The Scent of Sake (11 page)

“Come, Rie. Come and play with Yoshitaro,” her mother invited, smiling. “My first grandchild,” she said in musical tones. Hana clapped her hands rhythmically and laughed.

No blood relation,
Rie wanted to say as she fought down the pain in her chest.

Yoshitaro crawled to Hana, then turned and crawled back to Jihei, fell on his lap, and squealed, never stopping his continual motion. He sat up and clutched Jihei, who helped him to stand. The baby kept one hand on Jihei’s shoulder and began to take halting steps around him.

“Oh, look! His first steps!” Hana cried.

Rie looked at Yoshitaro’s face next to Jihei’s and saw unmistak-able hints of the same large nose and long eyebrows.

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“He does resemble his father,” Rie said finally. She tried to think of something more to say about the baby. “We can start taking him into the office soon,” she managed.

Her mother laughed softly. “Not yet, Rie. He’s just a baby. But of course he can learn words, gradually.” She smiled and nodded at him.

“He is learning now, just look at him. He’s bright,” Jihei said, taking obvious pleasure in the child.

Hana clapped her hands and began reciting a nursery rhyme: “Momotaro, Momotaro, Momotaro. . .” Yoshitaro stumbled back to Hana and fell. She picked him up and hugged him. “Yes, that’s the way,” she cooed.

Rie sighed, looked at her mother, and stood. “Good night, Mother.” She nodded, not quite a bow, toward Jihei and left the room. She walked slowly up the stairs to her room, dressed for bed, and took out the futon. As she sat in front of her mirror combing her thick hair she choked back a sob and wiped away tears forming in her eyes. She sighed and lay down. She wondered if she would ever have a child of her own, if someday she could find a way to remove the geisha’s bloodline from the house.

The next morning when Rie went down to breakfast her mother looked at her and saw how dejected she was. Ri-chan, why don’t you and cousin Sunao go to the chrysanthemum festival this morning? I used to enjoy them so. It would be good for you to get out of the house a bit, go on a nice excursion with Sunao.”

Rie looked at her teacup, then picked it up and sipped before answering. Sunao, daughter of Kinzaemon’s younger brother living nearby, was really Rie’s only friend and roughly her age. Rie put a finger on her mouth thoughtfully, then glanced at her mother. “All right, Mother, I’ll have one of the maids go over to Sunao’s and tell her I’ll meet her at the exhibition grounds.”

“Finish your breakfast, dear.”

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Rie nodded as she quickly ate some rice and miso soup. She went upstairs and picked out one of her finer kimonos. O-Natsu helped tie the obi, a chore Rie always found onerous. She asked one of the clerks in the outer office to find a ricksha and hummed as she walked out the entrance near the number one kura to wait for the ricksha.

As soon as she stepped up on the ricksha seat she felt some of the same elation she experienced whenever she had an opportunity to leave the confines of the house. Jihei’s oppressive needs, her frustration at his inability in business, and his nightly demands lifted. She looked right and left, enjoying the sight of the rows of large wooden kura that lined the road and the breath of coastal salt air as they jogged along.

At the park she quickly found Sunao and they smiled and bowed in greeting, then walked together beside the rows of chrysanthemums. Anyone who saw them would no doubt take particular notice of two young women in elegant kimonos, Rie knew, but she was so intent on finally having a conversation with an intimate friend she could trust that she was oblivious to all else.

“Sunao, I haven’t become pregnant yet. I don’t know what more I can do. And now it’s too late. You know a geisha’s child has been brought in as heir. It’s just intolerable!” Rie grabbed Sunao’s arm.

“I heard, Ri-chan. It must be dreadful! I can’t imagine.” “You are so fortunate, Sunao, having a child with no difficulty.”

“I know this troubles you, Ri-chan, and I’m so sorry. Maybe an herbalist can help. They seem to have powders with magical properties.”

Rie looked around at the crowd, individuals and couples, all apparently enjoying themselves, all seeming so carefree. As her glance passed over the crowd, it stopped. Saburo!

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“Sunao, aren’t they the Kato brothers over there at the end of that row?”

Sunao followed Rie’s gaze. “Oh, I guess so. I saw all three at the Akita wedding recently. Shall we speak to them?”

Rie paused, her heart racing, but not wanting to appear overly interested, even with Sunao. After all, as a married woman, that would not do. “If you want to, Sunao,” Rie said, affecting nonchalance.

The two walked toward the Kato brothers, admiring chrysanthemums as they went. Rie hesitated, waited until Sunao spoke first. Both bowed at the same time. Rie took in Saburo’s fine chiseled features, his above-average height, his elegant bearing, a contrast to his stockier older brother who lacked his fine features and refined manner.

