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“Don’t get killed!”
I wouldn’t dream of it, Abuela. Not after what I went through as a child. It hasn’t made me weaker, if anything, I’m that much stronger.
After a few shots of whiskey and a phone call to my contact who reassures me all is well with Leticia, my mind is at rest. I’m surprised when I turn up to the restaurant, the one where it all began, to see only his son, Ryota, present.
“My father will not be coming,” he announces as soon as I enter the room at the back.
I bow as I see him, and he does the same. I didn’t realize Ryota had a good level of English, but none of that feels important right now.
“My father is dealing with the death of not only my mother, but his sister too. Sit.”
He motions for me to sit next to him near the door.
I forgot that he was related to not only one woman, but both of them. My focus was and has been about Leticia that such details escape me. Sakura was his sister, and the one whose dead body was found only a couple of days ago.
“I’m fluent in Japanese, we don’t have to speak English,” I remind him.
He nods. “Yes. I know, but the walls have ears. I prefer if we speak in English for the matters we’re about to discuss. You’re not ready to leave Tokyo yet, are you?”
I shake my head, to confirm about my status at the moment.
“How rude of me, would you like a drink?” He shoots up, as he heads to the bar at the side of the room.
I shake my head, even if it is rude and I should drink whatever he offers, but I’m not concerned about my manners, especially at a time like this.
“No. I had a couple of shots before I came and I haven’t eaten today, so I better not.”
Ryota chuckles. “I have a couple when I wake up, when I go to sleep, and whenever I feel like.”
“To numb the pain?”
He ignores my question. I don’t press for an answer. He raises an eyebrow as he sits back down. His eyes are lifeless as he avoids eye contact.
“Have you ever lost anyone close to you?”
“I lost my mother when I was young. I never met her,” I say abruptly.
“Shame. My mother was a lovely woman. She was the gel that held the bond between my father and I. Now, we are two strangers living in the same house. I thought nothing could break the man, but I can see it isn’t true, and I never wanted to witness a man cry. Especially my own father.”
I don’t want to talk about feelings, let alone emotions. What a father is or should be, I’ve never known and I don’t care to.
“The lead we have so far is that Hiroshi was part of the gang, and we’ve shut down two of the factories, but we’re missing the main one,” I say. I’m going to focus on the reason we’re meeting today.
He looks up at me, his eyes meet mine and his brow creases, as if he’s thinking what to say now.
“You’re not one to talk about emotions, are you, Mr. Aranda de Hernandez?”
I don’t beat around the bush as I confess what he’s already suspected.
“No.”
“A man unable to express himself is one who will find it difficult to love.”
I shake my head in disagreement.
“I love my brother, my grandma, and my extended family.”
“I thought you had two brothers. “
