This would be as you already imagined, a chapter dedicated to a few moments of what Hiro did for her in 4 months. In movies, this would be the part where a bunch of scenes flash and you'd get a temporal view of events.
Also a moment that opened Julia's eyes to the reality of Asians.
Julia:
Julia storms in directly to her room, ignoring Hiro and Madison on the couch, looking at her and back to each other, puzzled. What just happened?
Madison went after her, knocking softly on the door.
"Jules, what happened? Did Grayson do something to you?" Madison stood by the entrance crossing arms, preoccupied, watching her best friend wipe off her makeup angrily.
"Steve, people..."
Madison never saw her friend so angry, Julia didn't take anything too seriously most of the time, so, to see her in that state it was worrying.
"We were so good Mads, we went for brunch in Tasha's, an-and it was all fine until Steve and his mutts showed up and sat just a few tables down..." Julia paused, turning abruptly to lean on her dressing table. "They started saying all kinds of shit, I honestly..."
"He just doesn't quit."
"No he doesn't. They started calling him some racist names like banana, japy chan, sushi dick, shouting out loud I was on a sushi diet to get a fucking iphone." Julia spilled words, stuttering uncomfortably at them, but Madison was familiar with them, it was a recurring theme during her upbringing with an Asian mother. "Grayson was so chilled about it, he kept shrugging saying it was nothing, he simply kept reassuring me it was nothing, and it's not worth it but fuck, Madison. How is that nothing? It was the last fucking straw when they served a bowl of rice to Grayson, the waiter said Steve's table sent it. I fucking lost it."
"What did you do Jules?" She crossed her arms concerned with what she would say next.
"Grayson even tried to stop me but I couldn't, I took the bowl and shoved it in Steve's head."
Madison cracked up just by the thought of it. "Julia!"
"Of course he started barking at me, saying I'm a bitch going out with an Asian that smells like feet. I spit in his face." Julia carried on. "I asked really: 11 official languages and all you manage to say is Kak? He got so pissy about it then he challenged Grayson."
"Like what?"
"Will you kiss him with the same mouth you kissed me and my kak? After we're done here and he's done hiding behind your small ass." Jules mimicked his voice. "I slapped him and then he pushed me... Grayson stepped in and threw him a huge punch in the face, Steve just fell Madiiiison... I was so horny." Julia laughed embarrassed. "I was like, Go babe."
Madison laughed at Jules.
"Grayson, was so hot."
"Jules you're crazy."
"Fuck, Madison he just turned to him and he went like: You know you little shit, what a makes us true men? The respect to which we treat our women, and licking your mother's ass doesn't count, so next time you want to show off a pretty little speech, you take those ginger cake balls up to me and don't even think about looking at Julia."
Madison's lips turned into a perfect O at Grayson's attitude, some people only learned the hard way unfortunately.
"But that's not all, then we went to another store to get him a new camera lens and the girl there just started talking super super slow to him like he's mental or something I just blew right there: praat engels of jy het geestelike probleme?" (speak english or do you have mental issues?)
Madison laughed. Julia had a really bad temper when people irritated her, even more than her, she was surprised how Julia stood up for Grayson that way.
"It's so messed up, I'm sorry you had your day ruined."
"I mean seriously, how can he stand?" Julia faced the mirror again, tired and upset.
"Honestly Jules it's more common than you think but people decide it's a joke and if we get offended it's because we can't take a joke. I'm happy you stood for him and so proud of you. You both did good." Madison hugged her friend, kissing her on the cheek. "Where is Grayson anyway? Why don't you call him to come and hang out with us here?"
"He's coming." She smiles. "He just went to get us something, down the street."
Madison returns to the living room, sitting next to Hiro and putting her arm around him, explaining briefly the incident Julia just went through,
"It's everywhere in the world." Hiro snorts.
"Even in London? How was it, I mean in..."
"Very much so like other countries, it was silent at times but it was there."
"And how did you know?" She asked slightly uncomfortable, not wishing to upset him.
"Aside from the name calling every once in a while." Hiro paused. "It wasn't widely spoken but some things you noticed." Hiro explained with his gaze locked in the white wall. Madison watched him attentively as Hiro dug an ugly memory of his past.
"In school they didn't know how to pronounce my name and some didn't make the effort, calling me by a nickname or simply Hero. Writing Hero instead of Hiro wasn't even an issue, frankly it sounds the same... But what bothered me, was, explaining a thousand times a week I wasn't chinese or vietnamese, because to everyone we're all the same."
Madison agreed, knowing that feeling all too well.
"Then in teen years, it got better, I met my good friend Benji... but nonetheless, the small things were still there." He crossed his arms. "Like dating, they wouldn't mix but it was fine and it wasn't racist because, they had a black friend and an asian friend."
"Then you had small incidents at home like... many times I would take the calls or call the companies for any technical issues because they claimed they didn't understand my parents accents." He addressed in a dark tone. "It wasn't incomprehensible it just wasn't British."
"And yours?"
