Everything was in her head.
A fictitious result of her extensive imagination.
* * *
The days that followed were hard.
She confined herself to her room where she planned to write to take her mind off the situation, but Savannah found that she couldn’t get past the first line of her main article. On her screen were the words:
Beautiful Japan: A time to love and remember
That was it. That was all she could write, just the headline.
Given that her emotions fueled her talent, she should have been pouring out pages of prose. But no, there was nothing. She found herself stuck and unable to describe or express herself. It felt like salt being poured over her open, raw wounds. With trembling hands, she shut down her computer.
By Thursday evening it became quite clear that she could no longer stay here. Not even for another week, as she’d planned. She wasn’t coping, and it was pointless adding to the misery.
She had to go home.
Sakiko and Yumi had been incredibly supportive, going out of their way to help her feel better. But she couldn’t stay.
Savannah couldn’t stay here and torment herself anymore, letting her injured heart infiltrate her brain and render it useless.
So that was it, she arranged to leave Japan the next day, and by Saturday morning she was back in San Francisco.
The whole year that had gone by felt like a dream, one that would make her heart ache every time she thought about it.
* * *
Hiroshi didn’t think he’d ever be able to get that image out of his head.
The image of Savannah rushing away from him, tears in her eyes because he’d broken her heart. Something he never thought he would do.
The emptiness and nothingness within had only intensified with each passing day, making him feel dazed. As if he was walking around in someone else’s body.
When they got to Washington, he went straight to work with the relevant teams and departments to fix the disastrous mess the company was in. The tension between himself and his father was also very evident, particularly when some of the general duties Hiroshi usually performed were taken away from him and Kaito was called in to help.
Kaito and his father kept themselves completely away from him, using his grandfather’s old office to plan and to plot, he supposed. He didn’t know. What he did know was that neither himself nor Jake were privy to any meetings. Instead, they worked on getting the Z-chip out to the buyers and salvaging whatever money they could from the losses made.
At least Bernie didn’t give him the third degree, which he was grateful for.
Jake, on the other hand, hadn’t said anything to him. It was Sakiko who informed him that Savannah had returned to San Francisco.
Jake didn’t even mention her name once, and Hiroshi had no rights to ask. He just kept everything professional through the whole time that they were in office, which made him feel even worse. He was used to the Jake that would always make light of a bad situation, but again he had no right to that, either. Savannah was Jake’s sister. Of course things would change between him and Hiroshi with the break up.
It was on his own that Hiroshi came up with a couple of ideas to help the situation. By the following week, things were under control. Everyone who was supposed to have the Z-chip had it, and he’d worked with the marketing and accounts teams to come up with a successful campaign to sell more Fujita 7 tablets, which bulked up profits.
The situation was in hand, but he was being monitored more than ever. He knew things were bad when Shinji made an appearance. He expected that his uncle would be here soon, too, and then his future would be in question.
Maybe they would resume trying to get him to step down again and give the company back.
Which angle would they use this time?
Probably that he was in breach of something, or hadn’t acted in the interest of the company. Or, maybe they’d say he was incapable again. The argument had been thrown out of court last time because he hadn’t done anything to show he was incapable.
They’d have a perfect example now.
Kaito wouldn’t joke to run with that idea. He’d love the chance to run both Washington and LA.
On Wednesday morning he met with Jake to discuss the backlog of work that had built up from the week Pete went on leave. Hiroshi sat behind his desk opposite Jake and watched him leaf through some paperwork that was enclosed within a foolscap folder.
Right now he wasn’t even sure if they were talking, each day seemed worse as fewer words were shared between them.
Hiroshi stopped looking at the figures spreadsheet and gazed across at Jake.
Jake had been such a great friend to him for years. He was more like family and always had his back no matter what. It was clear he was upset about Savannah, but Hiroshi needed to talk to him and see what he was thinking.
“Jake.”
“Hmmm.”
“You haven’t said anything to me about Savannah.” He didn’t want to beat around the bush.
Jake closed the folder, rested his hands on top of it and focused on Hiroshi.
He leaned his head to the side and squinted his eyes. “What do you want me to say?”.
“Something, anything.”
“It’s none of my business. And if you valued my opinion that much you would have asked for it before now.” He looked angry. Just like Hiroshi expected.
“Can I still ask for your opinion?”
“It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?” Jake smirked with sarcasm.
“Yes. Jake, I had to break up with her. I couldn’t allow her to give up such a good opportunity for me. Did she tell you what happened?”
“Rosh, I can’t talk to you about this without feeling like I’m breaking some unwritten rule. Like, the brother/sister code of confidentiality.” He looked uncomfortable.
“Jake you’re like a brother to me. I swear to you that I did what I thought I had to for her. Look at the situation here. She at least deserves someone who can find time to be with her.” He sighed with frustration. Everything he did seemed to be wrong.
