Unending Nora

Chapter 33

Julie Shigekuni 287 Chapter 33 Inthecenter of the carnival grounds, Kevin Nishida began drumming from fifteen feet up. He’d grown taller and more powerful since the last time Melissa had seen him, his stance more solid and sure, his control still remarkable for someone his age. Now the sonorous beat of the taiko called the crowd in, told the newcomers that they’d be witnessing something special, and gratified regulars like Melissa with tradition. Promptly at seven o’clock, the koto and shamisen combined with the drumbeat, and piped in feminine voices sang about vanity and loss in minor keys, each syllable of the ancient Japanese wavering as if suffering from a corrupted recording. Hearing the music as their call to order, dancers in their fancy kimono and colorful hapi coats formed lines in three concentric tiers around the drum stand, the space around the periphery kept clear for children who darted between bystanders on their way to the next game while balancing cones of shaved ice and plates of char siu bau and teriyaki, their mouths sticky from eating manju. Even though Melissa didn’t speak Japanese and had never been to Japan, she’d attended dance practices as a teenager. Starting two months before the carnival, Caroline, Nora, and she would travel across the Valley to the Hongwanji Temple to rehearse, following behind the obasan who knew the movements by heart. Nora, though bigger boned than Caroline or Melissa, had been the most graceful. The year before, when she’d gone missing, Unending Nora 288 Melissa had thought for sure she’d show up for Obon; she still held out an irrational hope. Alone this year, without Nora, without Caroline, or Mark, Melissa signed up to work the coffee booth thinking that it wouldn’t get busy till late into the evening, when people began to worry about getting home. From her post, a bit removed from the crowd, she could see the dancing better than if she were close up. She watched her mother who together with Caroline’s mom was dancing for the first time. The stylish combs and colorful hapi coat Melissa had picked out for Asako contributed to her ease as a dancer and Melissa was surprised at her mother’s natural gracefulness. She and Teru followed the women in front of them, stopping only occasionally to laugh at themselves when they lost their concentration and tripped over each other’s feet. Earlier in the week, Melissa had helped set up booths while the men hung the Christmas lights. They fanned out from the parapet in spokes, each colored light covered with a thin paper boat. She’d scoured Little Tokyo the week before to find replacements for the torn lanterns and bulbs that had burnt out, and it pleased her to see how each pretty boat floated on the evening breeze. As Melissa stared up at the lanterns, it was Naoko she thought of, hoping Elinore would accept her invitation so that her niece could take part in the festivities that had played such an important role in her childhood, and, selfishly, so that she could see the evening’s events through the child’s eyes. Keeping an eye out for Naoko, Melissa was surprised to find Caroline instead. She called to her friend, wondering how Caroline could hear her name over the thick drumbeat and voice over the loudspeaker announcing a raffle winner. “What a nice surprise,” Melissa said, seeing the baby curled up asleep against Caroline’s chest, and feeling, even if this year’s carnival would not be like the others, a sense of fullness. “It’s good to see you,” Caroline said, pulling Melissa in for a hug, her baby pressed between them. “I’ve missed you.” Julie Shigekuni 289 Wade was in a good mood, agreeing to run the coffee booth so that she and Caroline could slip off for a minute to do what they always did together at Obon. They watched the dancers for a while, chatted with people they recognized, then wandered off to eat mochi ice cream and admire the Japanese doll and ikebana exhibits. “Where’s Mark?” Caroline asked when they’d found a quiet place to sit. “Mark and I broke up,” Melissa said dully, chewing on the end of a wooden skewer. “What?” Either Caroline feigned incredulity well, or she was truly surprised by the news. “I thought...