Ozoni and Onsens

by S. J. Pajonas

  “No.”

  Not even a thank you. She was a tough crowd.

  I walked around the store, browsing the fast and easy foods I had given up since meeting Yasahiro, the slow food haute cuisine boyfriend that he was. It never stopped me from craving my favorite salt and seaweed potato chips or chocolate covered almonds, though. I had no time to pick up a chicken curry ramen bowl, but an egg salad sandwich was a good idea. A tuna rice ball and green tea for Nahoko went into my basket as well.

  The cashier rung me up and bowed as I returned to Nahoko.

  “Come! We can eat in the car with the heat blasting, and you can tell me where we’re off to first.” I smiled and walked out the door, like any mother of small children would, thinking they’d follow.

  “Wait! Mei-san, is it?” she called out from behind me.

  I paused at the sliding doors.

  “Can you carry these bags? They’re too heavy for me.”

  I blew out a relieved breath and turned around to face her.

  “Of course. Let’s get these in the car so we can be on our way.”

  Chapter Seven

  Our first stop was a saké brewery and distributor. The monstrous building took up half the block, dark wood outer walls looming over the streets and a giant cedar ball hanging in the doorway. The inside was lit with Christmas lights and music played outside the front door.

  “What a beautiful building,” I said, leaning forward over the steering wheel to peer out the front windshield. I parked Yasahiro’s car in an empty spot in the lot. Oh, I adored shopping! Though I didn’t shop often with my lack of funds, I still loved when I brought home something fresh and new. There was bound to be a gift here for Mom. She loved saké.

  Nahoko barely looked at me, her arms folded over her purse in her lap. “I’ll get out here. You should stay in the car.” She unlocked the doors and let herself out.

  “Wait!” I lunged sideways hoping to catch her attention. She slammed the door and walked away.

  “You should stay in the car,” I mumbled, mocking her stern attitude. Sheesh. When Andrew said she was a tough crowd, I didn’t think she would be this bad. Usually people warmed up to me pretty quickly. My mom had taught me good manners, and I always put on a smile, even when things were horrible.

  It wasn’t me, it was her.

  Turning off Yasahiro’s car, I sat in the wintry silence. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel while the warm air vanished from the car. Had Yasahiro texted me yet? Nope. My messages app was absent any notifications. He was probably deep into frying up shrimp or something else, talking with his friends, and having fun while I was sitting in the car like a chauffeur.

  Whatever, lady. I wasn’t going to sit in the car waiting for her. My mom and I loved saké. I would head inside to see if I could find anything worth buying for myself.

  When the doors to the brewery slid open, I brightened at the sheer enormity of the place. Shelves of saké, shochu, and other liquors lined the floor space, and I grinned, wondering what treasures I would find here.

  I snaked up and down the rows, reading labels and checking prices, while the warm air soaked into my coat and body.

  “I told you to stay in the car,” Nahoko said, approaching me with two bottles of saké in her arms. A weary young man followed behind her, his arms laden with more bottles.

  “Well, my mom and I love saké, and I thought I’d bring a bottle home to her as a New Year’s gift.” It was bad enough I wasn’t there with her for the holiday. I should return home with booze to smooth things over.

  I looked past Nahoko and smiled at the young man, radiating sympathy towards him. With his dark-rimmed eyes and crazed hair, he was someone who’d had his fill of the holiday season.

  “Oh no,” Nahoko chided me, “don’t you dare steal my salesman. I have four more bottles to buy.”

  I raised my hands. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t about to steal him.” I moved past her to the young man. “I can take these to the register for you. That way, you can help her with the last few bottles she needs.”

  He sighed in relief, his shoulders dropping. “Thank you so much.”

  I took the bottles from him and smiled at Nahoko as I shuffled past her. She narrowed her eyes at me, watching me all the way to the cash register, making sure I didn’t do anything with her bottles. I set them to the side and then went to browse for myself.