“Kato-sama, how are you?” Sunao asked sweetly.

The elder brother replied, “Omura-san, how nice to see you.” Both men bowed slightly.

Rie summoned her voice. “I trust your family is well?” She glanced at the elder brother, then briefly at Saburo, smiling and bowing, her heart fluttering in her chest like a caged sparrow.

The Kato brothers murmured thanks, Saburo briefly catching her eye and then looking away.

“A lovely exhibit, isn’t it? Please greet your family for us.” Sunao took Rie’s arm and they bowed and walked away.

Out of the corner of her eye Rie glanced again at Saburo before turning away and caught him doing the same. Sunao and Rie continued through the exhibit, admiring the variation in colors, sizes, and textures of flowers as they went.

As Rie and her cousin found separate rickshas to return, Sunao remarked, “Aren’t those Kato men handsome, Ri-chan?”

Rie smiled and waved as she agreed and climbed into her ricksha to head back to the Omura House. She thought again

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of Saburo’s kindness so long ago, of the surprise warmth of his touch at a time when she needed it most. And here he was again, just as she was being shunted aside for another woman’s child. A lump formed in her throat. It occurred to her that she would like to see Saburo Kato again. Yes, she would like very much to see him again. And from the look on his face, the feeling was mutual. But she was a married woman. How in the world could she ever manage such an improper thing?

Rie still relished the memory of the outing with Sunao to the annual chrysanthemum exhibit. Seeing Saburo had supplied welcome relief from the stifling atmosphere of the house, now that the geisha’s child had created even greater tension than normal between her and Jihei. How she longed to bring a child of her own into the house. However, with each passing day, the distance between her and Jihei had grown until they spent little time together, inside the bed or out. As her dreams had faded for fulfilling her father’s hopes, killing her
self
and enduring her life had become harder. Her one experience of pleasure in the past year had been her recent outing. She smiled again, thinking of the chrysanthemum exhibit and Saburo.

“It was wonderful, Mother. I wish you could have seen it. So many gorgeous varieties on display this year,” Rie said as she sat with her mother at breakfast some days later.

“Yes, dear, I know I would have enjoyed it. I just didn’t seem to have the energy this time. I guess I’m feeling my age.”

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Rie glanced at her mother sharply. “Sometimes I think you’re working too hard, Mother. You know I can take more of the responsibility for the kurabito now. There are so many things to remember. I ordered some of those new rubber tabi for them.”

“Yes, dear, I appreciate it.”

“And you should eat more, Mother. You need more than rice and pickles.”

Her mother smiled. “You know how much I enjoy these
nara-zuke,
made with the sake lees.” Her mother picked up a pickle and delicately brought her chopsticks to her mouth. “I feel a meal isn’t complete without them, even breakfast. And we have always believed rice is what makes the meal. Rice is sacred, you must remember.”

Rie sipped her miso soup. “Sunao said she would enjoy going to the special ikebana exhibit that’s on now, if we could go together. I think I’ll see if she wants to go tomorrow.”

“Yes, do, Ri-chan. I think going to the chrysanthemum show did you a lot of good, and this isn’t our busiest season.”

There was an entirely different reason that Rie wanted to go to the exhibit. A
very
attractive reason. She smiled, holding the secret close to her heart.

The next morning Rie dressed in one of her favorite kimono, even managing the cumbersome obi herself. She caught O-Natsu in the corridor. “O-Natsu, would you tell Mother I have gone to the ikebana exhibit with Sunao?”

O-Natsu nodded. “Shall I call a ricksha for you?”

“There’s no need. I know where they wait in the next street.” O-Natsu frowned. “Is it all right, finding one by yourself?” “Of course.” Rie laughed, went to the door to find her geta,

and let herself out.

No one need know that Sunao was not accompanying her this time. Rie did not want to worry her mother, but today’s was a special outing. She had heard the Kato brothers mention

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the ikebana exhibit. What Rie would risk for just a long look at Saburo.

Minutes later, as she stepped up into the ricksha she felt a sense of anticipation, almost as if she had grown several years younger, so carefree was her mood. It was always exhilarating to see the large wooden kura lining the main road. She alighted at the exhibition hall, handed coins to the puller, and said she would be looking for him later if he were still there.

Inside the hall the lines were long, and polite chatter about the exquisite arrangements floated on the air. The kimonos of the women were especially elegant, and Rie felt suddenly abashed. She knew Sunao’s taste in kimono was superior to hers. Perhaps she should have brought Sunao along after all.