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She pointed at a nearby menu. ‘I’d recommend starting with some nigiri and some miso soup.’ He smiled. Nigiri was one of the basics. A slice of raw fish pressed over some vinegared rice. ‘Then my favourite from here are the fatty chu-toro—that’s tuna—super-soft aori ika—that’s squid—and fresh, local aji—that’s mackerel with ginger and negi.’
Avery nodded. ‘All sounds good to me. You’re the expert here. I’m just happy to watch the cooking and get eating.’ They ordered drinks at the bar and Katsuko sipped her wine as she spoke rapid Japanese to the chefs. They slid along the cream leather bench and watched in fascination as the chefs expertly sliced, chopped and prepared food. The preparation time was minimal. These guys were complete and utter professionals. Avery pointed to one small plate of food with a few nigiri. ‘That would probably take me hours to prepare,’ he said to Katsuko as he took a drink from his beer. ‘I think I could watch them all day.’
‘I couldn’t,’ she said quickly. ‘I just want to eat.’
As they slid along the bench, following their food being finished, Avery was fascinated with the whole experience. When the food was plated they carried it over to a table overlooking the Hachiko crossing. He had used chopsticks before but just wasn’t very good with them. Katsuko laughed at his efforts and leaned over to reposition them in his hands, her warm skin touching his.
‘Watch out, Katsuko,’ he warned with a smile. ‘I’ll think you’re trying to deliberately touch me.’
‘I’m trying to stop your food landing in your lap,’ she said smartly.
He ate for a few minutes, looking down in awe at the still crowded crossing. It was teeming with people and after a few minutes they started pointing out the people they thought would never reach the other side in time. It was almost like a kids’ game.
‘This food is delicious. You’re right. I will come here again.’
She nodded. ‘It helps to eat it just after it’s prepared. Sushi should be eaten at the optimal fish and rice temperature. It tastes best then.’
He noticed a few of the other men around glancing in her direction. Katsuko was bright and lively. It didn’t hurt that she was the prettiest woman in the room with a whole lot of sexy thrown in there too.
‘Who texted you earlier? Was it an admirer? I bet you’ve got a few on base.’
She didn’t flinch at all. ‘Nope. No admirer. It was my grandmother.’
‘Your grandmother? You mentioned her before. How is she?’
‘Still here.’
He was surprised by her blunt answer. ‘What does that mean?’
She took a deep breath. ‘Let’s just say I’ve always had the distinct impression that my mother and subsequently me are the biggest embarrassments of her life. In fact, it’s not really an impression at all. It’s fact. She’s said it.’
‘She what?’ It seemed like such a harsh thing to say. And even though Katsuko said it so matter-of-factly there was no hiding the glimmer of hurt in her dark brown eyes. His insides automatically coiled upwards.
Katsuko took a sip of her wine. She was trying so hard to appear indifferent. Did she know she couldn’t look indifferent no matter how hard she tried?
He reached over and touched her hand. ‘Tell me more about your grandmother.’
He was definitely curious. There was a story there. But he was more curious at Katsuko’s reaction to her grandmother’s text.
She shrugged. ‘What’s to tell? I see her when I have to, which isn’t often as she doesn’t particularly like me. She wants the whole world to jump for her. I’ve learned the hard way not to do it. The more I get involved the more I get hurt. Adulthood has taught me to move into self-protect mode.’
He didn’t know quite what to say. Lots of families were fractured, lots of families were broken. His own wasn’t ideal. But this? This was a whole other story. Was her grandmother her only living relative?
‘Do you have other family in Japan? Aunts, uncles, cousins?’
She shook her head. There was an air of sadness about her. ‘No. My mother was an only child. I think my grandmother had some cousins once, but I’m sure she treated them the same way she treats everyone else.’
‘And how is that?’
She met his gaze square on. ‘With disdain. With disapproval.’
He released her hand and leaned back in his chair a little. ‘Those are harsh words.’
‘She’s a harsh woman.’
He signalled to the waiter.
‘What are you doing?’
He gave a rueful smile. ‘I’m ordering us more drinks. I don’t care if we’re supposed to eat and run in here. I want to know more.’
She bit her lip and he wondered if he was pushing her more than he should. But she’d been the one to mention it, and he wanted to know more about her. He gave her a moment as she pulled something from her bag. Her lips were still perfectly red but she slicked something over them that gave a waft of strawberries. He could sense delaying tactics easily.
He tapped his fingers on the table. ‘Your grandmother must be quite modern.’
Katsuko let out something resembling a snort, then covered her face in embarrassment. ‘I don’t think anyone would describe my grandmother as modern.’
He held up his hands. ‘She’s texting. She must own a mobile phone. What age is she?’
‘She’s just over eighty. My mother was a late baby. She thought she couldn’t have any children.’
‘Then she must have been delighted when your mother came along.’
Katsuko sighed. ‘You’d think so. But I think she’d got used to having no children. She’d accepted her fate. My mother was a shock. I don’t think she ever really adjusted to having to replan her life.’
Avery pried a little further. ‘You said she was unwell—she’s in a wheelchair?’
Katsuko nodded. ‘Her rheumatoid arthritis has been severe for as long as I’ve known h
er. She’s been in a wheelchair since I was tiny. Her muscles are wasted. She has fibrosis of her lungs and kidney problems too. Every joint is affected. Her fingers are all disfigured. She doesn’t use a phone. She uses a tablet.’
‘Who takes care of her?’
Katsuko swallowed and glanced out of the window towards the busy crossing. A classic avoidance technique if ever he’d seen one.
‘She has help.’ Katsuko bit her lip again. She seemed annoyed.
‘What kind of help does she need?’
Her gaze was fierce. She was obviously regretting this conversation. ‘Every kind of help. Someone washes her, dresses her, prepares her food and amuses her for the day until they have to do it all again in reverse.’
Avery’s brain was spinning. He wasn’t quite sure of the healthcare system in Japan. Who helped when someone needed care at home?
But Katsuko didn’t even let him ask the question. ‘I pay for it. Don pays for it. She wouldn’t let us help her. She told us in no uncertain terms.’
There it was again. That flicker of hurt. That deep-seated resentment.
‘Why on earth does your grandmother treat you that way?’
Katsuko rested her elbows on the table and ran her hand through her shiny hair. She glanced around the restaurant, looking at the other people around them. She straightened in her seat and looked at him. ‘Do you see anyone who looks like me?’
He frowned and looked around. Was it a trick question? ‘Of course. There are lots of Japanese people in here.’
She shook her head. ‘Look again. Look hard. Do you see anyone who looks like me?’
If this was test, he was going to fail.
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
She sighed and held up her hands. ‘In Japan, I’m known as hafu—it’s the term we use for biracial.’ She glanced over her shoulder. ‘I can’t see anyone else in here that looks like me. Japan is one of the least ethnically diverse countries in the world. Some people think that people like me—hafu—aren’t fully Japanese. My grandmother has always felt that.’