  “Don’t leave my bottles unattended!” Nahoko yelled across the store.

  I halted in my tracks and returned to the register to wait. Really, was it too much to ask for a “please?”

  I waited close to the counter, looking up and down the aisles from my spot. I wanted to pick up two bottles of a dry saké, something that would go nice with winter hot pots full of vegetables, mushrooms, and fish.

  Now that I was dating Yasahiro, I thought more about food and how to pair it with what to drink. This was one of his favorite things to do, pair a beer or saké with a specific dish. I imagined us back in his apartment at home, standing in the kitchen, laughing and drinking while soup bubbled away on the stove. I hoped January would bring us closer together since the last month had not gone well. We hadn’t spent enough time together in December, but January would be free of obligations and travel. And since I was practically living at his place, we could spend the cold winter nights in bed.

  I drifted off in thought, remembering his warm skin against mine, the lightness of his touch, and his kiss drifting down my cleavage…

  “What are you over here smiling about?” Nahoko jumped into my daydream, knocking me out of my dirty thoughts and straight back into the brewery.

  “Nothing,” I said, clearing my throat. “Are you finished?”

  “Don’t be rude. I’ll be done when I’m done.” She frowned at me, and I took a step away from her hostility. “Yes. I’m done.”

  Well, all she had to do was say she was finished, not give me a lecture. Did she think I was a child?

  I drew in a deep breath. Don’t be snippy, Mei. I had to remember that she wasn’t my mother, and I was only helping out. I could put up with her attitude for a few more hours.

  “Okay. While he’s ringing you up, I’ll grab my bottles of saké.”

  I turned to walk away, but she interrupted me.

  “You’re going to leave me here with all of these bottles?” Her voice rose in astonishment.

  She was testing me, I knew it. I wondered if she did this with everyone. Was she intentionally rude to see how far she could push me? I suspected most people gave her what she wanted.

  Not me.

  “Seeing as you asked me to wait in the car in the first place, I’m sure you can handle paying for the saké on your own. I’ll pick out my two bottles, pay, and then I’ll help you carry your saké to the car.”

  I walked away before she could argue with me anymore. It was best to cut her off before she got into it any further.

  Browsing up and down the aisles, I found two dry saké varieties from Iwate prefecture. Both seemed like good choices, and I couldn’t wait to show them to Yasahiro. It was silly but their well-designed labels and pretty bottles appealed to me. I was sure he would like them too.

  On my way back to the front of the store, I grabbed one more bottle for the evening. This one would be for just the two of us.

  “I thought you were only going to buy two bottles,” she said, as I paid the young man at the counter.

  “I changed my mind. They all look delicious, and I wanted something extra for tonight.”

  She harrumphed, grabbing two bags of saké and leaving the rest for me. “Don’t take too long.” She headed for the door without saying anything else.

  I fished through my pocket for Yasahiro’s keys, clicked the remote start button, and unlocked the car doors. At least she could let herself in and sit in the warmth until I got there.

  “She’s my toughest customer,” the young man whispered at me. “She knows what she wants, when she wants it, and if we don’t have it,
she gets upset. I once had to drive fifty kilometers to retrieve a special bottle for her. I missed my girlfriend’s holiday party.” He sighed wearily as he hefted the boxes under his arms.

  “Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

  Chapter Eight

  Our second stop of the day was at a grocery distributor off the main strip. I fell in love with the cheery storefront and happy customers leaving as we pulled into the parking lot. This was the holiday cheer that had been missing from my life recently.

  “What are you picking up here?” I asked, parking the car.

  Nahoko opened the car door. “Citrus gift boxes,” she said with a sigh. “Are you going to stay here or are you going to come in with me this time?”

  I chewed on my lip, thinking over my options. I could stay in the car, return email, surf the web, or write to Yasahiro, or go inside and look for more New Year’s gifts for my family and friends. If this place was good enough for Nahoko, who appeared to have rigorous standards, I was sure I would find something that’d be nice for my mom or Yasahiro.

