Two red doors. That was all that separated customs and the main terminal. The doors weren’t solid, only the frames were red, but there were frosted panes of glass in each door so no one could see in or out. They were the last barriers for people entering Japan. They were also one way doors. Once thru you had to finish what you came for.
Michio Sakamoto sat in the waiting area just outside the red doors. He had left work early so that he could be here to meet them. He loosened his plain black tie and glanced at his Timex on his left wrist. The plane had been delayed in Chicago because of weather, but it should have landed by now. Two women that seemed identical walked over to the red doors. They both had short bobbed haircuts and the same navy blue uniforms with skirts to match. They wore white gloves and everything thing about them seemed as if they were brand new dolls fresh from their shrink wrapped boxes. They stood in front of the doors facing them as if they were discussing something in secret. The clock above the doors rang 3pm and the two women uniformly opened the doors. They stood on either side waiting for the passengers to exit. Not a minuet later the first of the freed passengers walked through the doors. The two women bowed politely to them as they passed and soon more people emerged. The two women stayed in a bowed position, probably because it just wouldn’t be possible to bow to everyone of the people whom were leaving. Michio stood up and looked out over the crowed for those which he was waiting for. The crowed thinned out and he started to worry that he may have missed them. Maybe he should have brought a sign like Yoshie had suggested.
“Noah, where did you go?” A woman’s voiced called out through the crowed.
“I’m coming!” A man’s voice answered in a hushed way. Michio stretched his neck to see who the people were. He knew the man he was waiting for was called Noah, maybe this was them. In the back of the crowd was a small family. A woman wearing jeans, and a light weight white blouse was laden down with a purse and a couple of carry on bags. Approaching her with a small blond headed girl fast asleep on his shoulder was a man with dirty blond hair and a round face. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and was tall and skinny. Michio grabbed his suit jacket and brief case as he headed over to the family.
“Excuse me,” Michio bowed formally, “You wouldn’t happen to be Noah Rodgers and family, yes?”
“Yes we are. You must be Michio?” The woman asked as she awkwardly bowed to match his. Michio stood up and held out his hand. The woman took his hand relieved and shook it lightly. “I am Emily, and this is Noah. That little bundle is our daughter Mercedes.”
“Yoroshiku. It is nice to meet you,” Michio bobbed his head in a small bow slipping for a moment into Japanese.
“I’d shake your hand, but my hands are a little full,” Noah chuckled as he readjusted Mercedes in one hand and held up all their passports and other paperwork in the other.
“Follow me and we shall retrieve your baggage,” Michio grinned as he took the two carry on bags from Emily and led them to the baggage claim. Once they retrieved their bags they spent a few minuets putting the paperwork and passports away and making sure they had everything they had left with. Michio then grabbed a couple of the bags and led them out of the main terminal.
“We will be driving to Sendai. I thought it would be a bit more comfortable than taking the train. Unfortunately it will take just a little longer to get there,” Michio explained as he led them into a parking garage. “Please wait here while I go get the car.” Michio set their luggage down and disappeared into the darkness.
“Are we doing the right thing?” Noah asked as he looked down at his wife who had taken up to looking around at their new surroundings.
“Well, we can’t right turn back now, can we?” She replied looking up at him. He stood four inches taller than her but that didn’t make her gazes and glares any less intimidating.
“I suppose you’re right.” The two waited silently in the garage as others were picked up by friend and family. Finally Michio pulled up in a four door Honda, that was much smaller than what the jet lagged Americans were used to.
“I’m sorry I took so long. This is Anne’s car, I’m not used to driving it,” Michio apologized as he started to pack their bags in the trunk. “Noah-san, you will probably need to sit in the front. Emily-san can sit behind me. I’m sure you’ll need the leg room.” The group filed into the car. Noah started to get behind the wheel before he remembered that the steering wheel was on the passenger side. Once they were all settled in they began their four and a half hour ride to Sendai.