“Did you love her?” Jake’s expression seemed to soften.
“I do love her,” he told him, feeling his heart ache all over again. That was the first time he’d ever told anyone his true feelings for Savannah.
It was crazy. Jake was not the person who should have heard that. It should have been her.
Jake shook his head at him and looked at him with sad eyes. “Then what are you doing?”
Hiroshi stared at him, trying to find the words to give an answer but couldn’t.
“You seriously want my opinion?” Jake asked, leaning forward onto his elbows.
“Yes.” Hiroshi straightened up in his chair, desperate to hear it.
“You asked me once if I thought you were good enough for my sister and the answer is still that there is no one good enough for her. However, the difference between then and now is that I never figured you to be a coward.”
Hiroshi’s mouth dropped. “I’m not a coward. I did what I felt was best.”
“Best for who, Rosh?”
“For her.” He widened his eyes. Surely Jake could see that he had broken up with Savannah for her own good.
“No.” Jake shook his head again. “You’re right. Look at the situation here. What do you think they’re all doing when they meet and we’re not invited? I may step way over the line for saying this, but since you asked for my opinion, I’ll say it. All you do is run around like a headless chicken and work yourself to death trying to please your father. You do this knowing there’ll always be a problem and you’ll never be able to take full control of the company like you should. All of them, they just play with you.” He balled his fist and sighed. “You’d rather they treat you like a child every chance they get than stand up for yourself. That’s you, Rosh, and that is what makes you a coward. You’d rather choose to do that for the rest of your life than b
e with someone who truly loves you. I know your grandfather never intended this kind of life for you.”
Hiroshi just stared at Jake, feeling like he’d just hit him with a truck. Or a couple of them.
He blinked several times as the words sunk in.
“Let’s take a look at the situation here now. I told you we’d figure it out, but you freaked out anyway.” Jake’s nostrils flared. “With every due respect to Pete, I know he did what he thought was best by emailing you, but the person to have gotten that email was either Bernie or myself. Or heck even Cory who was second in command here. You must get a ton of emails every day, and one of that magnitude should have been sent to a couple of people. Not to someone who’s not only in another country but on another project.”
Hiroshi had never thought of that at all. He was quick to blame himself because he knew the blame would come to him.
Jake shook his head and continued, “Anyway, Savannah chose you when she was faced with the decision. There wasn’t a question in her mind when she had to choose. Man, if I were lucky enough to find the woman of my dreams there’s not a damn thing I wouldn’t do for her.”
Hiroshi had been a coward. One of the worst kind. The kind that covered up his actions with something he thought was true but wasn’t. Like believing he was doing the right thing for Savannah.
Jake…was right.
Jake started going on about some old song, but Hiroshi zoned out. It all dawned on him now, and all he could do was agree.
His life had become this never-ending cycle of trying to earn his father’s respect. And trying to do things that would make his grandfather proud.
That was why he worked as hard as he did. That was the reason he’d done everything he had so far.
If he’d truly earned his father’s respect, then the Z-chip mistake would have been looked into, and the situation handled differently. Had it been Kaito or Shinji everything would have been dealt with differently.
The training center was his, something he’d built from scratch that had flourished and would continue to do so. When he took everything apart, all that was left was that.
If he continued like this, his life would indeed always be like this. The same perpetual cycle. That wasn’t a life, and his grandfather would never have wanted this for him. Him with all his sayings and bright outlook on life.
Suddenly his grandfather’s words filled his mind:
Do what makes you happy, but make sure it’s something worthwhile to bring you happiness forever.
Like the pond and the moon.
He always took that to mean that he’d be happy running the company and working together with the family.
But it didn’t mean that. It didn’t mean that at all.
All the pond and the moon wanted was to be together, and that’s’ what made them happy. Something as simple as that, but significant in importance because they had the kind of happiness that would last forever.
His grandfather was simply trying to tell him to make the right choices in life. Choices that would lead to happiness that would last forever.
His mother tried to tell him the same thing, too. She knew he loved Savannah, and she’d watched their relationship blossom into something truly beautiful.
She was right. It was indeed simple, and in no way complicated.
For him to be happy he needed Savannah.
It all made perfect sense to him now because he was in love.
Hiroshi stood up and loosened his tie as he walked across the room.
“What are you doing?” Jake asked.
“What I should have done a long time ago.” Hiroshi marched out of the office and down the hall, Jake in tow.
“Are you going to see your father? You know how your dad gets when he’s disturbed. Especially now, and who knows what the hell could be going on in his office. They could have decided to put us both in the kitchen by next week.”
Hiroshi didn’t care. Not one bit, and it was a great feeling. They could decide whatever they wanted.
When they got to his father’s office, he didn’t even bother to knock. He just opened the door and went in, much to his father’s annoyance.
“Can I help you with something?” his father asked, the disapproval couldn’t have been clearer on his face.
