by Yuriko Taira
Is that the reason she takes care of overseas students, to spread the blessings? However, I dismissed this thought immediately because Mrs Shilbury’s four-bedroom, two-bathroom colonial-style house could fit in more than one student, but Shinkichi was the only student who had lived here before I moved in; and my arrival was due to unusual circumstances.
“Well, am I going with you?” Shinkichi went back to where we had started.
“Where to, kids?” Mrs Shilbury enquired as she returned to the dining room with three bananas.
“Yuuko-chan wants to go into town on her own.” Shinkichi immediately seized the opportunity to get Mrs Shilbury on his side.
“No, Yuko, you shouldn’t go out on your own again. You’d have been killed last time if Shinkichi wasn’t there,” Mrs Shilbury said. Although she spoke in a tone of disapproval, the expression in her blue eyes was full of kindness.
My hand went up to my neck. The silk scarf, a gift from Shinkichi, covered the bruises.
◆◆◆
A few weeks before, my school-mates and I had celebrated the end of our graduation exams at the Carnarvon Blowholes in north Western Australia. Shinkichi had brought his mates to join us. While the others jumped into the ocean for a swim, I climbed up a cliff, enjoying the view alone. Shinkichi saw me and got out of the water, climbing up the cliff towards me. Then, a shadow had crept up on me quietly. I thought it was Shinkichi being cheeky until my necklace was pulled forcibly from behind. I held onto my necklace with all my might, stopped it from cutting into my neck.
“ばかやろう。(Asshole) Stay away from her!” Shinkichi had yelled and launched at the shadow.
Splash, all three of us fell into the water. I was sinking to the bottom of the ocean when a strong arm wrapped around my waist… finally my head was above the water.
“Babe, are you okay?” Shinkichi had asked, holding me with one arm and swimming with the other.
“Hmm.” I nodded.
Our friends swam towards us quickly, but the shadow got away.
◆◆◆
Since the accident, I had become convinced that someone was trying to kill me and moved out of the girls’ hostel. Benefiting from Shinkichi’s goodwill, I moved into Mrs Shilbury’s. Since then, Shinkichi had insisted on being my bodyguard, accompanying me everywhere I went. And today was one of those days when he was in a stubborn mood to follow me around.
“Well, are you going to listen to Missus Shilbury?” Shinkichi was pressing for a ‘yes’ answer from me.
“Mister Huang treats me like his granddaughter. I’ll be safe this time,” I said calmly.
“But it may not be safe on the way to him, or on the way home unless Mister Huang hires a bodyguard for you.” Shinkichi did not let go.
“It’s only a short trip to the city. I should be okay.” I did not give in.
“Yuko, why don’t you want Shinkichi to go with you?” Mrs Shilbury asked softly.
“Ah... hmm... Mister Huang may think he’s my boyfriend,” I explained reluctantly.
“But I’m your boyfriend,” Shinkichi said, displeased at finding out he was unknown to Huang; and making his upset known to Mrs Shilbury.
“Since when?” I aked teasingly.
“Since the day you accepted my scarf,” Shinkichi answered, throwing his head back, arms folded across his chest.
“Oh, the scarf…” I murmured, wrapping the end of the scarf around my fingers.
◆◆◆
It was in the final year of high school. I had taken a break from preparing for the university entrance exam and gone to Sayuri’s party. Shinkichi was standing by the door when I arrived. I was not keen to see him again after meeting him for the first time a couple of weeks earlier which had left me feeling embarrassed.
“How are you, Shinkichi?” I tried to bypass him politely.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said, smiling at me, his small eyes becoming two curved lines on his face.
Oh, no… I shouldn’t have come, I had thought, following Shinkichi into Sayuri’s flat.
Shinkichi pulled out a chair by the table, motioning for me to sit down, he then sat next to me. I had never sat so close to a man before and became nervous. I looked around, found Sayuri busy talking to Marcus, a German student from Milner College as if they were a couple on honeymoon. And the other boys and girls had already found their partners for the evening.
I’m afraid I’ve to stay with this arrogant man for the evening; I should have stayed home to study, I had thought regretfully.
However, Shinkichi was happy to have me as his companion for the night. He handed me a gift box. “This is for you,” he said; smiling, and waiting for me to show appreciation for his gift.
