so glad you've awakened and you're safe. Please join me. Can I get you something to eat?" He helped her into a chair.
"No, thank you. I have to have all of my meals specially prepared."
"Oh, that's right. You have hypertension."
Shaundra sighed. She supposed that little bit of information will be written on her tombstone when she died.
"Please finish eating your meal. I just came by to thank you for saving my life."
"No thanks needed. I would have done the same for anyone," he said modestly.
"Yes, but you risked your own life to do so."
Keiichi went back to his seat. "I couldn't very well leave you to die. You needed to live."
"Thank you. I appreciate you saving me, looking after me and getting me safely to Tokyo."
"When did you wake up?" he asked.
"Several weeks ago. I didn't know where the heck I was or what had happened?"
He leaned forward. "How much of it do you remember?"
"I remember the earthquake but everything after that is a blank."
He leaned back in his seat. "Nothing else is important."
"I also remember that kiss," Shaundra replied.
Keiichi blushed. "I'm sorry for being so forward, but you were terrified and I thought it would calm you down."
"It did," Shaundra said with a smile. "Thank you." Of all the things to remember.
"So, did your family find you? I remember a young man coming here to find me a couple of months ago. He said he was your brother-in-law."
Shaundra nodded. "Satoshi. He's not really my brother-in- law. He's in a singing group with my husband, but he is a very dear friend of mine."
"You're married to a singer?" Keiichi asked.
"Yes, have you heard of a pop group named Aomori?"
"Are you kidding? Of course I've heard of them. Wait, you're married to Ichiro Yoshida?"
Shaundra nodded.
"No wonder I thought I recognized the young man who visited me. So is he the father?"
"Yes," Shaundra replied. "He's way too young for me, but yes."
"He's one lucky fellow," Keiichi replied.
"He knows that."
"So what are you doing in Osaka?"
"I live here," Shaundra said. "I had a doctor's appointment earlier and I thought I'd drop by and say thank you. I will always be grateful for what you did for me and Aomori." She paused. "What are you doing on Friday night?"
"I'm off," he answered. "Why?"
Shaundra opened her purse and pulled out two tickets. "I want you to be my guest at a private performance for Aomori.
It's a charity event for Japanese earthquake victims."
"No," I can't accept those," Keiichi said. "That's for your friends."
"You're my friend," Shaundra told him. "And it would mean the world to me if you accept."
"I don't have a tuxedo to wear to something like that,"
Keiichi said.
"You don't need one. A suit will do, and you'll get to meet Aomori and the rest of my friends. They will all want to meet you."
Keiichi finally accepted the tickets.
Shaundra rose. "I have to go."
Keiichi rose. And walked over to her.
Shaundra rose up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for my life and the life of my babies."
Keiichi wiped a tear from his eyes. "You are one special lady, Ms. Yoshida."
"Call me Shaundra. We're friends remember?"
Keiichi nodded. "Thanks for the tickets. My mother is going to be so excited."
"Your mother? You're not married?"
"No. I'm still waiting for the right woman," he confessed.
"Lucky girl," Shaundra replied. "You're one hell of a kisser." She smiled at him, bowed, and left the cafeteria.
Goro Niigata looked over at his motley group of singers remembering how they looked when he first recruited them as kids. Now they were all taller than him and the hottest group in Asia. He sighed. No father could be prouder. And what a handful of trouble.
Yori, the leader with the beautiful face and the arrogant ego of a God had gotten himself married to a pain-in-the-butt wife who couldn't control her spending but who loved Yori dearly.
Satoshi, the rock on which Aomori was built, used to be arrogant, flirtatious, and a bit of a ladies' man, but now he'd mellowed into one of the greatest piano men in the country.
Everyone always went to him with their problems, but he couldn't recall a time when Satoshi ever complained about anything. He didn't know if it was a good thing to keep all his concerns bottled up, but he figured sooner or later he'd find someone to confide in.
Takumijo, the dancing man had been trouble from the moment he'd been recruited. He had doubts about that one in the beginning. He'd been feisty