Read Online Tokyo Hearts: A Japanese Love Story by Renae Lucas-Hall - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Renae Lucas-Hall
Tags: Romance, Japan, Love Story, young adult romance, tokyo, Tokyo Hearts, Japanese love story, Renae Lucas-Hall, Renae Lucas, Renae Hall, Japanese Fiction, Kyoto
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was captivated as he’d never heard of such things. He told them that in the future he, too, would like to go to Australia, Europe or America.
Later that night, Katsuro and Takashi sat down in the living room and started to drink a little sake. At first, Katsuro spoke with even more enthusiasm about Australia and its culture, but as the evening progressed and the sake loosened his lips, Katsuro spoke in more serious tones.
Katsuro explained how Mika had become increasingly withdrawn over the past two years. When they’d married three years ago, she’d always been positive and outgoing, but Takashi’s cousin explained that she was losing her spirit of late and there was only one reason for it.
‘Mika’s thirty-two years old now, and for three years she’s been trying to have a baby, but she hasn’t been able to get pregnant. She won’t say anything, but she’s not as happy as she used to be,’ explained Katsuro.
He went on to tell Takashi that many of the wives of his colleagues that were working for the same trading company in Australia would often meet to keep themselves entertained. Most of the older women over thirty had children and Mika was desperate for a little one of her own.
Being younger than Katsuro and not as worldly, Takashi could only listen and assure him that they would definitely have a child in the future. He truly believed that Mika would be a wonderful mother one day.
Mika came back downstairs and into the room where they were sitting. Both Katsuro and Takashi were quite sloshed from the beer and the sake. She came to tell Takashi that he must stay the night and there was no way he could go home at that hour.
Takashi slept on a futon in their tatami room set out especially for him. His stomach was full and his head was awash with liquor. He soon fell into a strange and vivid dream. It was springtime and he was walking along a street that he did not recognise. There were people having picnics all along the side of the road under the cherry blossom trees. Suddenly, he saw Haruka and he began running towards her, but the faster he tried to run, the further away she appeared. Somehow he tripped and the ground began to shake. The petals from the cherry blossoms fell on him and around him, smothering his entire body. They kept falling and soon he was covered in so many petals, he could no longer see Haruka. He tried to brush off the petals, but it was all in vain. He started sinking and spiralling further into the darkness and then suddenly Takashi woke up with a thud. It was probably about six a.m., judging from the light at the window.
Takashi looked around the room. On one side was a small family Buddhist altar with an incense burner and holder, Buddhist tableware, a candlestick, a bell and flowers for the souls of deceased ancestors. On the facing wall was a print. The print was of a single stem of a cherry blossom branch. He hadn’t noticed this the night before. It must have been because of the beer and the sake. Takashi went back to sleep and slept well before he left to go home in the morning.
CHAPTER 5
He that would the daughter win must the mother first begin
On Sunday morning, Takashi prepared for his trip to Kamakura to meet Haruka. He woke early at seven a.m., had a cold shower and shaved carefully. He even took out a ruler to measure his sideburns before he left just to make sure they were perfectly straight and aligned. The sky was clearer today and it did not look like it would rain; yet the humidity was still extremely high. He picked up a new navy T-shirt that he’d purchased at Seibu department store in Shibuya the week before and pulled it over his head, enjoying the feel of new cotton. After pulling up his pair of khaki shorts that fell below his knees and were covered in pockets, he looked for a pair of clean socks. He could only find one fresh pair with a rather large hole in the foot of the left sock. Not worrying about that, he pulled them on along with his
Later that night, Katsuro and Takashi sat down in the living room and started to drink a little sake. At first, Katsuro spoke with even more enthusiasm about Australia and its culture, but as the evening progressed and the sake loosened his lips, Katsuro spoke in more serious tones.
Katsuro explained how Mika had become increasingly withdrawn over the past two years. When they’d married three years ago, she’d always been positive and outgoing, but Takashi’s cousin explained that she was losing her spirit of late and there was only one reason for it.
‘Mika’s thirty-two years old now, and for three years she’s been trying to have a baby, but she hasn’t been able to get pregnant. She won’t say anything, but she’s not as happy as she used to be,’ explained Katsuro.
He went on to tell Takashi that many of the wives of his colleagues that were working for the same trading company in Australia would often meet to keep themselves entertained. Most of the older women over thirty had children and Mika was desperate for a little one of her own.
Being younger than Katsuro and not as worldly, Takashi could only listen and assure him that they would definitely have a child in the future. He truly believed that Mika would be a wonderful mother one day.
Mika came back downstairs and into the room where they were sitting. Both Katsuro and Takashi were quite sloshed from the beer and the sake. She came to tell Takashi that he must stay the night and there was no way he could go home at that hour.
Takashi slept on a futon in their tatami room set out especially for him. His stomach was full and his head was awash with liquor. He soon fell into a strange and vivid dream. It was springtime and he was walking along a street that he did not recognise. There were people having picnics all along the side of the road under the cherry blossom trees. Suddenly, he saw Haruka and he began running towards her, but the faster he tried to run, the further away she appeared. Somehow he tripped and the ground began to shake. The petals from the cherry blossoms fell on him and around him, smothering his entire body. They kept falling and soon he was covered in so many petals, he could no longer see Haruka. He tried to brush off the petals, but it was all in vain. He started sinking and spiralling further into the darkness and then suddenly Takashi woke up with a thud. It was probably about six a.m., judging from the light at the window.
Takashi looked around the room. On one side was a small family Buddhist altar with an incense burner and holder, Buddhist tableware, a candlestick, a bell and flowers for the souls of deceased ancestors. On the facing wall was a print. The print was of a single stem of a cherry blossom branch. He hadn’t noticed this the night before. It must have been because of the beer and the sake. Takashi went back to sleep and slept well before he left to go home in the morning.
CHAPTER 5
He that would the daughter win must the mother first begin
On Sunday morning, Takashi prepared for his trip to Kamakura to meet Haruka. He woke early at seven a.m., had a cold shower and shaved carefully. He even took out a ruler to measure his sideburns before he left just to make sure they were perfectly straight and aligned. The sky was clearer today and it did not look like it would rain; yet the humidity was still extremely high. He picked up a new navy T-shirt that he’d purchased at Seibu department store in Shibuya the week before and pulled it over his head, enjoying the feel of new cotton. After pulling up his pair of khaki shorts that fell below his knees and were covered in pockets, he looked for a pair of clean socks. He could only find one fresh pair with a rather large hole in the foot of the left sock. Not worrying about that, he pulled them on along with his
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