Plum Wine: A Novel

Chapter 25

4 231 4 25 T oward the end of June, Seiji came to see Barbara at Sangokan . Miss Yamaguchi rushed up to tell her. “You have a gentleman calling,” she said, then skittered back down the stairs again. He was in the vestibule, looking out at the misting rain. “Konnichi wa,” she said. “Ah—konnichi wa.” They looked at each other, smiling. “Will you take a walk?” he said. “I have some news for us,” he added in a low voice. She stepped beneath his umbrella and they walked along the little path through the woods. He seemed jittery, nearly burning his fingers as he lit a cigarette. “Shall we go see how the plums are doing?” she said. They went past the lotus pond and the Venus de Milo, glistening white in the rain, then cut across the sodden grass toward the trees. The wet leaves shone in the pale light. Most of the plums had already fallen, small and golden, scattered in the grass. Barbara picked one up, remembering what Michi had written about the fruit feeling like a cool egg in her hand. “This is the first year Michi-san isn’t here to make wine,” she said. “Yes.” He looked away from her. The rain dripped steadily onto their umbrella. “What is your news?” she asked. “I have found a place where we may go, in Asakusa. My friend, Kojima-san, has a florist shop there and once lived above it but does no more now that he has married. He says I may use this upstairs apartment as he has no need of it.” “So—we can meet there—anytime?” “As often as we like. On weekends we will have building entirely to ourselves. Already I have moved futon there.” “Oh, that’s wonderful,” she said. “We can move the tansu there as well,” he said. “You mean—Michi-san’s tansu?” “Yes, this will be more convenient for us, I think.” “But I could just continue to bring the papers.” “If we have tansu there it will not be such a trouble to you. And we can easily spend long time together, translating at our leisure. Kojima-san may take holiday in August, then we will have apartment in privacy for many days. Will you like this?” She touched his face. “I will love this.” And you, she said silently, with such intensity that she thought he must feel it. “We’ll be able to become so much better acquainted.” He looked around, then gave her a lingering kiss. “When can we move there?” she said. “I think in July, after students and teachers have left for their holiday.” They returned to Sango-kan in silence. Standing by the front door, she watched as he walked down the gravel path and out of sight. She held the plum to her nose; it had grown warm and fragrant in her hand. 4 232 4 4 233 4 She went upstairs, took off her wet dress, and lay down on the futon. Their own place. She imagined the apartment, tatami rooms, a tokonoma where they would hang a scroll and place Seiji’s ceramics . The tansu could go next to the tokonoma. But in the morning, when she awoke and looked at the tansu, she felt a shock at the thought of its absence. By the end of the first week in July, many of the teachers who lived on the Kodaira College campus had left for the summer. Barbara had Sango-kan to herself, except for Mrs. Ueda. Barbara had heard Mrs. Ueda say that she was going to spend a few weeks at the campus ski hut in Nagano. She and Seiji were waiting until after her departure to move the tansu. Days passed, and Mrs. Ueda showed no signs of leaving. Finally Barbara asked her one afternoon in the hall when she was going to Nagano. “Alas,” Mrs. Ueda said, “I have many things I must accomplish in Kokubunji, so I have had to delay.” The next morning Barbara noticed that Mrs. Ueda’s car was gone. She must have started on her list; with luck she would be away for several hours. Barbara called Seiji to tell him the coast was clear, and packed her overnight bag. He didn’t arrive until noon. With him was a young man whom he introduced as Hiko-chan; Barbara had seen him working in the restaurant kitchen and roaring down the street of Takanodai on...