Back in a subdivision of Sendai known as Yamamachi Anne was preparing for the arrival of their guests. She stooped over a silver pot that sat on the blue gas flame. Inside the pot were soba, buckwheat noodles. She dipped a wooden spoon into the pan and pulled up a couple long stands. Inspecting the color and texture of the noodle she let them fall with a splat back into the pot, not quite ready. She stepped to the side of the stove where the rice cooker had just clicked, signaling it’s completion. Anne popped the lid open and released the steam. Using the squat white spatula common in the Japanese kitchen she began scooping the sticky white rice into a large bowl.
“Tadaima!” A voice rang from the entrance way of their home. Anne heard the door shut and someone running up the stairs. Taking about a dozen steps Anne made her way out of the kitchen, through the dining room and into the entrance way of the house.
“Yoshie, hurry down here and help me. The rice is done and you know I can’t make Onigiri!” Anne announced up the stairs. As she waited for a reply Anne looked down at her hands and bit off the bits of rice that had decided to stick to them. A moment later a young girl in her mid twenties made her way down the stairs pulling her long black hair into a pony tail. Her face was clear of any blemishes and her eyes only showed a hint of the American heritage of her mother. She wore a tight pair of blue jeans and a red shirt which read ‘Sweet Sweat’ the name of her favorite band.
“Mother, did you cook the noodles?” Yoshie asked as she passed her mother and walked into the small kitchen.
“They’re almost done. If you’ll make the Onigiri, I’ll get started on the sandwiches.” Anne and Yoshie began working on the food for their guests.
“Are we meeting Brother there?” Yoshie asked as she pressed the rice into balls and wrapped them in large leaves of some sort.
“Yes, Kazuo is going ahead and making sure everything is ready there,” Anne answered as she cut the egg and potato sandwiches in halves and packed them in the picnic basket.
“How do you feel about this Ka-chan?” Yoshie asked slipping into her normal Japanese, “I’m excited about meeting him, I’ve been trying all day to speak in nothing but English.”
“Ah, I’m excited too. I haven’t seen him in a long time,” Anne trailed off staring at the egg sandwich in her hand, bits of egg attempting to escape from the confines of the bread.
“Are you nervous?” Anne asked washing her hands of the rice that refused to form into the Onigiri balls.
“I…I’m just wondering if he’s like his mother.”
“You never got along well with her did you?”
“No, not without trying though. We were just too different,” Anne signed and looked over at her daughter, “I’m just glad that you and Kazuo get along. I’m glad you can confide in each other like I wish I could have done with my sister.”
“Mother. We should be going, it’s getting late,” Yoshie stated as she packed the last of the food into the basket.
“Yes, lets get going shall we?”
“It was really out of the blue that I got the offer to play for Sendai. I wasn’t so sure that I was going to take the offer at first, but Emily convinced me to. It’s going to be a grand adventure for everyone, right Dear?” Noah asked looking back at his wife in the back seat.
“Well, aren’t you excited?” Emily asked smiling up at him.
“Of course I am, We’re just glad we know someone here. It won’t be near as difficult as it could have been,” Noah stated looking out the window to the passing mountain.
“This is the first time you’ve seen each other for several years isn’t it?” Michio asked glancing over at Noah. Emily looked up from watching her daughter to hear how Noah would react.
“Mommy, look what I drew!” The little girl exclaimed poking her mother with her black crayon.
“Hmm? Aw, is this Puddles? He looks so sad, I bet you miss him don’t you?”
“Yea, I bet he’s sad too. I just wish we could have kept him longer.”
“It’s better that he move in with your Grandmother Duncan before we left, dogs have a way of trying to make their way home, we were afraid he return when we weren’t there.”
“Yea, I know, but I sure do miss him. Mommy, do you think we can get a dog here?”
“I don’t know, we’ll have to see,” Emily smiled down at her daughter who began a new drawing. Noah however remained quiet.
“Ah, Gomen, I shouldn’t have asked something like that. It is not my place,” Michio nodded a bit as he pulled onto a small gravel road.
