Darkscribes.org

KYOTO - 1998

 

A semester abroad – that was what had brought her to Kyoto. Come the end of the semester, she’d be back at DePaul University in Chicago. But for now, she was thoroughly enjoying her time away from ‘home.’

            Home where three over protective older brothers were.  Giovanni, Carmine, and Antonio.  She supposed it was only natural – being the second youngest, and being the only girl.  She hated the over protectiveness – not to say that it did keep the more – trash boys from her.

            “Dude, that’s Sinora Cardona! The last five guys who tried anything on her vanished!”

            She slumped down in her chair and dropped her bag on the floor. Film Studies. A class offered only to non-majors. It was seen as the ‘ultimate’ elective to snag. This was because there were few tests, and all you really did was watch films – not much of a lecture – but plenty of rotten commentary by the professor.

            Not many people were in class today – just about seven of the usual eighteen.

            Oh I get it – this is that one class where the people who show up on a certain day are the ones who get the automatic A’s

            She leaned her head against her hand and stared blankly at the screen.

            “Today’s film is one that was made to parody the Godfather Saga. Today’s film – The Freshman.”

            She threw back her head and stared up at the ceiling. She was feeling obnoxious.

And The Freshman was an obnoxious movie.

            “For the life of me, I can not believe we’d ever die for these sins, we were merely freshmen.”

            “Miss Cardona – we are not in music class here.”

            “Yes Sensei.”

            She slunked forward and stared at the opening of the film – at least she could get a good laugh.

            “Hey.” A voice whispered next to her.

            “Yeah?” she turned towards the owner of the voice – a young man.

            “I’m sorry I don’t take any music classes. You sure can sing.”

            “Thanks.”

            “What’s your name?”

            “Didn’t you hear? Cardona.  At least here I’m Cardona. At home, I’m called Sinora. How about you?”

            “Rokobungi. Gendo Rokobungi.”

            “We better pay attention.”

            “Yeah.”

            Back to the film – funny yes – parody – hell yes.

            Marlon Brando dumping about half a cup of sugar into an espresso.

            “Wimp” I whispered.

            “Who’s a wimp?”

            Rokobungi again.

            “The guy who can’t take espresso straight”

            “Who the hell can?”

            I grinned. “I can drink the stuff black.”

            “Sheesh.”

            **

            Jacob stared at the bulletin board, muttering how it seemed no one was offering help in the area of Advanced Molecular Physics.

            “Well, smeg.”

            “What does ‘smeg’ mean?”

            Jacob turned to his right, a young woman stood next to him.

            “It’s similar to damn or hell.  An expression I use a lot.”

            “Smeg? Well, what do you have to say ‘smeg’ to?”

            “The fact that no one seems to offer any help in Ad Mo Physics.”

            “You’re having trouble in that class?”

            “Well, only with the kanji. That’s why I’m having trouble.”

            “Oh I can help you with that. I thought you looked familiar. Then again – there aren’t many gajiin in Ad Mo Physics.”

            “That’s right – you’re…now wait, don’t tell me – Ikari right?”

            “Yeah.  You’re – Grant. Jacob Grant”

            “The one and only.”

            ***

            Sinora came into her dorm room and dropped her bag on the floor, then flopped down on her bed. Her roommate was already back.

            “Long day, Sinora?”

            “Yeah – apparently the man they have teaching Film Studies has a thing about the mafia.”

            “And that bothers you?”

            “No – he just has a misguided view of it.”

            “Oh. Anything else happen today?”

            “I met a guy.”

            “Oh really? Is he cute?”

            “I guess so – but he’s more your type than mine.”

            “What makes you say that?”

            “Just the fact that he happens to love biophysics.”

            “That’s your only reasoning?”

            “Yeah – and the fact that if I brought him home, my brothers would rip his appendages off and leave him out for the coyotes to eat.”

            “Sinora, that’s hard to believe.”

