Chapter 1.9

Chapter 10

When Aiko left the offices of the Mount Fuji Association she preferred to walk a few blocks instead of taking the Metro at the nearest station. She had in her head a mixture of ideas circulating at full speed and a knot in her stomach produced by the step she had decided to take. The girl wanted to reflect on what happened in the previous couple of hours and what the consequences in her life, until that moment foreseeable and organized around a musical career that was working well and a still incipient romance that produced some immediate gratifications and above all great expectations.

Aiko had indirectly linked up with what she had now learnt were the Japanese secret services, of which she knew very little beyond some accusations of ineffectiveness for not having foreseen years before the attack with sarin gas in the Tokyo subway. The young woman did not know what had been the factor that had decided her to take that initiative, whether patriotism for a country she had left as a child, thirst for adventures or desire to have another activity other than music so she would not be totally absorbed by it. But Aiko did know that once that idea had arisen in her mind it had become a kind of obsession that would not realistically be relieved until she had carried out her project. Aiko began to realize that in her soul, above the seemingly placid lake of her feelings blew a furious, uncontrollable gale. Her emotions in relation to music, to Leandro and to the new task that she had imposed to herself had that imprint of absorbent whirlwind. The girl still did not know it but the spontaneous activity of introspection would always accompany her and guide her actions in very diverse and often difficult circumstances. Ultimately, the conclusion that came out of her meditation was that trying to oppose that inner vortex was impossible and would only cause her anxiety and frustration.

The woman looked at her watch and accelerated her pace towards the piano academy where her class was about to begin.

He walked aimlessly to wait for the hour he had agreed to meet Aiko. The girl would momentarily leave the restaurant where she worked to accompany him inside and to have dinner together. As he did every time he visited a new part of the city, Leandro walked slowly through the East Midtown streets in Manhattan observing its peculiar characteristics and finding that there were many stores with Japanese names, including some cafes and a couple of restaurants. Aiko had already told him that numerous Japanese nationals had settled in the area over time due, among other things, to the presence of the Consulate General of Japan and the so-called Japan Society.

At last he came to the address indicated and stood in front of the restaurant door, larger and more luxurious than the ones he had seen before. The boy took out his cell phone and as he had agreed with Aiko dialed her number. The young woman attended immediately.

"Hello, I'm already in front of the restaurant."

"I'm going right away."

Indeed the girl emerged through the door and once again Leandro's heart beat hastily when he saw her.

"You look beautiful!" He said trying to kiss her. The woman turned her face away and said taking him by the arm.

"Clients who know me are constantly entering and leaving. Come, let's go inside."

Everything was obviously prepared because a waitress with a smile led them to a predetermined place and there they sat at a table in a corner but from where the entire spacious room was visible. A man dressed impeccably in a suit with a vest approached and Aiko instantly stood up followed by Leandro.

"Let me introduce you to the manager of the restaurant, Mr. Taro Suzuki." Then Aiko addressed the mentioned."Mr. Suzuki, let me introduce Leandro Valsecchi, from Argentina."

The manager gave them a smile and a welcome phrase and left to serve other customers. Aiko looked satisfied.

" Mr. Suzuki has had the deference to come and greet you."

" You mean he knew I was coming today?"

"Of course."

When the young couple left the restaurant it was already almost midnight and they were closing the place, always under Mr. Suzuki's watchful eye of . Both said goodbye to the manager and went to the cool New York night. After dinner Leandro had witnessed the last part of the performance of Aiko in front of a smaller number of diners at that late hour.

As every time she was in the company of the young man, Aiko felt light-hearted. She had not invited him to her workplace in order to exhibit him to her female colleagues but she knew that the next day she would hear comments about him. While they were having dinner Aiko had partially explained to him the nature of her contract with the Mount Fuji Association, under terms previously agreed with Director Matsumoto. Indeed, it did not make sense to completely hide her new occupation in what was supposedly just a Japanese cultural society in which Aiko's function was to popularize the present and past Japanese composers of piano music, thus using her real artistic activity like a screen. The heart demanded the girl to open her heart and tell him frankly the truth but her brain acted as an effective sentinel and limited her to the agreed upon story.

Leandro accompanied her to her house and they said goodbye with a prolonged kiss after which the young woman ascended the steps and disappeared behind the door. He stood for a moment contemplating the entrance of the house and then turned around and regretfully walked away, unaware that Aiko was looking at him behind the mirrored windows of the door. Then she climbed into the elevator and sneaked into the apartment very silently not to wake her relatives.

The following noon when she was on a break at the music academy, her cell phone vibrated in her purse without making sounds, as the young woman silenced it during her lessons. Upon attending, she immediately recognized Mrs. Yamaguchi's voice and her heart accelerated.

"Aiko, are you in class?"

"Yes, though in this moments I am in a recess."

"I'll be quick. I have good news. Your incorporation to the Mount Fuji Association has been approved in Tokyo. You start your training on Monday. They will be twice a week, Monday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 14 p.m. I recommend punctuality, the instructor Mr. Yoshida is very strict."

He took the what's' app message and as he figured it was sent by Aiko. The young woman excused herself from not being able to meet him on Friday, but proposed an interesting program for Saturday.

"Although he uses it very seldom my uncle Eiichi has a car. He proposes to make a picnic in Bear Mountain Park. My aunt Natsuko will prepare the food, you do not have to bring anything, if you agree, answer to me."

