I Will Love You Forever Pt. 2 Ch. 17

"Good morning! Did you rest well?"

"Yes, thank you," Kenji replied with a polite smile. Somehow the question felt too intimate to him each and every time she asked it. He finally understood why- it was something that he and Patricia asked each other every morning. Because of that, he didn't ask Mai how she slept then or in the past.

"I never properly thanked you for being so kind to me," Mai said. "I would like to thank you by buying your lunch."

"I only did what was right," Kenji replied, "But thank you for the offer. I am meeting my wife for lunch today and then we will go home together."

"She is coming here?" Mai asked trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"She is a student at the college working toward her undergraduate degree," Kenji replied. "I would like for you to meet her."

"Of course, what time is lunch?" Mai asked.

"She will be here by one o'clock. She is looking forward to meeting you,"

"I am looking forward to meeting her as well," Mai lied.

They parted ways to go to their assignments a moment later. Kenji excited about seeing Patricia, Mai wanting to get out of it.

****

Patricia felt like a schoolgirl going on her first date. While she knew many of the interns that Kenji worked with, this was the first time that she was meeting him as a doctor's wife. She looked through the closet and took out the light green dress that was Kenji's favorite. She sprayed a little perfume on her pulse points and took down her hair.

"You look very nice," Hana said when Patricia came down the stairs.

"Do you think so?" Patricia asked.

"You look pretty," Niko said looking up from his breakfast.

"I agree," Nick said, "are you ready to go?"

Patricia kissed the children goodbye and admonished them to be on their best behavior.

"Patricia, Abby is coming over to take Niko to school and then take us to do some grocery shopping, do you need anything?" Hana asked.

"I don't think so...well maybe some eggs and bacon, if you don't mind and don't let Marie con you into buying her candy or any other sweets and you, young lady; don't bother to ask."

"Yes mama," Marie mumbled.

Patricia could hardly focus on class, she was that excited. She quickly packed up her things and ran out of the classroom only stopping when she saw Isadora and Maeve.

"Look at you," Isadora said when she saw her. "Where are you off to all dressed up?"

"I'm meeting Kenji for lunch at the hospital," Patricia replied. "I wanted to look nice. But I'm glad that I ran into you. I was thinking of having a party over Thanksgiving break depending on Kenji's schedule. I'll keep you posted."

"Ok, but Patricia; you really do look nice," Maeve said.

They chatted for a few more minutes before Patricia hurried off.

"She's one lucky gal," Maeve commented as they watched her rush out of the front door.

****

Patricia made it to the cafeteria entrance with ten minutes to spare. She filled the time by looking at the menu that was hanging from the wall.

"Hello Kirei," Kenji said from behind her, "I am glad that you're here."

"Hi yourself," Patricia replied turning to face him.

Kenji looked her up and down in a way that made her tingle and smiled.

"You are wearing my favorite dress. Thank you."

"I didn't know what to wear so I chose this," Patricia replied.

"You are beautiful no matter what you wear," Kenji said touching her arm. "Let's get our lunch and find a table. I have invited Mai to join us so that you can meet her."

"Oh... ok," Patricia said not sure that she really wanted to meet the intern. She had a bad feeling about her but didn't know why. She had finally chalked it up to a silly insecurity on her part but now she wasn't so sure.

"I don't believe that she will stay long, her sister is coming for her and she needs to have everything done as do I."

"Ok," Patricia said. "So this is where you eat all of your meals."

"It is nowhere as delicious as the meals you make, but it fills the stomach," Kenji replied as he guided her through the line. "And in a few years, you will be eating the same food."

"That's assuming that I get accepted," Patricia said as she picked up what looked like a tuna fish sandwich.

"Of course you will," Kenji assured her as he picked up the same kind of sandwich as her.

Kenji paid for their food and headed toward an empty table. Patricia looked around the large room amazed at all the doctors and interns. A sense of excitement and nervousness filled her as she saw herself in the same room wearing the stethoscope that Kenji had given her around her neck and a white lab coat.

"Where's your friend?" she asked a few moments later.

"I don't know," Kenji replied. "She must have gotten busy."

***

Mai didn't want to meet Kenji's wife. In fact, she didn't want to know anything about her. She sighed and forced herself to go to the cafeteria. If she didn't, Kenji would ask what happened and what would she say?

She got to the cafeteria toward the end of the lunch break and looked around for Kenji. She spotted him across the room sitting with a black woman whom he appeared to know very well. Thinking that his wife hadn't shown up and the black woman was no more than an acquaintance, she walked boldly across the room to the table.

"Mai," Kenji said standing up, "please join us."

"I only have a moment, I am sorry that I missed meeting your wife."

"No you haven't," Kenji said. "Allow me to make the introductions. Mai Kabata, this is my wife Patricia. Kirei, this is Mai; the fellow intern that I told you about."

Mai was speechless. This was who Kenji called every morning and every night? This was who he never hung up without saying 'I love you 'to?

"Hello," Patricia said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Hello," Mai said softly still recovering from her shock. "It is nice to meet you. Your husband has been very kind to me."

"Will you join us?" Kenji asked, "We have a few moments left."

"No thank you, I need to pack up my things," Mai said and walked away.

