Photo by Adria Nabekle

Emi prolonged our booking, we decided to find permanent accomodation. I would try to attend the Art School, Ama would try to be Hisao’s fiancée.

We discovered a thousand skills of Emi, she acted as a real estate agent and we found our house within two weeks for an acceptable price.

Daisuke and Hisao had to find their own, after that dinner Emi played dumb, she didn’t help them at all.

We found a little simple chalet with enough space, a common room, one for each of us, a closet and a barn to put sundries.

A nice wooden balcony with a view to the birches, a bathroom and a kitchenette.

It was accessable from a pedestrian street, apart from carrying the shopping, it was a perfect location.

We moved on July 15, I had 6 weeks in front of me to organize my life before beginning school.

Emi helped us with the furniture too, futons and table. She really was a source of contacts.

I immediately began to search for a job for Luz, I inquired at the civil protection agency and I asked Akira’s parents too.

The only sister who could find a fixed employment.

We went to the agency with her medal, in the meantime I had asked the captain in Kyoto to send a recommendation letter to Nagano. Luz did not have any obedience certificates and this fact troubled me.

The day of our appointment she entered as if she were looking forward to making new friends and she did so, she is just a marvellous being.

On that day there were three dogs coming back from a rescue mission, they were tired and stressed. We were told not to go near them, but Luz did not listen to anybody, she always does what she considers best. In a few seconds she had won their trust and functioned as a decompressor. She was teaching her new friends how to relieve their stress. The new captain already noticed her skill and said that she could come to help other dogs for 100 US Dollars per therapy plus extra for the handler.

We talked with Akira’s parents but they lived faraway near Tokyo. It ended up that they moved close to us, they saw a possibility for their child to regain a normal life. For the time being he was not able to attend a school class with other kids.

They organized an afternoon every Thursday with Luz. She used to make friends with everyone but she quietly sat at the table with Akira and through her he could be active and communicate with other people. 100 US Dollars per session plus conductor. An average of 800 US Dollars a month. This was the price of a school trimester, or half of our monthly rent.

Lady Oscar by Andrea Lenny

Ama was finishing her lastest novel, her English editor was doing a good job by publishing all of her books with success.

I was the only one who did not make any money. I began to model now and then in the big city but I was declared in Nagano as a dog handler. This allowed me to obtain the Visa for the following year, instead Ama had to leave the country after three months. She went back to Europe for a while.

Hisao and Daisuke found a flat near the center. I went there just once for a minute.

Hisao was with us very often, we had become his new family. He always tried to riunite me and Daisuke but I looked at him very suspiciously for a long time, I could not forgive him.

When he was invited for dinner I told jokes like “should I go to my room with Luz?”

Hisao knew me, at home between us, I was calm and for most of the time a melancholic being. When Daisuke was invited I was excessively nice, always over the top. Daisuke who came to find a way with me, understood all this artifice and suffered the blow.

Often when I knew Daisuke was at our home, I came back late with silly reasons “So sorry for being late, we had a lot to do at the agency, I’m tired” after which I disappeared into my room.

When I accepted to have dinner together I dressed especially elegantly, sexy and was a chatterbox. As soon as we finished eating and we could have become a little more intimate, I disappeared into my room saying “I’ll be right back.” but would not.

When Daisuke knew that I was signing up for school he made everything easier for me, I could even go with Luz to the English Writing sessions.

When I met him at school I used to greet him very nicely in a loud voice, without giving him the possibility to come near me. 

One day on purpose, when he was around, I kissed and necked with a school pal in the hallway. He suspended me for three days.

I said to Hisao that if Daisuke should be suspended every time he slips a girl into his bed, he should have remained at home for the entire year.

One afternoon we met at school alone, he came to me and said “Why do you not trust me?” I answered that trusting him was like putting a foot on a sinking brick. While saying it I already understood that this was malicious, but my words had already  materialized and I saw a sword sinking into his heart. I had lunged. He bent over slightly.

I felt ashamed and immediately went away.

The following day I looked through the glass door of his class to make a sign of friendship, but he was not there. The class was being taught by somebody else. I asked Hisao and he told me that he had fallen ill, he had to rest for some days.

After some days I passed by their flat and knocked, nobody answered, I knocked again, nobody, the third time I knocked saying “Sorry Daisuke.” I heard somebody coming to the door, he opened.

We hugged which was very intimate for Japanese culture, he pulled me to his chest and we remained embraced for a long minute 

“Watashi no node no naka yöyoku koi.”

“In my arms my love.”

He came back to school and Hisao said to me “Well done Maha.”

Ama and Hisao had already organized a dinner together. As always I dressed elegantly, was excessively nice and once I had finished eating I disappeared into my room.

I heard knocking but I did not answer, he knocked again, I did not answer, the third time I heard “Sorry Maha.” I opened the door, he came in and let himself fall onto his knees with a big thud.

Ama and Hisao came to see what had happened.

Daisuke was ripping his shirt, his chest to the elbows was beautifully decorated with Japanese Kanji, the whole body tattooed like a legendary Samurai.

He took a red thread he had at his belt and launched it in the air towards me like an artistic gymnast.

I grabbed it in the air and stuck it into my belt. 

This evening he remained in my room. I prepared a second futon.

I said that I was ready to feel his breath but not to brush our bodies.

He asked me to kiss him like I had kissed my pal at school.

“No way.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m European, I’m jealous.”

“I’m Japanese, I’m jealous too.”

Luz came to be in between us.

Daisuke said “I love apricots.”

I said “I love marjoram.”

In the morning very early at dawn, I got up saying that Luz had to pee at that time. Lie, never.