Chapter 16: The Truck
Friday, January 12, 2007 at 3:33PM Chapter 16: The Truck
It is more often than not that love brings pain. Therefore, those of us who somehow beat the romantic odds feel a vast sense of relief.
The next morning, Shinichi belonged to this small and fortunate group. He had finally begun working on the proposal he’d begun several days ago and was pleased with his progress. His concentration had returned after yesterday’s events. Combined with Melina’s presence, he felt content, relaxed.
Suddenly she burst into his office, spilling her coffee down her shirt.
“Guess what? I don’t have to be in
She had just spoken to her assistant Yoko, who was already in
Yoko had reported that the computer system for the research department had been delivered with the wrong configuration. The mistake hadn’t been discovered until the IT department had installed the software, only to discover that it wouldn’t run. The reconfigured system wouldn’t arrive until Tuesday at the earliest.
Before Shinichi could respond, she suddenly went quiet.
“I’m not real bright sometimes, am I? I don’t even know what your work schedule is for next week, and I’m already assuming you can take off.”
“Come here, my love.” He sat her in his lap and hugged her a bit too vigorously. Now they were both wearing her coffee.
“There are certain advantages to being the boss. One of them is taking days off without having to explain why.”
He realized that he had never told Melina the details of his company.
“I don’t have to answer to anyone but the owner. And the sole owner of my business is … well … me.”
Shinichi explained that, when he decided to set up his own firm, Hitoshi had been his primary investor. “He owed me for all the hours I spent helping him study for exams.”
He noticed that Melina’s expression had changed.
“Is this a problem for you?” he said. “I can make you owner instead, if you like. Reilly Architects has a nice sound to it.”
“No, no, that’s not it. Not really, anyway.” She paused.
“It’s just that I used to date someone who was from a really rich family. What we would call ‘old money’. After a while, it started causing some problems. I felt I didn’t really fit in with his friends, and his family didn’t seem that keen that he date me. Maybe I was just too young to handle the situation.”
“I see,” he said. He took a sip of her coffee before he continued.
“I don’t know what to say, except I’ve never held the notion that money somehow makes you better. Usually it seems to work the other way around. You should meet some of my nouveau-riche clients. And you can’t buy anyone else’s love – not love worth having, anyway.”
She kissed him. His sentimental nature charmed her.
“If the Beatles said it, it has to be true.”
About an hour later, they drove into town for some errands. Melina had eaten her way through his stash of sugar cookies and Shinichi had decided to FedEx his proposal to his new client. Melina wore her new dress and put her hair into a ponytail; an old-fashioned look that Shinichi loved.
Once, while opening the car door for her, he impulsively kissed the back of her neck. She quickly crossed her arms across her chest, which seemed an odd reaction until they were both in the car. Then she shyly uncrossed her arms to reveal her nipples standing rigidly at attention.
“Shinichi-san. If you ever get the urge for a quick shag, just do that again. I felt that kiss all the way down.”
“Perhaps you were a geisha in a former life,” he said, smiling. “They apply their makeup in a special pattern on the nape of their neck, like a letter W. It’s considered highly erotic.”
She sighed. “I’ve missed my true calling in life.”
On the way out of town, a large and ugly delivery truck suddenly backed out of an alley in front of them, causing Shinichi to slam on the brakes. The
As they drove away, Shinichi realized that Melina was hunched down almost below the dashboard.
“Are you okay?” He looked closely at her and realized she was shaking.
She nodded but said nothing. After a few seconds, she slowly sat up straight again, but looked as if she’d seen a ghost for the rest of the drive home.
Later in the day, Shinichi decided to go shopping. He wanted to replace the lingerie he’d enjoyed destroying a couple of evenings ago, and also planned to look for a gift to present to Melina when they arrived in
His mind set on some La Perla lingerie he’d spotted in a magazine, Shinichi was gone for three hours. It was almost dark when he returned. Holding the brightly-wrapped package behind his back, Shinichi knocked on the guest room door. There was no answer. He waited, knocked again and finally opened the door, assuming that Melina was taking a nap.
He saw that her laptop was gone and the bed was made. He opened the closet door. In a dreadful second, he realized that all of her things – clothes, shoes, even her overnight bag – had disappeared.
He searched every room, looking for a note, a message, any explanation. Not a trace of Melina remained anywhere. It was if she had never been there. He ran outside, hoping she was in the garden. She wasn’t there. He went back inside, searching yet again.
Eventually he realized that he was sitting on the floor of the living room, still holding the gift box.
Trying to regain his composure, Shinichi began to review the day’s events, trying to identify anything that could have triggered her departure. Her reaction to their near-collision with the truck had struck him as odd, but they had also discussed money. Or had she decided that his friends and family would not approve of his choice of a foreigner as lover?
The helplessness of his situation drove him near-mad with worry. But searching for her wasn’t an option. He had no idea where she had gone, or if she were safe.
Finally he poured himself a drink and sat down on the sofa, his cell phone next to him in case she called. He turned on the television but paid no attention to it. His mind kept turning the day’s events over and over like an over-wound watch. He finished his drink too quickly, poured himself another.
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