My mind went on a race. Sayuri told me if a Japanese man gives you a gift, it means that he's set his sight on you. Japanese men do not spend a lot of time dating. Once he sets his sight on a girl, marriage will be in his mind… Uncle Huang would not approve of this. He said I shouldn't have a boyfriend before 21, and getting married was totally out of the question. I fixed my eyes on the gift box, thinking about how not to accept it.
“It’s come all the way from Japan by express mail. Aren’t you going to open it and have a look?” Shinkichi broke the silence.
“Ah… hmm… really?” I said; my mind was racing, to find a way out.
“Yuuko-chan, forget about your aristocratic manners. Open it, I want to see what it is.” Sayuri’s voice came from behind me.
I had turned. Sayuri stood behind my chair, smiling and showing off two dimples on her cheeks, her slanted eyes were like two lines on her round face. Marcus was standing next to her; against Sayuri’s long and straight black hair, the colour of his curly dark-brown hair faded into light brown.
“Go on, baby girl, show us your gift from Shinkichi.” Marcus’s voice was as teasing as the sparkles in his brown eyes.
Reluctantly, I opened the box. It was a beautiful scarf with purple as its base colour and white cherry blossom spreading out from one corner.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful! I wish it was for me!” Sayuri exclaimed and reached out for it.
“It’s not for you, Sayuri! Get Marcus to buy you one!” Shinkichi said, quickly covered the box with its lid and stopped Sayuri from touching the scarf.
◆◆◆
“What do you mean, ‘Oh, that scarf’?” Shinkichi’s voice brought me back to the present time.
Seeing his mouth dropping long enough to hang a bottle on it, I laughed. “Ha-ha, ha-ha; do you want it back?” I pretended to take the scarf off my neck.
“No, I don’t. Once you accepted it, then you’re my girl. Giving it back or not, you still belong to me.” Shinkichi moved closer to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders in a possessive manner.
“We've agreed to follow Australian rules,” I said, trying to push him away.
“Look, you two, stop acting like high school kids.” Mrs Shilbury spoke like a mother to her children. “Yuko, I’ll be very worried if you go there alone.”
“I’m sorry, Missus Shilbury, but—”
“No ‘but’, Yuko,” Mrs Shilbury said firmly.
I knew I could not win this game. “Yes, Missus Shilbury. I’ll go with Shinkichi-san,” I said in a quiet voice.
Shinkichi grinned as if he had just won the lottery.
“Come, kids, let’s have our breakfast before it gets cold.”
“Yes, Missus Shilbury.” We spoke at the same time, but Shinkichi’s voice was full of excitement while mine was depressed.
We arrived at Parmelia Hilton Perth on St George’s Terrace just a few minutes after 10 am. As we were walking towards the reception, a middle-aged Asian man ran towards me; and not far behind him, was Huang. A sudden dizzy spell struck me. My hand went to my neck.
“Are you okay, babe?” Shinkichi asked gently, looking at me with worry.
“Just a dizzy spell.” I forced out a smile.
“Come, sit here.” Shinkichi took my hand, leading
me to a sofa in the lobby.
“Yuuko, my child!” The Asian man stretched his arms towards me.
Shinkichi stepped forward swiftly, blocking his advance. “Please, sir! She isn’t well.” He then turned to a bellboy. “Excuse me, would you please get her a glass of water?”
“Sure.” The bellboy ran off.
Huang caught up with us. “What’s wrong, Princess Yuuko?”
“Just a dizzy spell, Uncle Huang,” I said, resting on the sofa with my eyes closed.
The bellboy returned. “Here you are, Miss.” He gave me a glass of cold water.
I had a couple of mouthfuls and felt a bit better.
Huang had turned his attention to Shinkichi. “Who is this young man?”
Seeing Huang lifted up his head to check on Shinkichi, I became nervous. Why didn’t I get Shinkichi to put on a business suit? Uncle Huang might be put off by his T-Shirt and jeans, I told myself off in silence.
Shinkichi bent a little as he was almost a head taller than Huang, putting his right hand out. “I’m Shinkichi Abe. How do you do, Mister Huang?”
