knew about the girl he met and liked in Suzhou during one of their conversations. Perhaps he was missing her, especially after his admission to the hospital, he looked like he needed a break.
"How are you feeling today, Okaasan? The nurse requested a day off but will be back tomorrow."
"I don't need a nurse anymore, Didi. I don't need you either. You can go back to China. Your girlfriend is waiting for you." she teased.
He looked down and scratch behind his ear, a smile on his lips. Then, he looked up and shook his head. "She is not my girlfriend yet. Anyways, Okaasan, I can't leave you when you are like this. Furthermore, I have to complete the album production with Kandytown. And then, there is Yi-jie's engagement party."
Okaasan took a bite of the rice cake. "Why don't you ask her to come here? We can fly her in."
Didi groaned. His mother had a tendency not to let things slide easily. And she always get what she wants. "She is busy, Okaasan. And recently we had a mis—-, oh never mind. Don't worry about me."
"Your papa and I used to fight and bicker a lot too. We could go on days and weeks without talking to each other."
He looked at his mother, surprised. "I never noticed. You are always courteous with him and he too."
She snickered. "Being overpolite is a form of ignoring the other person, silly. I teach you, son. Whenever you argue with your girlfriend, regardless who is right or wrong, you must apologize first. That is how you win a queen's heart."
He bit his lips. If you can't beat around the bush with mother, you better be upfront honest with her, he mentally told himself.
"Okaasan, I tried apologizing but she had been avoiding my calls. I think she is still mad at me." Suddenly, he felt a knock on his head. "Okaasan!"
His mother laughed. "That is for you to come to your senses! Is she worth it, son?"
"Okaasan, she's the one. The one in my dreams. The reason I fight hard for my health."
"Then, fly to her! Go get her back! I'll be fine here for a few days. Your Kandytown buddies will understand. The planet still go around the orbit. But—" she raised her forefinger, "there is only one queen in your heart. If she is replaceable, then you don't need to go. And if she—"
"She is irreplaceable." He looked down and stared at his clasped hands. "She is my life."
His heart was in his throat, he sat there without speaking for a few seconds, trying to compose his roiling emotions.
When he glanced up, his mother was smiling at him. "If you want, I will go back with you. We can move back to China." His eyes widened. "Okaasan, you must joking. We just moved into this house to accommodate your current state. So you don't need to climb the stairs."
She laughed. "This house is too big for an oldie like me. When we were in Leshan, we lived in a small house. You were born there and we were happy. Your father did not mind small space. Then, we had the Wang mansion, our heirloom. To me, that was more of a house to entertain important guests, than a home. If I had a choice, I would prefer to stay in a cosy little house by the river."
"Come here, Didi." she said, softly.
He kneeled in front of her and took her hands. "It's just you and me. I can't bring all these-" she said, gesturing to the surroundings of their new home, "when I meet my Maker or when I meet your Otosan. The only thing that matters to me is your happiness. You have been sick for so long, this new heart has given you hope, so go get it!"
His eyes turned upwards when he saw his mother's eyes twinkling. She always had her way with words.
He squeezed her hand. "Okaasan, with your permission, I will take my leave to Suzhou. I will be back after a few days and we can discuss our plans to move back to China."
He paused. "Okaasan, are you sure about this?" She waved her hand. "When you get married, I need to be there to give you my blessing."
Didi nodded excitedly and hugged his mother. He could not wait to book his flight home.
He got down from his car, excitedly. Finally, after more than three months he would be meeting Yue again. He had asked her to meet him on the bridge in the Humble Administrator's Garden. The wind was chilly and he pulled his jacket tightly around his body, while rubbing his hands together.
Then, he saw her. She looked beautiful. Her hair had grown. She was wearing the white overcoat her gifted her. He beamed.
But something in her eyes were not right. They were cold. Like she was looking blankly at him.
He took a few strides to her and took her hands. They were cold too.
"Yue, I'm back. I came back for you."
She finally smiled. It was a smile which seemed to take her a lot of effort. "Didi, you shouldn't come home."
"But why? I miss you," he said, quietly, making circles on her hand with his thumb. Why does it feel strange to hold her hands? "Don't you miss me? I'm sorry for what I did. Can you forgive me, please?"
"You betrayed our trust, Didi. All you care about is your ego." She said, the warmth of her voice disappeared.
"I'm sorry, Yue. I made a mistake. Can we start over? Please. I can't live without you."
She smirked. "It's too late, Didi. I'm with Kuan now."
He stared at her, surprised. "But you said...there is nothing between you two!"
"There was none. But after what you said, I decided that Kuan is my guy. He had been there for me. Always. While you—" she pointed her finger at him, accusingly "left me here on my own and made me worried about you. I had enough."
His head was spinning. This was not how he wanted it to end. "No, Shen Yue. Don't leave me. Let's start afresh. I will be honest and open with you from now on. Yue, please," he said, tugging her hand, which was slipping away. Tears were welling in his eyes.
"Didi, be happy. Find your own happiness. Without me." She took her hand and turned her back on him, as he crumbled down on the ground, "Yue!"
His phone buzzed.
