Reclaimed – Chapter 4

What better way to deal with a loss than to go back to work?

Maybe more people would sit down and mourn for longer than me, but I can’t sit still, not when there’s so much to do. So I start slow. Once I stop bleeding, I commission Beni to take me to town and get my hair cut. I don’t want to see or talk to anyone, but my job is to be in the spotlight, to be at meetings and negotiations, and I cannot do that with my head wrapped in silk everyday to cover the disaster that is my hair. I pad my kimono so my weight loss isn’t evident and wear makeup to cover the dark circles under my eyes. Beni even gifts me a lip gloss from her collection. It’s like wearing a mask over all the pain, but I’d rather hide it than explain it.

Jiro accompanies us to town, his sword on his back, contemplative and silent. He hasn’t spoken much to me since we’ve been home this past week, and I’m not sure what to think of that. He still touches my face, holds me while I sleep, and is by my side night and day. He’s just quieter than he’s ever been.

The town is calm this morning, older ladies sweeping sidewalks and hosing them down when they’re done, washing away the dust and dirt to the sea. We pass closed up homes with green, potted plants and cats asleep on doorsteps. I clear my throat and hook my arm through Beni’s.

“So what happened with the cobbler after the evacuation? I’ve been out of the loop for several weeks.”

Beni smiles and directs her eyes at the ground. “We evacuated a good number of people from Takayama to Izumo and then here. Eiji decided to set up a shop here instead of returning to his store in the mountains. We see each other a few times per week.”

“Where’s his shop? I’d like to meet him.” I swivel my head around and take note of the newly opened businesses in this area, further from the downtown district.

“I’d like that, too.” Beni’s warm smile defrosts my heart a bit. “Why don’t we stop by after your haircut? His new store is in the Eastern Business District. Your calendar is free the rest of the day.”

“Actually, it’s now booked. We’ll visit your new boyfriend after we drop by Maeda’s casino for a surprise visit. I need to do business with him.” I turn to Jiro and he silently bobs his head.

There are no customers in the hair salon when we enter, but the ladies chime hello and welcome me in, shuffling aside open breakfasts and turning off their tablets. My hair is so far gone that even after soaking it in a solution for twenty minutes, the stylist can’t get a comb through it.

“Just take it off,” I say, pulling the towel from my head and slicing my hand along my jawline. “To here, and chop it so it’s messy. I’m going back on the road again soon, and my hair will be messy anyway. May as well try to make it look deliberate.”

The stylist and her assistant gasp and cover their mouths, but Beni smacks the assistant on the shoulder. “Get to it,” she snaps. “Whatever Miss Itami wants, you give it to her.”

I exit the salon thirty minutes later to Jiro on the sidewalk, my hair swinging below my jaw in choppy layers, and a clip holding it off my face. Jiro sighs, his eyes watery.

“Gods, I’m so sorry.”

“Does it look that bad?” I turn my head from side to side and examine my reflection in the front glass window.

Two people in kimono pass me on the street and stare blankly before recognizing me and bowing. I smile and dip back to them as they scurry off. I give it ten minutes before the press shows up. They don’t know I’m in town, and no one but family even knows I was pregnant. I’ll have to play off my weight loss, sadness, and haircut as the trials of a life on the road.

Jiro clears his throat. “The hair is adorable. I’m sorry about the reason you had to cut it.”

“Listen,” I say, stepping to him. Beni turns her back on us and stares into the shop next door. “I’m sorry too. Really sorry. I wanted that baby, our baby, but we have work to do here. It’s almost better this way. The sickness and pain were getting in the way of everything. You don’t blame me for the loss, do you?”

“No,” he pleads, taking my hands. “If anything, I blame Fujiwara. It gives me more reasons to continue.”

“It seems like we just keep trying to pick up where we left off. First the kidnapping. Now this. Jiro, let’s be good to each other. I need you…” My voice cracks, and I suck in a breath to stop tears. “I need you to help me move on. I can’t dwell on this. If I do, I’m lost. I love you so much. Please, let’s not let this ruin us before we’ve hit our stride.” I wrap my arms around his waist and lift my lips to his ear. “Remember when you dominated me in the alley behind Izakaya Tanaka?”