“Shin-ki-chi? I’m Huang Xin, trustee of the Yuwen Estate and guardian of Princess Yuuko,” Huang said proudly, shaking hands with Shinkichi. “This is Ibin Gan, my son-in-law.” He introduced the middle-aged Asian man to us.
Ibin came forward, bent to take my hand and kissed it. “I’m the best friend of your late father, Yuuko.” He did not greet Shinkichi as if he did not see him.
I pulled my hand back immediately. Not pleased that he had ignored Shinkichi, I snapped at Ibin. “How did you know my father, Mister Gan?”
“I had known your father since college. When you were born, I was the first to hug you besides your immediate family.” Ibin smiled at me broadly.
For an unknown reason, his smile made me uncomfortable. I drank up the water in the glass to relax myself.
“How do you do, Mister Gan?” Shinkichi put his right hand out, standing tall and towering over Ibin, who was over a head shorter than him.
“Nice to meet you, Shin-ki-chi.” Ibin looked up, and forced a smile onto his plump face, sizing up Shinkichi with his small, cunning dark-brown eyes behind a pair of thick glasses. A total opposite to Shinkichi’s tanned skin and toned muscles, Ibin was pale, like a ghost coming out of a dark cave. The pure white suit that he was wearing, did not give him an aura of godliness but strangeness.
“You’ve got an American accent.” Shinkichi tried to break the ice.
“Ha-ha, ha-ha; he was born in America just like Princess Yuuko and her parents,” Huang said.
“What do you want to see me about, Uncle Huang?” I interrupted them.
“It’s about your eighteenth birthday,” Huang replied.
“What’s about my eighteenth birthday?”
“You’ll inherit the Yuwen Estate, ha-ha, ha-ha. Come, let’s talk about it in my room. Is your friend joining us?” Huang asked, but the expression in his eyes was saying ‘tell him to stay out of our business.’
“Yes, Shinkichi is joining us,” I said firmly, and gave my hand to Shinkichi.
CHAPTER 3
So, we went into the lift together, to a suite on the 10th floor which Huang and Ibin were sharing. After we sat down in arm chairs by the window, Huang took a large envelope out of his briefcase and handed it to me.
“This is your grandfather’s will.”
Gee, this is heavy, at least 50 pages, I thought. “Is he that grandfather you always mention?” I asked, my voice was emotionless.
“Don’t call him ‘that grandfather’, Princess Yuuko.” Huang’s voice had a hint of upset. “His Highness, the late Prince of Xianbei, is your biological grandfather. He was the best employer I’ve ever had.” He added, sounding loving and proud.
I suddenly realised that the ‘Princess’ which Huang always addressed me with, was a real imperial title, not a childhood nick-name.
“Xianbei is an ancient tribe in Russia’s far east. So Yuuko-chan is of Russian origin. Why was she given a Japanese first name?” Shinkichi questioned Huang.
“Shinkichi, everyone from Princess Yuuko’s family has a Japanese first name. To the best of my knowledge, the Yuwen clan left Russia for Japan hundreds of years ago. Many of them settled in Japan and adopted Japanese names, especially following the Meiji Restoration in the nineteenth century when surnames were chosen at will. However, the direct descendants of the Yuwen Imperial House haven’t changed their surname even though in reality that surname has nothing to do with the blood in their veins,” Huang explained.
“What does this mean?” I was becoming curious.
“Your ancestor had both Xianbei and Japanese women as wives. Sometimes only the Japanese wife bore a male heir. And, when no son was born, your ancestor crowned the Japanese son-in-law as a Prince of Xianbei to carry the surname forward. After assimilating with the Japanese for hundreds of years, is the blood in your veins Japanese or Xianbei?” Huang asked me.
“Eh…?” I was lost for words.
Pun, Pun; someone was knocking on the door.
Huang opened the door. It was Ibin. There had been no sight of him since we entered the suite.
“Sorry, Father. I went to get medicine for Yuuko’s dizzy spell. It took me a while to find a chemist.”
“Ha-ha, ha-ha, no problem at all.” Huang was as cheerful as usual.
“Oh, thank you very much, Mister Gan. My dizzy spell has gone. I don’t need any medicine,” I said.
