Tokyo Twins Chapter 27 - What in the hell is going on here?

a serialized online story



by Tommy Schmitz


Chapter 27 - What in the hell is going on here?

(Here is the link to Chapter 26.)


Katie and Susan O'Brien walked with their coach

and walked with confusion

from Gotokuji Station on the old Setagaya Line,

to where their coached had a home-stay arrangement

just three stations north of the gym.



An elderly couple welcomed them at the door,

a quiet, calm, half-smiling

man and woman in their late 70s

who offered Katie and Susan and their coach

the same tender presence and unconditional acceptance

they clearly had for each other.

They asked the three girls to be seated and

without query or comment

began bringing in steaming big bowls

of homemade soup and tempura and noodles

and salmon and rice and fresh ikura and pickles from Kyoto.



Katie and Susan and their coach hadn't noticed

until this moment how hungry they were.

And with bowing heads to the old couple,

and with gochisousamadeshita's of real gratitude

coming from all three,

they ate and enjoyed without speaking another word.



After dinner the girls cleared the table

and began the washing up,

and insisted the old couple sit down

and enjoy cups of hot green tea.



But the woman left the room and shortly returned

to pull Katie and Susan by the hands

to a huge hot bath she had awaiting them.



And now the girls sat tiredly and alone

on futons in candle light in a bedroom on the second floor

and pulled goose-down blankets over their shoulders and arms

and over their blue flannel jammies,

and exhaled glowing motions of condensation

through their teeth that chattered

on this unseasonably cold night

for Tokyo in spring.



"Are we nervous, Katie, or are we cold? said Susan.

"Too much of both, I think, right now." Katie said.



Today, the girls reflected,

was at once, the best of days,

and one of the worst as well.



"Welcome to our new life, Katie."

"What?" Katie said.

"Everything's the same

and everything is different.

And nothing of either

feels real any more." said Susan.



"It's like somebody just comes along

without our permission

and dumps a new batch of flavor and ingredients

into stew pots we've been tending to

each and every day of our lives."



"No fair." said Susan.



"And there is no removing

this stupid new flavor." Katie said.



"There is one thing we can do." Susan said.

"What's that?" said Katie.

"We can do well on Wednesday, at the national trials." Susan said.

"Yep, you know it. I really want to do well.

And maybe more so right now

with all this crap going on." Katie said.



"Yeah, me too. I want it even more right now." said Susan.

"Even if it doesn't make us feel any better." she added.

"Yeah. I never thought of that." said Katie.

"Just don't anybody talk to me

about Tuesday night in Kashmir." Susan said.

"Right."

I can't make myself... even imagine

thinking about that." said Susan.


"Hmmm. Yeah." Katie said.

"But I do wonder," Susan paused

and added with a tiny sneer of a smile,

"what our father would have to say

about all this?"

Katie recognized her cue

and sneared the smile back,

then coughed a moment to clear her voice box,

and sat up straight and pulled her chin down

close to her chest,

and in mock formality,

and low pitched voice

Katie put forth loudly, and in perfect English

her father's favorite phrase,

now famous and spoken with ease

among neighbors and local merchants,

among the milk and mail carriers,

and even more among their Tokyo middle school piers:


"what in the hell is going on here?"

"Oh!" Katie muffled her hand across her mouth, still talking:

"I said that too loud." The girls busted out laughing.

"Wait a sec, Katie. You hear that?" said Susan.

"What."

"There's someone at the window!" Susan said.

"It's Satchitananda-san!" Katie said.

"Wait! Shhh" said Susan. "There's someone also knocking

on our door."

"Yes, is that you, Sensei?" Katie said.

"Yes." the coach responded.

"Um, we're meditating, Sensei?

Could you please give us about ten more minutes?

"We're what?" whispered Susan.

"Shhh."

"Ten minutes, girls. Then we need to talk."

"Okay, Sensei!" Katie said, and motioned her head to Susan
in the direction of the window. "Let's get him inside."


(End of Chapter 27 - What the hell is going on here.)
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