His eyes jerked open. After a few seconds looking at the surroundings, he heaved a big sigh.
Damn nightmare.
He had been unpacking his boxes from house moving to pack his bag for Suzhou since morning, and when he was done, he must had dozed off. He saw the name of the caller and quickly picked up his phone.
"Wang He Di." A calm voice sounded over the phone. "What took you so long?"
"Damn, Kuan. I was sleeping. What do you want?" He said, wiping his tear-stricken face. So, he really cried in his dream.
"Someone is sure grumpy today."
"Yes, ever since Yue refused my call or messages. Is she still mad at me?"
"Definitely. You accused us of sneaking behind your back."
He frowned. Kuan was right and he was wrong. He wanted to make amends now. If Yue would even give him a chance.
"I just thought both of you have something that I don't know of. It pissed me off."
"Can't stand us being so close, eh?" Kuan teased.
"Shut up, Kuan. I apologized to you earlier already. If you want revenge, this is revenge. Her ignoring me is hell."
"You deserve it. If I may say so. Relationship 101. Never make assumptions."
"Kuan you don't even have a girlfriend. Don't preach to me."
He could hear Kuan chuckling over the other line. Since high school, he always thought he was the level-headed one between the two when it came to relationship with people, but it seemed Kuan's occupation had changed him over the years. They may be loggerheads at times but Didi secretly appreciated his friendship. Xi Ze could be unpredictable but Kuan was solid as rock.
"What do you want calling me? I'm busy packing. I'm coming back to Suzhou. To see Yue," he grinned, feeling light and almost forgetting the nightmare he had earlier. He realized that was the first dream he had about Tsuki after he met her more than seven months ago.
"Oh, not a good idea. Cancel your flight."
"What the fvck, Kuan! You told me to be assertive so I book a flight back. Nothing is going to stop me. Not even you. Wait, are you trying to get Yue for yourself? I tell you, Kuan, you wouldn't see—"
"Calm down, cool guy! Gosh! When it comes to Yue, you are like a dynamite."
"Because she is important to me. I can't lose her." His voice turn hoarse, a lump rising to his throat. "And after the damn nightmare, I wished I can fly back right now." He felt a slight pain on his heart and his hand went to cover it as he breathed slowly.
"Wang He Di. Listen to me. You don't need to come back. She is flying to you."
There was a pause on the line. Didi blinked. "What do you mean?"
He could imagine Kuan smiling as he spoke, "Shen Yue is flying to Kyoto. She just got on the plane this morning. I assume she will arrive in a few hours' time."
His heart hammered against his chest as he tried to decipher if this was just another prank Kuan was pulling on him.
"But she never said anything. She ignored my calls and messages. I sent her gifts and she just messaged back a plain 'thank you'. And that's all. Why is she coming?"
"You are such a dumb-dumb, Didi. She loves you, of course! She is coming to get you."
"Kuan, you're lying."
"Suit yourself. She wants it to be a surprise but I'm worried about her so I want to give you a heads-up. Please act surprise when you see her."
"Did she tell you where she is staying? Or I can contact her on her phone still?"
"No details. I didn't ask. I only know her flight time. There, I have done my job. Gotta go!"
"Kuan, don't go! Tell me, please. Did she tell you she loves me? Was those the exact words?"
He heard Kuan breathed. "Didi, Yue loves you for a long time now. I will let her explain to you."
"What?"
"One last thing. If you bully her again, I will definitely take her away from you. She deserves all the love she can get."
"Kuan, you have my word. She is the queen of my heart. But, what do you mean she loves me for a long time? Dammit, Kuan, don't leave me hanging here!"
Kuan's laugh became annoying to his ears. "Wang He Di, stop being a wimp and grow up. See you when I see you."
"Kuan, explain to me first! You jerk! You—-"the line got cut off before he could even say more. That was Kuan. Straight to the point. And bye.
Didi bit his nails. What did he mean? Yue loves me? Does she really? She is coming for me? The idea seemed far-fetched. She had such a busy schedule. There must be another reason she was here. Did his brothers from Kandytown finally agreed to collaborate with her?
So many questions, and no answers. Didi fidgeted, and walked back and forth his room.
Maybe, Yue left me a message. Indeed she did. She said:
"Wang He Di. You will get what you deserve."
He frowned at first. Then, he laughed. She must be trying really hard not to expose her surprise for him by pretending to be mad with him still. Should he even return her message? Regardless, she was coming to Kyoto. For him!
Didi starting running in circles, raising his arms and grinning from ear to ear. He stopped and checked his watch. If he guessed right, she would arrive in two hours. Did she know where she live? Maybe Marco or Bambi told her.
He went in front of his mirror and did some expressions. How does one act surprise? So hard to do. Forget it. When she arrived, I will give her the tightest biggest hug ever.
I will never let you go again, Shen Yue.
Author's notes:
Sorry for the one-day delay on publishing! The final part was the only missing piece and I wrote this just minutes before I publish all three chapters! Sorry for bad editing too. 😅
We are now in Kyoto. So much to share, explore and reveal. Are you ready?
💜💛 Hsien
1.5.2020