He smiles and kisses my cheek. “How could I forget?”

“I’m looking forward to more of that.”

“Miss Itami!” Jiro and I break apart as three reporters round the corner on our block and hurry towards us. “We didn’t know you were in town.” Their mini-tablets thrust into my personal space, and I take a half-step back being careful to smile. “How was your time on the road? Have you seen more of the native population? Is Fujiwara ready to sit down for negotiations?”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m just out for some personal time today with Mr. Itō and my staff. You need to direct your questions to Lucinda Coen, all right?” I nod and turn away, grabbing Jiro’s arm.

“Is it true that you and Mr. Itō are married? There’s still no certificate in city hall!” One reporter yells as we keep walking. It’s hard not to laugh. That secret is so old, it’s practically ancient.

We cross the district, dodging questions and sly glances along the way, and enter Maeda’s casino unannounced.

“What are we doing here today?” Jiro whispers in my ear.

“I want to do business with Maeda.”

I scan the room as I walk past the mostly empty blackjack tables. It’s only around ten, yet the casino operates at all hours for those who like to gamble at any time, day or night. Near the back offices, we finally run into Ian Kondo.

“Miss Itami, we weren’t expecting you today.” We bow to each other politely.

“I’m afraid I didn’t make an appointment. I wish to speak with Maeda now. Please tell him I’m waiting in the bar.” Short and decisive — I don’t give Ian a chance to cut me off with some excuse about how busy Maeda is. I’m fully aware of Maeda’s daily schedule. He’s here in the office going over the take from the night before. He can spare the time to talk to me.

We make our way to the bar and sit. “No Oyama so no drinks.” I wave off a waiter who walks towards us.

“What’s going on, Sanaa? You’re making me nervous. It’s not like you to spring things on me.” Jiro taps his fingers on the table as Beni sits behind us.

“I like to surprise you sometimes too.” I smile and sigh, smoothing out the front of my kimono. “We had no help on the road. I was sleeping on grass and straw every night without shelter. I’m going to buy us some assistance.”

“From Maeda? Are you crazy? Why don’t we go to Minamoto Clan now that Kentaro is in charge? Or dig deeper into our own resources?”

“Because he has someone on his roster that I want. Hand me my tablet,” I whisper back.

“Miss Itami, this is a surprise. I hadn’t expected to see you for another month or two. I heard you were on the continent.” Maeda is bright and bushy-tailed, handsome in a crisp suit with a contrasting dark red tie. I have no idea how much sleep he gets per night, but he always appears fresh and ready for each day.

“Maeda, a pleasure as always to see you. I hope you’re well.” I smile brightly, without fakeness, because for once, I know exactly how to deal with Maeda.

“I am, and you?”

“I’m getting over the aches and pains of traveling.” I gesture to the chairs, and we sit. “Did you know that people here camp? They pee in bushes and sleep on dirt. It’s outrageous.”

Maeda laughs. “You won’t catch me without a suit ever.”

“I’m sure. How are the city enforcements going?”

He sits back with his arms crossed but his smile is wide. “They’re going well. Having my people around the city on the perimeter is a better option than I was willing to admit the first time around.”

“I’m sure your eyes and ears hear everything.”

“Indeed they do.”

I try to tuck my hair behind my ears but instead run my fingers through the choppy locks. “I’m sure you must guess I’m not here to pop in and chat, though I always have a good time at your casino. I have business to discuss.” I turn on my tablet and open the list I was working on yesterday. “You employ an impressive staff, as I’m sure you’re aware of. I would like to hire Julia Saito and two of her assistants for the next few months, possibly indefinitely.”

I swivel the tablet around on the table and images of Julia and her two assistants, one male, one female, both Japanese, are on the screen. I glance at Beni, and she sits forward, her mouth dropped open.