  I also wanted to help Nahoko, but I didn’t want to annoy her. And it seemed like I did nothing but annoy her.

  I was grasping for any excuse to go into the store with her, obviously.

  “I’ll come with you.” I turned off the car and came around to the passenger side to help her out. She refused to take my hand, so I helped her up by the crook of her arm.

  “I can get out of the car on my own, you know. I’m not some invalid.” Just the sound of her voice was grating on me.

  I flashed back to Hiromi and Andrew’s faces when I volunteered myself into this fresh hell. I should’ve learned to read people better.

  “I didn’t say you were an invalid. I’m just trying to be nice, which you don’t seem to appreciate.” My heart raced at my bold words, but I knew it was a mistake immediately.

  She threw my hand off her arm. “You don’t get to tell me what I can or can’t appreciate. You’re a very presuming young lady. It’s no wonder you’re not married.” She twirled around as best as an old lady could and huffed off into the store.

  “Great job, Mei,” I mumbled to myself. I was doing a horrible job of making friends with her. I needed to find some common ground or this would end badly.

  I threw back my shoulders and lifted my head, determined to get in there and make the most of this awful situation. Remember, Mei. You got yourself into this in the first place.

  The inside of the store was warmer than outside but still chilly enough to keep the fruits and vegetables fresh for customers. I steeled myself as I approached Nahoko, chatting amiably with the store’s owner as he stacked boxes for her at the cash register. He bowed and held up one finger to show he’d help me after he finished with her.

  “It’s all right. I’m here to help Nahoko-san.”

  “My daughter was unable to be here with me today, so she sent this ungrateful woman in her place. She has done nothing but bug me for the past hour.” Nahoko’s eyes remained firm as she stared me down, challenging me to speak out against her.

  I wanted to tell her to take the bus home, but I promised I would do what I could. Why was she so mean? I didn’t understand how anyone could go through life being this sour. But I wasn’t one to break my promise, even when I was being treated this poorly. One more outburst from her, though, and I was returning to the car to be on my own in blessed silence.

  “I’m sure this young lady is doing everything she can to help you out,” the man said, and I cheered silently for him. If Nahoko was a regular customer here, he understood my predicament, most likely.

  “Are these the citrus gift boxes you’re going to buy?” I stood on my tiptoes to peer into the top box. Beautifully symmetrical and round, each variety of citrus fruit was nestled into white and gold straw, the boxes wrapped in a red ribbon. “Ah! These are beautiful! I’m sure they’ll make great gifts for your family and friends.”

  The shop owner swelled with pride. “Thank you so much. We’re very pleased with this year’s varieties. Would you like to buy one for yourself?”

  Nahoko stepped between us. “You ring me up first, and then you can help her.” I rolled my eyes at Nahoko behind her back, and the shopkeeper smiled at me.

  “Of course, I’ll help you first.” He maneuvered around to the other side of the cash register. “In the meantime, please have a look at the boxes and see if anything strikes you as suitable.”

  I glanced at the price tags on Nahoko’s boxes as I pushed them towards her. Yikes. They were three times more expensive than I expected them to be.

  “Oh, on second thought, I’ll have to skip them this year, though they’re very beautiful. I’m afraid I was stupid and spent my budget for gifts too swiftly.” My mom always taught me that when I was in a pinch and a burden on someone else, I should blame the problems on myself. I didn’t have to feel ashamed, but I should make an appearance of taking the blame so as not to embarrass the other person. It was something I did naturally that drove Yasahiro crazy, but it was a hard habit to break.

  “Stupid, huh? I don’t find that surprising at all.”

  Oof, it felt like a dagger to the heart. Just because I said I was stupid didn’t mean other people could call me that. But maybe I was stupid? How did someone like me with an education and a good, solid upbringing lose her job over and over? My bad luck was due to my foolishness, right?

  My face fell into a deep frown, all the holiday cheer leached from me in one swift statement.