“Babe, look at the view. Isn’t it breathtaking?” Shinkichi stood in front of the window, looking out.
I went to him. The suite had a 180-degree view of the Swan River and the surrounding area.
“I wish to live in a place like this,” I murmured, looking out through the window, too.
“I’ll work very hard and buy a place like this when we’re married.”
“Young man, I’ll decide who shall be the husband of Princess Yuuko.”
“Uncle Huang!” I yelled, and turned to Huang who stood in the centre of the room with a glass of water in his hand, but no smile on his face.
“Princess Yuuko, I’m your guardian. It’s my responsibility to choose the right man as your husband. I’m not sure if this young man is fit for the role of Prince of Xianbei.” Huang continued to voice his disapproval with harsh words.
“My children, would you like to have some cold water? It’s a very hot day today.” Ibin interrupted us at the right time.
“Thanks, Mister Gan.” Shinkichi and I took the glasses from him.
However, we did not drink any cold water, because I felt the dizzy spell again. We put the glasses on the coffee table and searched our bags for mint lollies but could not find any.
“Uncle Huang, I don’t feel very well. Can we talk about my birthday another day?” I put the will in my shoulder bag; and stood up, ready to go.
“Sure, give me a call when you feel better. We’re leaving after your birthday,” Huang said with disappointment in his voice.
“Okay, bye for now,” we said.
I felt relieved as soon as I stepped out of the hotel. The dizzy spell was gone with the wind. We got on a bus and got off at East Perth. All the way, Shinkichi was abnormally quiet and held my hand tightly.
“Shinkichi-san, I won’t let Uncle Huang choose a husband for me.”
“Thank you, babe.” Shinkichi kissed my hand.
As we were crossing the road, a car came down the hill towards us at the speed of light. Shinkichi pulled me off the road with such force that both of us fell to the kerb just before the car would have hit me. I cheated death with minor bruises on my legs and arms, but Shinkichi was in agony as if he was suffering from severe pain.
“Are you hurt?” I asked him.
“May be? My back hurts a lot.”
I helped him to sit up, then lifted up the back of his T-shirt. His back was blue and red. “Oh my god! How can it be so bad?”
“Because the one who said she’d be safe, fell on top of me.�
��
“Nfu, nfu…” Tears ran down my cheeks. “I’m very sorry, Shinkichi-san. Let me take you to a hospital straightaway,” I sobbed.
“No, I don’t need a doctor. Help me to get up, would you?” Shinkichi put his hands out to me.
I dried my tears with my sleeves and lent him my hands. He stood up and put one arm on my shoulder. I held his arm with one hand and my other hand went around his waist. We walked slowly up the hill towards Mrs Shilbury’s. As soon as we got inside the house, Mrs Shilbury put Shinkichi in bed lying on his stomach. She touched the area of his back, arms and legs like a doctor.
“Is it hurting here? How about there?” She asked Shinkichi.
“No, not hurting. It’s okay.” Shinkichi made out as if he was not in pain.
“Good, it doesn’t look like you’ve broken any bones, but you must see a doctor and have an X-ray anyway. I’ll call the doctor now.”
Mrs Shilbury went out, and returned within minutes; holding a tube of cream in her hand. “Yuko, you massage him with the bruise cream. Next time, don’t play on the road.” She gave a gentle tap on Shinkichi’s buttocks.
“Ouch… why did you hit me? I was trying to help. It’s not fair!” Shinkichi cried out aloud.
Mrs Shilbury ignored him and went out again, to the phone this time.
I sat on Shinkichi’s bed, gently massaging the bruise cream into the blue and red marks on his back. My tears dropped and mixed with the cream as I went.
“It’s okay, babe. It doesn’t hurt at all.” Shinkichi felt my tears and tried to comfort me.
“I know it hurts a lot,” I sobbed.
“No, it doesn’t, truly.” Shinkichi lifted himself up. “Oh, ouch!”
“Lie down and let me massage you.” I pushed him gently.
“I’ll lie down when you stop crying.” Shinkichi wiped the tears off my face with his fingers.
I had stopped crying, turned his pillow over, helped him to lie on his stomach again, and continued massaging his bruises. When his back was covered in bruise cream, I took out the will and read it to him.