“As you know, Julia is trained in survivalist techniques, and according to the report from my security staff, she’s been in the mountains and surrounding area since we arrived.”

“Julia… is here?” Beni asks. She looks from me to Maeda, bowing her head and sitting back down. Jiro hides a smile behind his twisted lips.

“Saito is one of my most valuable employees.” Maeda narrows his eyes at me but I smile sweetly. “She survived for six months in the last South American jungles when she was sixteen. There is no amount of money you could pay me for her.”

I let my eyes sweep the casino. He’s done a lot of improvements in the weeks I’ve been gone. The cameras are up in corners and over tables. The restaurant is decorated, and the bar is now boasting mixed cocktails on fancy menus. Maeda opened his own distillery, making an alcohol similar to vodka from tubers found naturally in the fields east of the city.

“I’m sure we can come to an agreement. Everything is for sale. I love this casino, and I love visiting here with my friends and family. I bet your profits would skyrocket if you were forgiven on your lease for three months.”

Maeda licks his bottom lip and glances down at Julia’s photo again. She’s a handsome young woman, with a strict expression and braid down over her shoulder.

“Miss Itami, you underestimate how much work goes into this casino on a daily basis. My business would be on decent footing if the lease was forgiven for six months.”

“Four.”

He nods, and I smile and bow my head in return.

“I will also double Julia’s salary and that of her assistants, and she can return to work for you, if she wants, when her contract is complete. She is, after all, an independent woman, but I think I can offer her the adventure she seeks on the road.” I rise and smooth out my kimono again. My stomach grumbles, and I swallow to keep a wave of nausea away. The sickness is not as bad as yesterday though.

My hands settle on the jade green obi across my midsection, and a pang of loss rips through me so strong, I groan. Jiro stands next to me, his hand cradling my elbow.

“Sanaa, I think it’s almost time for lunch. Shall we leave to meet our family?”

Sweat collects in beads along my forehead, but I nod and force a smile. “I’m starving. Thank you, Maeda. Will you contact Saito for me?”

Maeda bows. “I’ll send word to her immediately.”

Outside, I take a deep breath and lift my face to the sky for warmth. “I’m fine,” I whisper at Jiro. “Just forgot I’m not pregnant anymore for a moment.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were thinking of hiring my cousin?” Beni asks, her eyes wide.

“I apologize, Beni.” I start walking in the direction of the Eastern Business District. “I only came across her yesterday when I was wondering how to get through months on the road. None of us know how to do any of this. I look at plants or animals, and I don’t know what I can eat or drink. The forest, the mountains…” I wave my hand around. “Are all foreign to me. Arata is helpful, but I need someone in my employ.”

“Sanaa,” Beni says, grabbing my arm, “Julia was never a good employee to anyone.”

“Don’t worry, Beni. I studied her background before I considered her. I’m sure I can make it work.”

—-

Beni leads us to a small storefront nestled between a café and a kimono restorer. Clothes that we brought with us across the stars still need to be maintained and cared for, especially now that it will take so long to manufacture the cloth and dyes to make new clothing. I like the design of Eiji’s store. Shoes are displayed on racks outside to entice people to stop and browse, and over the door, a large curtain emblazoned with the kanji for shoes (kutsu) flaps in the warm spring breeze.

Beni ducks under the curtain and opens the door for us.

“Eiji!” she calls out, comfortable with her surroundings, like she owns the shop herself. “I’ve brought Sanaa!”

A young man in his thirties emerges from the back room and comes over to us. He’s tall, taller than Beni and absolutely towering over me, and lean. His short hair is graying around the temples, but his face is young with a charmingly crooked smile. I scan him from the top down — nicely dressed in a button down shirt, pants slung low around his hips with a belt, nice shoes, of course, and long elegant hands. I expect him to be a piano player but making and repairing shoes requires a lot of dexterity too.

“You must be Sanaa. I am Eiji Sasaki. Beni has told me so much about you.” We bow to each other first, and his handshake is warm, firm, and brief. I always knew Beni had good taste and it appears that taste extends to men as well. I’m quite pleased with her choice.