Patricia watched Mai hurry away and wondered if Kenji was aware that the intern at the very least had a crush on him. She decided not to say anything. Their marriage had always been based on mutual love, trust and respect and it had to continue that way.

****

Mai rushed to her room and shut the door. She still couldn't believe that Kenji was married to... to one of them. How was that even possible? She wondered as she packed her bags. And there were children too. "Kirei" she muttered under her breath, "she is far from it."

Mai stopped to remind herself that it didn't matter who or what Patricia was- Kenji was married to her and he loved her. But she didn't understand it. How was that even possible? How and where would they have met? Jealousy raced through her veins as she realized that an inferior being had what she would never have if she married Shotaro.

She took a deep breath and made herself calm down so that she could think. She knew that the reasonable and right thing to do would be to leave it alone. She could also ask Kenji how he had managed to break away from tradition so that she could do the same. She would never marry an inferior, but she would be able to do as she wished.

She finished packing and returned to the conference room still undecided about what she was going to do. When she saw Kenji sitting in the front row, she was going to sit elsewhere. Instead, she took the seat next to his. Without being fully aware of it, Mai had just made her decision.

***

Patricia sat in the medical library with her books opened, but not looked at. She was examining her feelings about the female Japanese intern. Was her reaction because of insecurity? Kenji had been around many single women over the years and she had never reacted as she had but-none of the others had been Japanese. He had been interred with hundreds of Japanese women and she hadn't given it a thought so what was it about this woman that had her so on edge?

She tapped her fingers on the table and took a closer look at her reaction and the meeting. It was clear that the intern had been shocked. In fact, she didn't think that she and Kenji had been together, but that was understandable since Kenji obviously hadn't told the intern that she was black. Patricia picked up her pencil and began to absently draw abstract designs on her paper.

The longer she thought about it, the more Patricia came to believe that jealousy had nothing or very little to do with it. Mai Kabata was going to be trouble. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach. Since nothing had happened, she decided to let it go in the hopes that it would pass.

***

Two hours later, Kenji came for her in the library.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked kissing her cheek.

"I am if you are," she replied as she gathered her books.

"Did you get much studying done?" Kenji asked.

"Not really, I was thinking about some things-Kenji, will you do something for me?"

"Anything- what is it?"

"You know what? Never mind. Let's go home."

Kenji gave her a curious glance. Something was on her mind and he was going to find out what it was. If he had to guess, he would say that it had something to do with Mai. He was aware that Mai's interest in him was more personal than he was comfortable with and that's why he wanted her to meet Patricia. His hope was that Mai would see that he was very much in love with his wife and that it would end whatever it was that she was thinking. He decided to give it more time and if Mai still appeared to be too interested in him personally, he would talk to her.

As they left the building, they met Mai as she was going to her sister's car.

"Kenji! I am so sorry that I missed lunch with you and your wife. Perhaps we can try again sometime."

"Have a pleasant time with your family," Kenji said as he put his free arm around Patricia. "Please excuse us, our children are waiting for us at home."

Patricia listened to the exchange without comment noticing that while she was being talked about, Mai was talking around her. Kenji's response to Mai's statement told her that he was aware of the intern's interest in him. His response was a message to Mai that he wasn't interested in her in the same way. Now all that was left to do was to wait and see if she got the message.

****

By the end of 1951:

The city of Seoul is captured by the North Korean and Communist Chinese forces.

U.N. forces are forced to leave Inchon, Korea after a twelve hour attack.

The Commission in Internal Security and Individual Rights is created by President Truman.

Atomic testing begins in the Nevada desert.

Alfred Krupp and twenty-eight other German war criminals were freed.

Stalin states that the U.N. was becoming the weapon of aggressive war.

FBI director J. Edgar Hoover initiated a nationwide program designed to remove politically suspect people from their jobs.

The 22nd amendment which limits the term of a president to two terms of office is passed.

The 38th parallel which divides North and South Korea is crossed by U.N. forces.

Husband and wife Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are sentenced to death on charges of selling U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union.

The draft is extended until 1955 and the draft age is lowered to eighteen.

The first commercial color telecast took place. CBS transmitted a one hour special from New York.

An artificial heart is demonstrated by Professor Youngblood.

The last all-black military unit-the US 24th Infantry Regiment is deactivated.

The North Koreans gave the Allies a list containing the names of 3,100 POWs

The number of back yards shelters as protection against the A-bomb began to grow

Japan is restored to full sovereignty after the San Francisco Treaty is signed. The emperor is restored, but the parliamentary regime was installed. The Japanese military is emasculated.

The 'Cold War' begins.

***

Civil rights

A bill was passed in NYC prohibiting racism in city-assisted housing.

Racial segregation in restaurants is ruled illegal in Washington D.C.

A mob attempted to prevent a black family from moving into an all-white Cicero, Ill.

The George Washington Carver National Monument located in Joplin, Missouri becomes the first national park honoring an African American.

In Delaware, a suit was placed on the behalf of black children by Louis Redding. The children were not permitted to enroll in white public schools. A court ruled in favor of the suit, but the state appealed. The suit became part of the Brown vs. Board of Education suit of 1954.

In response to the mob murder of Willie Earle, South Carolina passed an anti-lynching law. Earle was dragged from jail and hung in retaliation for the death of a cabbie.

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