17. Kanji  girls

We both wanted to be finished with the Blue House, but we didn’t say it.

Illustration by Hitoshi Miura

We both wanted to be finished with the Blue House, but we didn’t say it.

It was winter, an especially snowy one, trips were tiring and took longer.

Despite this the following morning we sat into the van and went down.

Hisao should have been at school and our intention was to pack our things, clothes we could have worn and make-up sticks and so.

When we came to the Blue House it was almost 1 pm, there was a nice young Japanese girl in the kitchenette, everything was amiss, we greeted bowing. She asked if we were also there for a Kanji. Ama soon said “Yes we are!”

“Where’s the Maestro?” She pointed out my room. I mentioned Daisuke’s name, she said that Maestro used to work in another place near the center.

Ama asked how it happens. The girl blushed, she said that we had to be naked and the Maestro would draw a Kanji on our body, usually on the back.

“You have been doing it for a long time?”

“One month, first time here, before today always in the other place.”

“With Hisao?”

She looked down.

We left saying “You first, good luck!”

I was worried for Ama, we went for a hot tea in our favourite tearoom, she trembled.

“Fuck, I never noticed anything!”

We needed a stretch of time to slow down.

Ama wrote a card, I ran to the kitchenette and left it on the table

“Everything in our closet is for the girls, it was a marvellous time, we’re leaving the Blue House for good.”

Luz was so careful, she followed everywhere like a little soldier, especially silent and made everything easier for us.

We passed by the real estate agency to cancel, thirty days according to the contract.

While going back I sat at the wheel, the face of Ama was completely wet even though I did not see any tears running down. She was just beautiful, gorgeous with this special wet film on her face.

Altea by Andrea Lenny

I told everything to Emi, she immediately dialled the number of the agency, we could leave in just seven days.

I sent a message to Hisao, he answered that he would continue renting for himself. The following day he phoned saying that the Blue House was already gone and asked if Emi could intervene.

They spoke in their language but looking at her sly eyes, I recognized that she had her hand in it. She said to me “Better he stays with his friend, my houses are not ideal for them.”

I understood then we had been living in a house that belonged to Emi without knowing it.

Hisao moved to Daisuke’s flat in one week, with the pregnant girl, her boyfriend, the two of them and the Kanji girls.

The same week I went by the school to disenroll and say goodbye.

A warmhearthed exchange of hugs, Taylor was there, she winked at me, she now came every Sunday to Woodpecker to stay with us.

I told Axel that I could have begun later in the Spring “See you soon hon.”

Daisuke noticed me, or rather he noticed the chaos, he came up without hugging “I think I will put a clause in the school regulations, no more Italian speaking girls!”

We looked at each other, our eyes shone, laughing, simultaneously we said “Next time!”, I added “Watashi wa wasurenai.” “I will never forget”

I could have killed him with kisses.

We went by the new house, in the garden there was one meter of snow. The path was cleared, Emi had already engaged a Japanese handyman. The rooms in the main house were heated with a pleasant fire.

We took a look at the rooms we had chosen for ourselves, a beautiful big room to the West looking towards a red beech tree to enjoy the sunsets together. Even though we had different schedules we could both be there in the late afternoon.

This room also had a connecting door to another little room which we could use as a closet and barn, just to put our things. 

Instead of crying for the end of her story, Ama smiled through her tears “It was a wonderful time, an adorable man, he gave me everything he could.” and looking at me “I’m almost sure he will remain in the family circle, now he needs to do what his friend does.”

This was Hisao, never really satisfied, he could have had me, but he saw Ama and with her he had both. He had Ama, but now he needed to explore his art with the Kanji girls.