“I hope only good things.” I laugh when Beni pokes me in the ribs.

“Beni has nothing but good things to say about everybody.” He smiles at Beni, and she blushes and looks away.

This should not be breaking my heart, but it is. I always wanted Beni to find someone even though I love having her around. Her presence completes me in a way that friendship never has. But she’s in love, I can tell. The heat she’s giving off right now is incandescent, practically burning me from a few footsteps away, and Eiji smiles at her again.

“I’ll be traveling in the next few weeks, and I don’t think it’s fair to bring Beni along with us, so, I’m encouraging her to stay behind in Yamato. I could really use a new pair of traveling shoes, though, and was wondering if you could help me out.”

“Of course,” he says, his eyebrows jumping into his hair line. “I’d be happy to help you.” He sets the cloth in his hands down on the counter and directs me over to a wall of rugged shoes. “You should get something with a thick sole.” He hesitates before choosing two pairs for me to try on. I sit and let him slip the boots on my feet, doing his job while Beni and Jiro browse the rest of his store.

“Miss Itami…” he whispers, but I wave him off.

“Please call me Sanaa.”

He clears his throat. “Beni and I haven’t been dating for long, but I’d like to propose to her. The thing is… she’s very loyal to you, and I can’t imagine asking her without your permission.”

I nod once at him and bring my finger to my lips. “Beni, would you please go next door and inquire about getting a few of my kimonos fixed? I have two with tears that need to be sewed up.”

“I’d be happy to.” She bows and leaves, and Jiro comes over to my side as I stand up and pose with the boots on in front of the mirror. These boots are soft to the touch and lace all the way up to my mid-calf. I need to lift the kimono so I can see them.

“These are lovely.” I crouch down and lean forward on my toes to test the flexibility of the soles. “They fit well.”

Eiji leans back and looks between them and the other pair he got down. “I think these are better for you.”

“I want Beni to be happy,” I say to him, my hand on his arm. The sudden change in conversation makes him flinch. “And she adores you, I’m sure of it. If you want my blessing, you have it. If you’d like for her to leave my services so she can work for you and have a family, that is entirely up to her. I’m not going to fire her. She means too much to me to show her any unkindness, and I think she would take it badly if I told her she wasn’t wanted anymore. But I will let her know that she has the option of leaving, if that’s what she wants.”

Jiro’s eyes bounce between me and Eiji, his face growing more stern by the moment.

“Sanaa, can I speak with you for a second?” He takes me by the elbow and leads me towards the front of the store. “You’re crazy if you’re going to let Beni go,” he whispers in my ear. “This is the time to keep your friends close. What will you do if she leaves? Will you find another jihi?”

“I… No, I don’t think so. What do I really need a jihi for anyway?”

“Sanaa…” He rolls his eyes and sighs. “Beni does a lot for you. She handles your schedule and correspondence, and she’s your buffer when you need it. I just don’t see how you’ll get by without her.”

“Well, I’m not going to tell her she has to stay. She’s not a servant. If she leaves, I’ll miss her terribly, but I’ll hire someone new if I need to. The most important thing here is that she’s happy. She’s always wanted to meet a man she could love and get married. I won’t deny her that.”

The door swings open and Beni re-enters, closing the door behind her. “Sanaa, they have room in their schedule next week to handle your repairs. I took a look at their work, and I think you’ll be pleased.”

“Excellent. What do you think of the boots? I’ll be wearing them on the road.” I lift up the kimono so she can see. I like these boots. I hardly notice they’re on.

“I like them a lot.” She crouches down to inspect the clasps and stitching. “Eiji does fine work.”

She stands and her eyes search for Eiji at the back of the store before she joins him. He covers his heart with his hand and bows to Jiro and me.

Jiro flattens his lips and scans the store, Eiji, and the front door. “I have a bad feeling about this. Like this is only the beginning of the people we’ll lose before this is over.”

“I’m sure you’re right about that.”