“I thought you lived in the city?” Emily asked glancing out of the window at the trees that lined the road.
“Ah, we do. However we have planned a special dinner for you.”
“You shouldn’t have gone to all that trouble,” Noah stated.
“It is our way,” Michio answered simply. The car pulled into a large grassy clearing where a bonfire had already been sent ablaze near the middle. The occupants of the car gladly stretched their arms and legs as those who were by the bonfire approached them.
“Michio, I’m glad you all got here safely,” Anne exclaimed pecking Michio on the cheek. She then looked over the small family that had gathered on the other side of the car. Noah and Anne looked at each other for a long moment. Anne walked forward and awkwardly hugged Noah, “It’s been so long. You’ve grown up.”
“People tend to do that.”
“That they do,” Anne nodded and then turned to Emily, “You must me Emily, and is this angel Mercedes?”
“It is nice to finally meet you. Say hi to your Aunt Anne,” Emily instructed the girl hiding behind her leg.
“Hi,” Mercedes squeaked as she fully disappeared behind the Emily.
“You know what? I think I may just have something for you,” Anne nodded acting as if she was thinking. Mercedes popped her head out from behind her mother’s knee to see what surprise this could possible be. “Kazuo! Could you bring him over here please?”
“Him?” Noah wondered. From behind the blazing bonfire bound a black and white spotted beast. Mercedes’ eyes grew wide when she realized what was coming towards them.
“PUDDLES!!!” The young Dalmatian had bound toward them and had knocked Mercedes to the ground licking her face.
“Puddles? But… how..” Noah questioned as Emily pulled the dog off of her giggling daughter.
“I was talking to Mom. She told me how much Puddles meant to Mercedes. Your mother told me that you were giving him to Emily’s parents and it was just a matter of contacting them,” Anne explained. As Emily was kneeling on the ground greeting their dear friend she whispered something to Mercedes. Mercedes nodded to her mother and walked up to Anne and tugged on her hand. Anne kneeled down so she could look her in the face.
“THANK YOU!!” Mercedes yelled as she threw herself into Anne’s arms. Anne picked the girl up and carried her to the bonfire with everyone following her.
“It is nice to meet you, I am Yoshie Sakamoto,” Yoshie introduced herself in her best English, “This is my older brother, Kazuo Sakamoto.”
“Yoroshiku,” Kazuo bowed never really having learned English himself he was dependent on Yoshie to do the talking. Much rice, noodles, egg and potato salad, and even something that looked vaguely like mini octopi on a stick were consumed as they ate the special dinner around the bonfire. For desert Anne had even brought along some marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers much to the confusion of her husband and children. Though with the help of Noah they soon learned the wonders of S’mores.
The sun had set and the moon had risen while they toasted their marshmallows and ate their S’mores. Anne watched Mercedes play with Puddles and occasionally glanced over at Noah and watched him drink with Michio and Kazuo. Emily and Yoshie were in a deep conversation of their own so Anne decided to go see what Mercedes and Puddles were up to. Mercedes was sprawled out on her back in the grass gazing up into the sky, Puddles lay beside her eating some of the grass to ease his stomach which was upset from eating the octopi on a stick that Mercedes sneaked to him during supper.
“What are you looking at?” Anne asked as she sat down next to her.
“The moon. Daddy said that there’s a man in it, but I can’t find him,” Mercedes explained.
“Ah, maybe I can help. I haven’t looked for the man in the moon for a long time,” Anne replied as she too laid on her back gazing up into the sky.
“You don’t look at the moon?”
“No, I look at it every night. I just look for the usagi in the moon.”
“Usagi?”
“Un, Usagi. That’s Japanese for Rabbit.”
“Usagi…Rabbit. Why is there a…usagi on the moon? Does it belong to the man?”
“I never thought about that… it’s possible. The usagi that we see here pounds mochi on the moon,” Anne explained.
“Mochi?”
“It’s like the rice you ate tonight, only pounded into more of a paste.”