Logically Leandro answered immediately adding that he would take care of the dessert. When he arrived at his house he opened the notebook and looked in Wikipedia for references of the mentioned place.

The Bear Mountain State Park is located in the Rockland County on the western margin of the Hudson River and has an area of about 5000 acres; its distance to the city of New York is less than 50 miles, which implies a trip of between an hour and an hour and a half depending on the state of the traffic. It offers the possibility of developing all kinds of outdoor activities, which stimulated the young man's fantasy, although realistically, going with Aiko's uncles he foresaw that the day would be rather static.

When Leandro arrived at Aiko's uncle's home he saw an old large Toyota van parked in front of the door and Eiichi carrying an infinity of implements through the back door. He wondered if they were the elements necessary for a picnic or a Japanese invasion of the park. Aiko greeted him with a chaste kiss on the cheek since, although Leandro did not know, she had previously explained Natsuko that it was the normal way of greeting in Argentina.

." Just as the French kiss on both cheeks ." Said the girl.

Eiichi took the steering wheel of the vehicle and from the beginning the young man realized that his driving skills were rather limited, especially for the New York traffic. In numerous crossings the passage of the Toyota raised a concert of honks that although left to Eiichi undisturbed produced episodes of embarrassment to the young couple.

With an important dose of luck they could travel the distance to their destination and finally park in one of the authorized places after Natsuko reprobated a dozen of them for reasons that remained in the dark for Leandro, since the discussions between the uncle and his wife took place in Japanese.

Natsuko and Aiko chose a place under a grove, not far from a stream whose waters produced a pleasant melody. The women stared at it while Eiichi and Leandro carried all the paraphernalia that the former had accumulated in the trunk of the vehicle.

When everything was ready and while Eiichi was trying to recover from his lumbago Leandro extended his sight around. What was offered to his eyes was something very similar to a Japanese postcard, which as the young man thought, perhaps justified the arguments between the spouses about where to park. There he began to understand that there is a Japanese aesthetic sense that is applied in all the decisions of life.

Despite the criticism of his wife, Eiichi opened a can of Japanese Asahi beer and insisted that Leandro joined him, to which the boy replied with all the possible diplomacy that he would postpone drinking for after lunch.

Under the distrustful look of Natsuko his niece took the boy by the hand and practically dragged him to walk among the frond of the grove without any apparent direction until they appeared on the banks of the stream, whereupon Leandro verified once again that nothing of what the girl did was dictated by chance.

"Have you been here before? " He asked casually.

"Only in passing. We stopped here once but we finally had lunch in a cafeteria later. Come, let's sit on these stones."

The white stones of considerable size -doubtlessly dragged there by the stream in some past flood- were located practically at the edge of the water and as the place was covered by the branches of the surrounding trees it was in a cool and well hidden place. The girl, who wore a wide skirt dress, sat carefully on the largest stone and Leandro beside her.

"A paradisiacal site. Your aunt has a good eye."

"Not only to select places to stay."

"What do you mean?"

"Also regarding people."

The boy considered the answer for a moment.

"Oh yeah? And for example, what does she think of me?"

"She never told me."

"But what do you think?"

"The idea of inviting you to a picnic today was hers."

"Despite being a gaijín?" The phrase was between a question and an affirmation.

"A good-looking gaijin though."

The phrase took the boy by surprise. Although he knew that he was accepted by women because of his looks, he was not usual told so openly and he certainly did not expect it from Aiko. He slid until he was sitting on the same stone as her and put his face close to the girl's; when no resistance mediated, he took her head with one hand and joined his lips to hers. The kiss, unlike the previous one in the middle of a busy street in Palermo Hollywood was long and passionate.

"You know how to kiss." Said the young woman.

"Shhhh!"

After a few moments Leandro lowered his right hand to the waist of the woman pushing both bodies closer together. His left hand slid until it settled on the calves of Aiko who did not react to the contact.

"That's what Italian lovers do? Natsuko had already warned me."

"I do not know what others do. I just follow my instincts and try to see what reaction they produce."

The girl smiled and kissed him again but with her hand she pulled his and returned it to her waist. Then she looked at her wristwatch.

" It's already noon. My aunt is surely waiting impatiently with the food."

In fact when they returned Natsuko had arranged a series of dishes on the tablecloth located on the grass, while Eiichi opened his umpteenth beer.

"I do not know how my uncle is going to finish. He is not used to drinking."

"Although your biological relative is Natsuko, you have a certain predilection for him, right?"

" Is it so noticeable? It's true, she is a typical strict Japanese mother with her children, among whom she apparently includes me. Hey, comb your hair and fix your shirt."

When the lunch was over, there was a talk between the four guests where both women had the leading voice. At one point Aiko looked at the sky and said.

"A storm is approaching from the north. Look at those clouds, it will not take long to rain."

"We better raise the camp ... I mean the picnic." answered Leandro.

Under the first drops of rain they had to take back to the van all the implements that had previously carried and had not used except to create ambience. As Eiichi could barely walk due the drunkenness the young man had to take care of the staff transportation to the car cursing in a very low voice. When it was already all soon Natsuko faced the obvious situation and addressing Leandro said.

"My husband is not able to guide by car. You know how to drive?"

"Yes of course. Quickly, get in the car."

Although the trip back to New York City took place under a heavy storm it had a festive tone, except or perhaps above all for Eiichi, who fell asleep as soon he sat down and put his seat belt.