Chapter 13

Mother

“Mother, how could you do that to me?” I demanded as we left the building and headed to the car.

My heels clicked in an unsteady rhythm on the pavement as I danced around her like an annoying fly that wouldn’t get out of your face no matter how many times you tried to swat it.  The air was chilly on my exposed skin, and I pulled the shawl my mother gave me earlier tighter around my shoulders for warmth.

I was so angry that she would do this behind my back.  It was humiliating.  What if Satoshi got the wrong idea? 

Worst of all, my mother couldn’t understand how upset it made me, which was more infuriating.

“Really, Yuri-chan, why are you so upset?” she said when we got to the car.  Her hand was on the handle, and she waited until she finished what she had to say before she opened the door.  “He’s such a cute boy, well mannered, very intelligent, and a perfect match for you.  It was about time you two met!”

“But, I’m not interested in boys right now!” I protested, my face hot with embarrassment and rage as she got into the car.  I stood outside her door, stomping my feet like a two-year-old.  “You know I don’t have time to even think about getting involved with one, what with school and my job!”

“That reminds me,” my mother said, changing the subject as she reached for the door, “I met your boss today.”

I nearly fell over when her door swung shut.  I hurried to get into the seat behind her.

“And?” I demanded as I buckled my seatbelt.

“Oh, I am so relieved to know that you are working for such a smart Japanese woman,” she gushed as my father started the car and put it in reverse.  “Sakura-san was absolutely lovely, and completely understood my concern about your studies.  She even agreed to cut back your hours to one weeknight shift and one weekend shift.  Isn’t that wonderful?  Now you have more time for your school work, and you might be able to go on a date with Satoshi-kun when he’s free on the weekends!”

If I didn't love my mother so much, I probably would have attempted to strangle her from behind.

Instead, I gave in and hung my head, leaning back into my seat.

She was right to worry about my studies.  I just hated the thought that I couldn’t keep up while maintaining the hours I was getting.  I hoped my cut in hours wouldn't burden one of my co-workers.  That thought gripped my heart tightly and I prayed that whoever got my shifts would forgive me for being such a burden on them.

And what else did she have in mind for Satoshi and me?  She wasn’t going to set us up to go on little picnics or something, was she?

What if she asks him to pick me up from work in the evenings?  Oh dear lord, no!  He can’t find out about my job either!  That would be even more embarrassing!

I stifled a groan as we drove home in silence.

I wondered if my dad knew about this too.  If it weren’t for the fact that he was naturally a quiet person, I would have suspected his silence to mean something, but alas, that wasn’t the case.

He did appear like he was trying to avoid looking at me.  Darn it, don’t tell me he was in on it too?

I tried not to let my feelings of betrayal fester, and allowed exhaustion to overcome me instead. 

There had been just too much going on as of late. Everything was happening so suddenly.  I just started a new job, was trying to keep up with school, was being blackmailed and repeatedly harassed by Dash, and now even my home-life was tainted with the fact that my parents were trying to encourage a relationship with a guy I only just met and knew very little about.  It was all so overwhelming for someone like me who never did anything out of the ordinary, and whose life revolved around studying.

When we got home, I just stormed upstairs to the main washroom to take a shower before locking myself in my room for the night.

I don’t have time to worry about this, I thought with a sigh as I turned my attention to my homework.

I worked away until the wee hours of the morning before collapsing onto my bed and passing out.

*          *          *

Work the next day was typical, except for one key fact that hit me as soon as I stepped in the back door to the staff room.

“Oh my god, Emi-chan, you’re so lucky that you didn’t have to work last night!  It was so scary!” Jasmine said in a rush.

She was already wearing her maid outfit and was sitting in front of the mirror and brushing her long reddish-brown hair.  She immediately got to her feet as I stepped in and put my backpack (with a bit of homework in it) on the floor.

“Why, what happened last night?” I asked, my forehead creasing with worry at the sudden bombardment of “scary news.”

“There was a shooting down the street!”

I stared at her, my jaw falling open. “What?”

“Yeah, in China Town.  It has to be gang related, there’s no other explanation,” she said, fidgeting with the lacy hem of her white apron.

Subconsciously, I went back to the door I had just come through and poked my head out to look around.  Everything looked normal.  I came back in, and I locked it.  I turned to Jasmine, still standing there hesitantly, and asked, “When did it happen?”