            “I’m telling you, Yui – you haven’t met my brothers – they’d keep me locked in a pillar of glass if they could.”

            “You better not have set us up.”

            “Of course not – I wouldn’t do that without permisson from you first.”

            “You better be honest about that Cardona.”

            “I’m always serious about things like that, Ikari.”

            Yui went back to her homework for a moment, then an idea came to her – an absolutely – crazy – idea.

            “Say Sinora.”

            “Yeah?” Sinora was flipping through her English/Japanese dictionary trying to make sense of some rambling of another one of her professors.

            “I also met a guy today, not my type at all.  But what do you say – we set each other up?”

            “Ikari, you’re crazy!”

            “Oh come on – be a sport.”

            “What if they say no?”

            “Let’s worry about that if it happens.”

            “All right.”

            *

            “A blind date? You mean you are taking me on a blind date.”

            “Oh come on – my roomie’s really nice.”

            “You’re crazy, Cardona, you know that?”

            “Well, you’re not the picture of sanity yourself, Rokobungi.”

            “What’s in this for me?”

            “Um, a date?”

            “I hardly know you. Why should I trust you?”

            “Do I look like the kind of person who knows dangerous people – in Japan?”

            “Guess not.”

            “So you’ll do it?”

            “Why not? What’s the worse that could possibly happen?”

            *

            One by one, the four of them arrived at a decent sized café not to far from the university. Sinora arrived first, followed by Yui.

            “So who is this guy you’ve set me up with, Ikari?”

            “I told you, I’m not telling.”

            “At least tell me his name, you haven’t told me that yet.”

            “I’ll tell you when I he gets here.”

            “You’re no fun.”

            “Evening Sinora.”

            “Good evening, Gendo – I’d like you to meet my friend, Ikari Yui.”

            “Hello there.”

            It was about that second Yui and Gendo started talking to rapidly for Sinora to follow. She shrugged and decided if something went wrong, one of them would tell her or what not.  But they kept talking, and the young man who walked up to the three of them went unnoticed, save for Sinora.

            “Um, excuse me?”

            “I wouldn’t bother – they’ve been talking a mile a minute for the past five.”

            “Oh. Let me guess – you must be Sinora.”

            “That’s right – how’d you know that?”

            Jacob gestured to Yui.

            “She’s the one who set me up.”

            Sinora looked the man over – brown eyes, dark brown hair – and rather dark skin.

            “Well, you know my name, what’s yours?”

            “Yui didn’t tell you?”

            “She didn’t tell me anything.”

            “Grant. Jacob Grant.”

            “Nice to meet you, Jacob.”

            *

            The next few weeks were one that passed in a blur.  And all too soon, the semester was coming to an end.

            “So we’ll keep in touch, right?”

            “I would imagine so.”

            “I heard your proposal got approved.”

            “Not only that – I’ve got research funding.”

            “I still think you’re crazy.”

            “Tell you what – if I’m wrong – you can tell me ‘see, I told you so’ for the rest of my life.”

            “And if you are right – I’ll never say ‘I knew she was right all along’”

            “Seems fair.”

            *

            Bags packed, and off to the airport – all four of them.

            “Flight 525 to Los Angeles, California, USA now boarding”

            “That’s our flight.”

            “Hey, Grant – we’ll keep in touch.”

            “Sure thing, Rokobungi. Who knows – we may actually do something.”

            “I bet we will.”

            Yui and Gendo watched as the two made their way into the terminal and out of their view.

            “You know what’s really funny about those two?”

            “No, Ikari, what?”

            “They both go to school in Chicago – Jacob goes to Northwestern, Sinora to DePaul. They had to come all the way to Kyoto to meet.”

            “That is funny.”

            “Yeah.”

            The two made their way out of the airport terminal and back to the parking lot. It wasn’t before long that the plane that Sinora and Jacob had boarded soared over them.

            “This is the beginning”