The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin Page 0,104
running away or bringing her trip to a graceful end?
‘That’s a good idea,’ said Haruka, shocking Fiona. ‘If you’d like I can ask Kaito to change the flights; he has a good friend at Japan Travel. You could go tomorrow instead of the day after.’
‘Er … um …’ The suggestion took the wind out of her sails for a moment but the more she thought about it, the better that idea was. She’d seen everything she wanted to, taken enough photos to mount ten exhibitions. Things with Gabe, no matter how else she wished it, weren’t going to change and it would be better for a swift amputation. Not seeing him again would make life so much easier. She’d gone into things knowing it was always going to be temporary, so there was no point prolonging things.
‘I’d like that.’ She had a good idea of which photos she wanted to enter into the exhibition and she could send them to Kaito from London. She just needed to retrieve her memory card from Gabe’s studio and print off the pictures for Haruka and Setsuko before Gabe got back.
***
When she came back from Gabe’s studio with the two albums clutched under her arms, she felt a sense of triumph. She’d pulled together a lovely selection, a real tribute to their kindness. The first picture in both albums was the one of the two women and their heart-to-heart in Ueno Park, then there were pictures of Haruka in the garden and Setsuko in the teashop as well as the staged shot of the three generations of women. She’d also included pictures of Mayu at the Robot Restaurant but also a more sedate one of a thoughtful young woman gazing up at the cherry blossom.
On impulse, she went up into the teashop rather than the house, drawn to take a few more pictures, hoping to capture the elusive mystery and magic of the place. There was a clatter as she stepped inside the room and Mayu whirled round clutching one of the caddies to her chest.
‘You frightened me,’ she said, ducking to pick up the lid she’d dropped.
‘Sorry … I just wanted to take some more …’ She indicated her camera. ‘What are you doing?’
Mayu’s eyes slid past her and it was almost comical to see the girl’s attempt to find an excuse. ‘Just tidying up, you know.’
The place was immaculate, as always.
‘Can I take a picture of you?’
The enthusiasm bounced right back. ‘Sure. What do you want?’
Fiona lifted her shoulders. ‘You suggest something.’
‘Me blending tea,’ said Mayu immediately. ‘I’ve watched Mama do it. She knows so much.’
They set up the shot, Fiona smiling at Mayu’s quick-fire explanations of what she was doing and why. In fact, the shots she took of Mayu preparing were far better than the posed ones at the end but she didn’t tell her that.
‘I’ve got some great stuff here, thanks.’
‘Cool.’
‘I love this place,’ said Fiona, giving it a fond look around. ‘There’s something …’
‘There is … but I don’t know what it is,’ the girl agreed before adding dreamily, ‘and one day it will be mine.’
Tears pricked Fiona’s eyes at the quiet pride in Mayu’s voice.
‘And one day I’ll be a master of tea like Jiji.’
‘I’m sure you will.’ Fiona gave her a swift hug. ‘And your grandmother will very proud of you.’
‘After I’ve been a dancer at the Robot Restaurant first, of course.’
‘Well naturally. But master of tea … that’s going to make her very happy.’
‘Yeah, just don’t tell her yet,’ and Mayu winked.
***
Fiona followed the sound of voices and found Setsuko and Haruka all of a twitter in the kitchen.
‘Kaito’s friend has found you a flight tomorrow morning. First class.’ Haruka beamed proudly.
‘Oh. Wow. That’s …’ Were they really that desperate to be rid of her? Her consternation must have shown because Setsuko patted her on the shoulder. ‘It was the only flight available with Japanese Airlines that he could get upgraded and he thought you would like that. We will be very sad to see you go.’
‘But you will come back to see us,’ said Haruka as if this was a fact rather than a request.
‘Th-thank you. I don’t know what to say.’ It was all so sudden but now that the offer was there, she was suddenly desperate to go home. Sleep in her own bed and eat toast and Marmite. She’d enjoyed exploring Japanese food and culture but she was dying for a cup of PG Tips, a digestive biscuit, central heating, and