Chapter 27: Chapter 27

This third day with my father has been too much. We have been walking around trailed by his servant all day as he gets papers signed by various people. It is almost evening and I believe we have seen nearly every person in the village. My feet ache and I want nothing more than to sit down or sleep. As I lean against the wall of another stand I wait for my father to finish.

The women he is talking to is of a spirited sort. She is small and robust. She speaks with a loud voice and gestures with her hands. My father is speaking to her in his no nonsense tone, and I watch waiting to see her bend to him will. I am surprised when she places her hands on her hips and he stares at her silently. As they have a quiet moment of just staring at each other angrily I wait to see who will back down first. My father is actually the one to concede. He walks away from her briskly to talk to his servant. They exchange papers and my father returns with something else. The women read the paper and signs with a flourish. I wonder what this deal was about.

When we leave I dread going to another place to stand and wait for my father to conduct his business. However, instead of going to another stand or shop, we head nearby to a bench under a tree. I gladly take a seat as he does.

“That is a woman full of spirit” I say. He chuckles in agreement.

“That she is bit rightfully so. She has been head of that shop since her mother passed some years ago. I am trying to get her to move so that I can have the land.” He admits.

“That shop is the only one near any homes. Why would you want it?” I question him bewildered.

“That is precisely why. I want to build a home on that property. She has been stubborn in moving so we negotiated on the space she wants. Her foods are highly sought after, and she wanted more room to do her work” he says. “I decided to give her one of the newly built spaces that I own that are a bit bigger. The home I build on that land will mean what is currently there has to be torn down. She was against it but when I told her who it was for, she was willing to move” he says.

“Who is the home for” I ask looking around.

“You. It will be a present to you and your future bride, I hope” he says. My mouth gapes a bit. I have no idea what to say to that. I had not thought of where Io and I would live once we wed. I wonder if she would like a home in my village. “I also want to know my grandchildren, and this will have them close” he declares.

“Ah, we still do not know if the woman I court will say yes. How many children do you expect me to have ba?” I blurt.

“I have no number specifically in mind. I would be fine with one. You are not required to have as many children as I do. I will be happy if you are happy” he states.

As I look around to think I spot Huli. He nods his head at me and gives me a wave. This is our signal to say he has been taking the gifts to Io. If he smiles at me it is because something went wrong. I find myself smiling that Io is receiving them. I turn back to finish speaking with my father.

“How many children do you have?” I ask.

He shifts around in his seat and looks uncomfortable at the question.

“I have many. Come now it is time to get you home” he declares rising from the bench. There is no more conversation between us. We were doing so well and apparently I ruined it. Now the rest of the four days I have left with him may not have any conversation.

He leaves me at the edge of the shops because we are staying in opposite directions. He waves awkwardly at me before going. As I take in the night air something catches my eye in the window of a shop. It is a picture. Something tells me to take a closer look. As I approach the drawing I realize that they are from the Hanami celebration. Someone was drawing people. From the looks of it many did not know they were a subject.

I decide to go inside with hope they might have captured Io. After looking for a while I begin to lose hope. As I am about to leave the shop I see her. I see me. It is a picture of us sitting together underneath the tree. The drawing almost seems life like as if I could reach out and touch her.

“I will buy this one” I announce to the owner. He rushes over to grab it and quickly wraps it for me. I cannot wait to show this to Io. It will be a gift that she can keep forever as a reminder of when we met.

I walk home from the shop happily. In a way I got to see her today. A part of me still wonders if my father will answer the question tomorrow but mainly I imagine her reaction to the drawing. Hopefully when I see Huli tomorrow he can tell me how she fares.

Io

I spent the day reading “The Story of the Stone.” It helped to pass the time since today was not a working day for me. On my second reading I was able to see things in the story I had missed before. I learned that the point of the story was that material objects hold no place for a man who finds loves. When I think of Draco I remember when he talked in contempt of all he had.

I wonder if it is possible for him to love me already. Even after only knowing him for about a month, I feel so strongly already. In this brief time, I have gotten to know him and have learned much. I know I want a life with him, and all his effort shows that he does too. Thinking of the way he makes me feel just makes me miss him so much. I sigh to myself and stare at my ceiling. I need something to do. I do not want to sit here and wallow. I decide to get started on dinner. My father will be home in a few hours, and he should be hungry.

On his visit to the market this week he brought eggs. If I start now I can make noodles and we can have fish ramen. It has been a while since I made the dish. I take out the rest of the ingredients and get started.

Once the noodles are on the boil and the fish is being roasted below, I take a seat. It was fun but took longer than I thought. When I rise to take the noodles out there is a knock on the door. When I open it I do not see anyone. I step further outside and see someone walking away from the hut. When I look down I see a small, folded parchment with a string tied around it on my stoop.

“Thank you” I call out. I grab the parchment and place it on the table. I rush to take off the noodles. I sigh gratefully that they are not overdone. After making the bowls of noodles and setting the table I return to the package. I pull the string and it opens. This letter looks to be longer than the last two and is holding a bracelet in the center. As I twiddle the bracelet around my fingers I read.

Dear Io,

I truly do miss you so. Your face and beautiful laughter have not strayed far from my mind. I wish more than anything I could be with you now. At least we only have four days left. I am learning a lot with my father. There are some of the things he does I can see myself doing. However, I want to travel with you more. I think perhaps we can see the world before settling here.

I found something for you today. It was shocking to see, and I decided it would make a great gift. You will receive it as my next one. The gift you received today is a simple woven bracelet. I made it during one of my evenings thinks of you. Inscribed are our names and the symbol of everlasting love. I hope you will also wear this small token of my affection.

Love Draco

I look at the bracelet in my hand and smile. It is a token that I will gladly wear. In the letter he mentioned everlasting love, I believe this to be his first declaration. I cannot wait to see him. Only four days left.