Jake tugged at Hiroshi’s jacket and hissed, “Lord, he’s angry.”
“No, sir. I just came to tell you that I quit,” Hiroshi declared, and it was the most liberated he’d ever felt in his life. Jake stilled next to him, and his father went ghostly pale.
“You know what? I’m just gonna take a stroll this way.” Jake cleared his throat and left them both, not wanting to make the situation any more awkward than it was.
“It’s strange. I thought you’d look happier,” Hiroshi stated, looking over at his father. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll sign whatever papers you want, and you can have your company back.”
“What has brought you to this decision?”
“Nothing I do will ever be good enough for you, and it is exhausting just being your son.” Emotion took hold of him and threatened to break him down, but he had to be strong. “I can’t apologize enough for not being there when Grandpa died. But that’s something I have to live with, not you. I also can’t apologize enough for the past and for disappointing you in the way that I have. Again that’s something I have to live with, not you. But I’m done here. I’m done with everything, and I refuse to live like this forever.” There was nothing more to be said.
Hiroshi left him with those words. Now for the hard part.
Getting Savannah back.
Chapter 24
“I still can’t believe you said that,” Jake gasped. He stood with his back against the door frame nodding with complete pride and satisfaction.
They’d gone back to Hiroshi’s apartment after his run in with his father.
“Scratch that. I can’t believe you quit,” Jake added.
“I know, right?” He smiled at Jake.
Hiroshi was in his bedroom, packing. He had a slither of a plan that he’d roughly sketched out in his mind. One he was hoping would work.
“So that’s it, you give the company back?”
He pulled his travel bag closer to the edge of the bed and stuffed in a few T-shirts and some socks that didn’t match.
“That’s the solution. Jake, my company is the training center. That’s it. Washington was never mine. It was theirs. I was fighting a losing battle.” And if he couldn’t fix things with Savannah he would have made the biggest mistake of his life.
Jake moved away from the wall at the same time Hiroshi made his way across to the wardrobe. “What are you going to do?”
“Get my girl back.” Hiroshi smiled wide. Jake returned a hopeful smile.
“Can we talk before you go?” The stern voice of his father stopped Hiroshi in his tracks. He turned to see him as he came up behind Jake at the entrance. Jake straightened up immediately.
“I’m just gonna take a walk to the next room,” Jake stated cautiously, like he did back at the office. Poor guy. Hiroshi felt bad that he’d been caught in the middle of things for the second time that day.
He continued to pack when Jake stalked off, not giving his father the acknowledgment he’d normally give him.
“The concierge let me in,” his father stated. Hiroshi just hoped that he wasn’t here to bitch at him for abandoning his responsibilities, he didn’t want to hear it.
As far as he was concerned, he’d said all that he had to say and had no further comment. He really was done.
“You’re going to see Savannah?”
Hiroshi stopped packing on hearing his question and focused on him. “Yes.”
Did he even know that they’d broken up?
“You should go see her,” his father nodded.
Hiroshi narrowed his eyes and looked at him, not quite understanding where this conversation was going, or why he was even here. He watched his father walk into the room and rest against
the mahogany desk where all his car books were stacked up.
“Dad—”
“No please, please there’s a lot I need to say to you.” His father held up his hand, his eyes beseeching. “I understand it all, and I understand why you quit. I’m very sorry it had to come to this.”
Did he just say sorry?
“Things have never been great between us,” he continued, “and I don’t want to make it worse.” He turned slightly and picked up a book on Porsches. “I’ve never taken the time to understand you, and see what you liked.”
He glanced over the cover and set it back down on the desk.
Hiroshi wasn’t sure what he should say, or if he should even talk. There was something different about his father. A lightness about his presence that stood out.
“Maybe things would have been different if I had. Hiroshi, I panicked when the Z-chip didn’t get released. That is the honest truth. I panicked.”
“You thought I’d returned to my former ways,” Hiroshi filled in.
He nodded. “I shouldn’t have because I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked for the last three years and you’ve delivered time after time. You worked hard to impress me.”
So, he had noticed.
“And you’re right. You can’t live the way you have. You shouldn’t have to.” He drew in a breath. “So Washington is yours, Hiroshi. You earned it and deserve it. You made it exactly the sort of company your grandfather wanted it to be. I guess that’s why he put you in charge.” He nodded and offered a small smile. “You are free to run the company as you see fit, without my or anyone else’s interference.”
He didn’t know what to say. In fact, he was so stunned he had to force himself to talk. “Thank you. But Dad, what about the others?” It wasn’t just his father that was the problem, and he wasn’t about to agree to anything that would jeopardize his chances with Savannah even more. “Let’s not kid ourselves. Kaito wants Washington for himself, and I’m certain that everyone will agree he’ll do far better than me.”
At that, his father straightened up, reached into his pocket and produced an envelope. He held it out for Hiroshi to take.
I Only Have Eyes For You Page 31