"I grew up with Theodore, Grayson and Sapphire at Lady Erin's manor. I practically grew up bilingual." He says. "Our parents worked there and lady Erin got my parents jobs in the UK."
"What did your parents do?"
He chuckles lightly. "They worked in a hotel, ironically."
She smiled along with him, eager to dig deeper and it occurred to her that she only knew Hiro from the surface.
But she didn't need to, he continued.
"Aside from the occasional racial slur, then, I met Rose." He paused for a moment. "I felt the luckiest man alive as she was way out of my bloody league at the time."
Madison couldn't help feel a pinch of jealousy for this woman she never met.
"The first time she introduced me to her friends, they asked me Why I spoke british english." He snorts followed by her. "Of all questions."
"To talk to the dead, maybe honey." She noted sarcastically.
"I went to get drinks at the bar and they commented, he's cute for an asian."
"Bitch."
"Well she agreed, at the time I should've left her, but I didn't. I pretend nothing happened, I should've know someone like that wasn't a good start." He smirks sadly. "Fast forward a year, she cheated on me on my birthday and the last thing she said to me, was the very first thing her friends said to her."
"You're cute for an Asian but don't think too highly of yourself."
"When's her birthday?" Madison shoots him a question, feeling her blood boil.
"Somewhere around July, why?" He frowns.
"Enough time to wrap her a bomb and mail it on her birthday. Blowing up a bitch like the 4th of July."
He laughs, taking her hand to his lips and kissing it.
"Stereotypes will always be there unfortunately. As infuriating as it is, our best option is to educate them and it's up to them to accept it. It's not whether you understand, it's whether you accept a different reality than yours."
Her birthday:
It was almost mid May and the early cold winds of the morning rubbed her rosy cheeks when she stepped outside of the uber to meet him for her birthday breakfast. Madison wasn't quite sure what to expect from someone like Hiro, then again anything would special on this date.
"Happy birthday gorgeous." He covered her in a warm welcoming hug, kissing her forehead.
"Hmm thank you." She hugged him back.
They sat on the lovely little cramped space of cafe La Coco C, where Hiro already had ordered them breakfast, they sipped on the cappuccinos and she noticed him a little on edge.
"Hiro you're a terrible liar, come on spit it out, what did you do?"
"Kissed the queen of England."
She cocked him an eyebrow throwing a sugar pack at him.
"Careful there, that's assault." He laughed and in that precise moment the food arrived.
"You really expect me to eat while you're there playing some wicked ideas in your mind?"
He smiled widely, torturing her for long couple of minutes before opening up. He cleared his throat.
"Well, as a birthday gift, I knew you wouldn't want me to go over the top..." She nodded to his introduction phrase. "But I also wanted to give you something you really needed."
"I'm scared." She placed the cup of coffee down, watching his eyes shine in pure amusement.
"I took the liberty of picking a car for you –" He lifted a finger once she protested aggravated. "But, but. I knew little miss independent would chop my sweet balls for that so, I merely helped you with the deposit and the rest of the installments are on you, for a period of 42 months, having of course calculated a decent price to your earnings and–"
Madison jumped out of her seat, sitting on his lap and kissing him in the middle of the café, grateful with all heart that someone could do something as amazing as that for her. Hiro was unbelievable, she was speechless and her heart absolutely overwhelmed.
"Don't kiss me just yet." He warned her. "I hope you like it."
"What do you mean you hope I like it? Do you even know what this means to me?" She stated in a loud voice ignoring all curious heads turned in their direction.
"Well if you wanna see it, it's just outside."
"You're kidding."
Hiro lifted the little blue and black key chain, reading Adam.
They walked outside and Madison almost lost her balance, she passed by this very same car when she arrived, not even imagining it was her own and just waiting for her. Hiro got her a beautiful Opel Adam dark blue and white roof, it was more than she could've asked.
Saturday
"Let's make this interesting." He suggested, laying his arm around her shoulder.
"Shopping overall is interesting, what are you talking about."
"I mean, really really interesting. Let's play a game."
"Hiro, are we betting money? Because I'm not losing 10 quid to you, that's 200 rand." Madison whined.
"My word, loving the excitement." He chuckles.
"Hiro, your games scare me, I always lose." She laughs reminding him.
"I promise this one you'll like." He kisses her hair. "Ok enough chit chat. You have 30 seconds to get anything, and I mean, anything you want."
"Wait, what?" I pause him.
"29."
"Hiro!"
"28."
Madison drops the shopping basket at his feet, apologizing a few meters away while running to get whatever caught her eye, she didn't have anything in mind right away, he had taken her by surprise and just like that, 30 seconds flew away.
She was panting the moment Hiro found her.
"I can't... I can't feel my legs."
"Easy love, we're in public no need to admit it." She slapped him with only a glare. "So, what did you get?"
"Scones, frozen berries, ice cream, these 7 layer chocolate cupcakes." She gasped for air.
"Why did you get everything I told you I wanted this morning? This was for you." His voice was soft.
"Sharing is caring."