She thought for a moment, biting on her lower lip.  “I don’t know, around 8:30 or 9, I think.”

I immediately remembered Sakura running out of the convention centre around nine last night.  Could that have been the emergency she had referred to?

“Was Sakura-san here last night?” I asked

She shook her head, “Not until we had called her about it.  Then she hurried over as quickly as she could.  She was at some kind of fancy dinner last night.  I felt really bad for making her leave early.  Of course, she said it was no problem and that she had to make sure we were all safe.  Gosh, I wish you could have seen her, Emi-chan!  She looked so beautiful!”

I just shook my head in disbelief.  How could there have been a shooting just down the street from here?  “Did the police catch the shooter?” I asked, going to the cubbies to and putting my stuff away.

She shook her head in reply.  “Not that I know of.  Luckily no one was seriously injured, but still… It’s so scary!”

I nodded as I went to the closet where our uniforms were stored, my mind whirling with this recent news.  I had heard rumours about the Chinese mafia in this area, but to know that shootings actually took place just around the corner—where I walked back and forth from the transit system for work—was the scariest part of all.  I was just there moments ago!

“This is exactly why it’s important for you to have a ride home after work,” she said pointedly.  “It’s not safe for a girl to be walking around these roads after dark.  You should try and arrange to have someone pick you up.”

My stomach clenched with that thought.  I couldn’t let my parents know that I worked in a cosplay maid café.  How could I ask them to pick me up after work?  I couldn’t.  I had to take the pubic transit because it was the only way to keep them from finding out.

I nodded at her despite my conflicting thoughts, as I grabbed an outfit from the closet, and went into one of the change rooms. 

The day was a touch quiet, perhaps because people had heard about the shooting and didn’t dare to venture into the area.  Not that I blamed them.  Those that did come in were less chatty, more on edge, and anxiously whispering amongst themselves and us maids about the shooting and any of the latest news on it.

Sakura came in around noon and, after the lunch rush ended, sent me home two hours early as a result of it being so quiet.

However, before I could leave, she pulled me aside to speak with me privately.

“Are you feeling overwhelmed with school and work?” she asked, concern creasing her forehead and hinting at her true age under the lines.  “Your mother yesterday seemed very worried that you weren’t getting enough time for your studies.”

Sighing, I confessed that I was feeling overwhelmed and worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with my assignments, but that I also felt ashamed of letting her and my co-workers down if someone had to take on some of my shifts.

She just laughed lightly and waved the thought aside like it was unimportant.  “Don’t worry about troubling the other girls at all Yuriko-chan.  I know for a fact that some of our part-timers would love to get an extra shift.  Right now, the part-timers all work the same amount of hours because it seemed only fair.  If you need fewer hours to tend to your studies, don’t worry about it because it’s no trouble at all.  School always comes first, Yuriko-chan.”

She smiled affectionately at me and told me that if I was worried about anything work-related, that I could always come to her.

I knew she was right, but my pride held me back from openly seeking help.  I didn’t want to be seen as weak and incapable of pulling my weight, but if some of my co-workers wanted extra hours, then it made more sense that they should get them.

I bowed gratefully to her before I left, careful to watch my back as I made my way to the transit stop, and breathed a sigh of relief when I got home safe and sound.

When I walked in the front door, I heard soft piano music playing from the den.  I just stopped and stared in the doorway, gently dropping my backpack to the floor.  We didn’t have a CD player in there, but I knew it wasn’t coming from a CD player either.

It was my mother playing the piano.  I hadn’t heard her play the piano since her last student left about a year ago.

I took my shoes off and silently stepped closer to the den, but remained hidden behind the wall that closed the den off from the living room.  I closed my eyes as I let the sounds fall softly on my mind.

I was so absorbed in listening to the wonderful music my mother was playing, that I didn’t noticed my father step up next to me.  I was startled when I saw him standing there, but he was smiling with the tenderest look I had seen in years in his wise old eyes.

“She’s been playing for the last couple of hours,” he told me in a whisper.

My eyes widened. 

Seeing my response made his smile broaden, crinkling his warm eyes.  “Yes, she’s been in a good mood today.”

I looked away.  While I was glad that she was in good spirits, I knew that there had to be a reason behind it.  And the only thing I could think of was what happened yesterday at the social function.

She had successfully introduced me to Satoshi Takahashi, the most promising young man my age in the Toronto Japanese community.