  “You don’t even know me,” I whispered, unable to raise my voice any higher. Sickness roiled in my gut, a storm churning and threatening to take away any semblance of happiness I had left. “I’ll be in the car.”

  The store was a blur as I made for the door, trying to walk as fast as possible without losing my cool in front of anyone else. I splashed through slush and snow as I approached the car, stopping to look at my reflection in the car window.

  Wait. I was a good person. Sure, I wasn’t the smartest person around, nor was I the prettiest or the fastest or most talented or whatever. I was mediocre in so many ways. But I prided myself on being resourceful when I needed to be, being kind when all else failed, or being helpful when it mattered most.

  If I couldn’t win this woman over, how was I going to make this whole senior-center tea shop work? I wouldn’t just be catering to people I already knew. I would meet new people who didn’t trust me but needed to, just like Nahoko.

  I got in the car and started it up, turning the heat on full blast, and reclining my seat to rest. Light from the parking lot overhead lamps shined down on me, highlighting the dusting of new snow swirling through the air.

  In my pocket, my phone buzzed.

  “How are you? I’m a little worried I haven’t heard from you in over an hour,” Yasahiro wrote.

  “I’m okay. Hiromi’s mom is worse than I expected though. She’s not very nice.”

  He texted a frowning face and then, “Come back to me. I miss you. I’m done in the kitchen and I thought we’d spend an hour together before dinner.”

  I was so tempted to just leave. Nahoko had burned through all my good will, and I wanted to spend time with someone who loved me and cared for me, someone who would make me happy, not annoyed and angry.

  I groaned as I thought about poor Hiromi, weighed down with cooking and entertaining. The guests at the guesthouse had probably returned from their outings and were enjoying the hot baths. Even if Hiromi wasn’t busy in the kitchen, she’d be busy doing the other things her usual but absent staff members would handle.

  Staring down at Yasahiro’s text, I knew what I had to do.

  “She has one more place she needs to go and then I can come back. I’ll make it quick. Save a spot for me in the hot bath.”

  He texted, “I’m not getting in without you. I’ll wait for you at the front door.” Heart emoji.

  I smiled at the text and turned off the phone before I got teary eyed. He was too good to me.

/>   Tap tap tap at the window. And there went my good cheer.

  “Are you going to get out and help me with this?” Nahoko’s voice rang through the car.

  That was it! I’d had it with her poor attitude. I popped the trunk and jumped out of the warm car.

  “You don’t get any more help from me unless you say please or thank you,” I said, and her face closed up. “I came out here today to help you out of the goodness of my heart. I did not come here to be abused by you.”

  She adjusted the handkerchief on her head and opened her mouth, but I held up my hand. I was tired of her excuses for being rude.

  I circled around the car, took her bags, and added them to the bags in the back seat, saying nothing. The man who assisted us inside came out with two more bags and I had him put them in the trunk. He said goodbye to Nahoko, and I got in the car and waited for her.

  “Now,” I said, buckling my seatbelt. “You have one more place to go? Let’s get there and be done with this. My boyfriend is waiting for me at Yoshitomo. This is my first vacation in five years, and you are not going to ruin it.”

  “Fine. I need to go to the stationery store, and then we can be done.”

  Done couldn’t come soon enough.

  I started the car with a flick of my wrist and got us under way.

  Chapter Nine

  The stationery store was on the opposite side of town from Yoshitomo. Of course. I had never felt so far away from my goals or my peace. It was as if I had been driving in circles all day, only for my destination to be always out of reach. Like one of those nightmares you can’t wake up from where you walk the halls of your high school for hours and never find your homeroom.

  Only I was awake, and this torture was of my own doing. First, I got us kicked out of our hotel. Then I volunteered to clean instead of relax, and now I’m chauffeuring the most bitter woman I’ve ever met.

  I found a parking spot on the street outside of the store and parallel parked in one try. Why wasn’t anyone ever around to witness it when I did that?