Page 31 of A Serving of Hope

They said their farewells. As Toshio was stepping out of the door, Koishi said, “Make Sayo happy, you hear?”

Toshio managed a faint smile. “Thank you. I will.”

“Autumn’s almost over,” she added, brushing a dead leaf from Toshio’s jacket.

Nagare picked the dark, wrinkled leaf up and showed it to Toshio, who gazed at it wordlessly. “Leaves fare no better than flowers in the end, do they? Such a beautiful color when they’re in their prime, and then they end up as these little brown scraps.”

“That’s life for you,” said Koishi. “We all burn out in the end.”

Toshio bowed to them and took his leave.

“I thought you were taking the Keihan line?” said Nagare. “It’s the other way.”

Toshio glanced back at them. “I think I’ll try a different route home today.” With another slight bow, he continued on his way.

—

When they’d seen him off, Nagare and Koishi stepped back inside.

“Shogayaki for dinner, then?” said Koishi as she cleared the table.

“We could get the hot plate out and grill it as we eat. How about inviting Hiroshi over? We still have a whole kilo of pork to get through. We’ll never finish it on our own.”

“I knew you’d say that. I’ve already asked him to join us.”

“Well, well! Someone’s quick on the draw.” Nagare stepped into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and began washing a pot.

“Wait, Dad! You forgot to tell Mr. Harasawa the most important part!”

Nagare switched off the tap. “Steady now. No need to shout at me.”

“Remember what Rikako said? When Miyuki made the shogayaki for Mr. Harasawa, the seasoning wasn’t exactly the same as the one she used in the café. She cut back on that udon sauce and added soy sauce and sake. It was her little way of making it special for him!”

“Did she really say that?” said Nagare, turning the tap back on. “My memory must be getting worse.”

“Wait.” She leaned over and gave him a searching look. “You left that part out on purpose, didn’t you?”

Nagare went on scrubbing away in silence.

Koishi went over to the photo of Kikuko on the family altar. She pressed her hands together in prayer, then murmured, “I guess this way, he and Sayo might still stand a chance after all.”

Nagare stopped washing the pot, glanced over at her, and nodded.

Chapter 4

Hiyashi-Chuka

1

A gleaming black Alphard was gliding west down Shomen-dori.

“Should be around here somewhere,” said Michio Shirai, the white-gloved driver, as he glanced up and down the street. But all he could see were austere storefronts advertising Buddhist altars, rosaries, and robes. Given that Higashi Honganji temple was just around the corner, that was only natural.

“All a bit depressing, isn’t it,” murmured Saki Morishita from the rear of the luxury minivan, stubbing out her cigarette in a portable ashtray. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.”

“Well, madam, you’ve come all this way…”

“I mean, I was warned it was a shabby little place, but I didn’t expect the whole neighborhood to look so miserable.”