“Ah, can you see the…umm.. usagi now?”
“He’s pounding away like he does every night… see, that dark spot at the top? That’s it’s ear. And to the left is his mallet.”
“Hmmm…”
Mercedes concentrated hard on trying to see what Anne was pointing out, “Ah! I
see it!! I see it Aunt Anne!”
“What’s
going on out here?” Noah asked walking up to the two.
“I see the usagi pounding mochi on the moon, Daddy!” Mercedes exclaimed.
“The what?”
“the Rabbit pounding rice on the moon. It’s what the Japanese see instead of the man in the moon you see.”
“Ah, I see. Mercedes, why don’t you see what your cousins are up to? I want to talk to your aunt alone.”
“Okay! Come on Puddles!” Mercedes nodded jumping to her feet and running back towards the bonfire.
“Care for a walk?” Noah suggested. The two of them began walking toward the far end of the clearing, enough of a distance to be alone but not the escape the sight of the bonfire.
“It’s been awhile hasn’t it?” Anne stated.
“Yes, it has.”
“How is everyone at home? Your mother doing okay?”
“Yes, she’s just about the same. She and Richard are still together.”
“I see, and my niece?”
“Sis is just fine. Of course she didn’t understand why it was such a big deal about me coming here.”
“Well, she was only a baby when I left home, I’m surprised she even knew who I was.”
“Well, you weren’t around like you were for me.”
“Yes, I knew it would be like that. Your mother flipped when I told you one day that I would always love you more than her. It’s still the truth, I just wonder if she realized that.”
“She said something along the lines of loving everyone the same no matter what,” Noah chuckled.
“Ah, I see she hasn’t changed. She doesn’t realize what’s right in front of her,” Anne sighed.
“I guess that’s where I learned it from.”
“Yes, you and your mother always had to have it your way, but I couldn’t stay home forever,” Anne stated looking over at Noah.
“I know. I just wish I had understood that then. I was mad at you because you came here. I didn’t like it in the first place when you moved to collage, but at least then you’d come home every now and again.”
“I remember when you told me I couldn’t come because the toilets were evil,” Anne laughed at the memory.
“Ah yes, those computerized toilets, how evil they were,” Noah laughed along with her, “Anne, I’m sorry for how I acted, and I’m sorry for not having contacted you sooner. I really did want to see you, but I thought that you might have been mad at me for how I’ve acted,” Noah sighed and looked to the ground. The two stopped walking and Anne turned to face him.
“Noah, I love you. You’re like a little brother to me, though sometimes I think you may just mean even more than that to me. I helped raise you when my sister was out and about doing who knows what with who knows who. I didn’t want to leave you when I went off to collage, but I couldn’t stay in that small town anymore. There was nothing there for me. I needed to grow and that meant leaving. When I did go home to visit, it was mainly to see you. Even though your mother seemed to think that all I did was ignore you when I was home…”
“You didn’t ignore me. I wanted things my way, and I begged you to do so much, and you did a lot with me, just not everything.”
“It was a hard decision for me to leave the US. I really didn’t want to leave you, but I just felt at the time that this was were I needed to be.” Noah looked up at his Aunt and smiled.
“When Emily and I were discussing coming here, I told her that I had a feeling… like a string was tied to something inside me and was pulling me towards this place. She said it meant that it was time for me to fess up to my feelings and to just come and see you. Baseball was just the reasoning I need to get my ass over here.”
“I know that feeling all to well. I could never be mad at you Noah. You are my bub, and you will always be that annoying little blond haired brat that I love so much.”
“This is going to be one great adventure, and I’m glad you can be part of it,” Noah nodded as the two hugged. In the distance they heard the faint sound of an ‘Awww’. When they turned toward the bonfire everyone was standing on the edge of the circle of light looking their way.
“What? Even out in the woods a girl can’t get any privacy?” Anne yelled towards them jokingly. Noah and Anne joined their family as they left the clearing and returned home, some to continue with their grand adventure and others to start their own.