The Contract Ch. 08

I noticed that many of the other women at the cultural center started to smile and flirt with me, even more than before. When I talked to Ran, she informed me that Motoko had gone silent this week in the bath. We figured that the ladies were starting to sense the end of our courtship. I felt like I was lost lamb being circled by the wolves. This was almost worst than Motoko talking about our sex life.

On Thursday, I went into Morton Packaging to give Richard the Tai-Chi short form certification. While I was there, I stopped by Motoko's desk. Motoko and I went to the cafeteria, and gave her the itinerary for the trip. I had to hold her hand on the way back to her desk, it felt like she floated back to her desk in a daze.

That afternoon, Motoko called and made sure that I was coming over after my evening classes, promising a special meal that night it I came to her apartment.

That night, Motoko greeted me at the door covered in nothing but whipped cream. I loved every bit of my meal that night.

In all, it was a quiet week. Motoko and I were back as an item. Ran continued to train and sweet talk me. Rose kept her distance, and stayed with Sherri.

On Friday, I finished my anger management requirements, and could go back to Morton Packaging before Christmas. I completed my yellow belt in Jujitsu, and had already performed the Tai Chi short form to the satisfaction of the instructor. Once again, I went to Morton Packaging. I took the Jujitsu documentation and placed it in Richard's hands to get my job back. We agreed to announce my comeback at the Christmas party next week.

In addition to Jujitsu, I had learned Katakana, the basic alphabet for Japanese. I was now able to phonetically say words on the signs around the Cultural Center. Each sign had the name in English, in Katakana, and in the Kanji word symbols. I had learned a few phrases from coming to the Dojo, but not much. I also had some training in Kyudo, Japanese archery.

I threw myself into finishing the gifts. I wanted to have something done before Rose came back. Three days, and four firings later, I was finishing the plates, smoothing out edges and giving a satin edge finish with my belt sander. On Monday, December 18th, the place settings were complete. I called Tonya, and I tried to arrange a meeting with her. It was exam week, and she had Tuesday afternoon off.

It was exam week? It had been nine weeks since midterm exams, the week my life imploded. A lot had happened in nine weeks, and my life was getting back on track. Sexually, I had done more and had the greatest sex in my life. Monetarily, I owned everything I had, without a mortgage. I had roughly eighty thousand still left over, half of which was now in the stock market. Rose came up with twelve thousand dollars, so I also had a loan to her for an additional twelve thousand, but that was due in three years. The severance bonus was gone, but I was going to start getting my normal salary in four weeks. This would continue until I had used up all of my vacation time and sick leave, which was in mid April. Things were looking good.

***** Tuesday 12/19/2006 *****

I set up a meeting with Tonya at two. It may have been the yuletide spirit, but I was feeling generous, so I borrowed Rose's van and went to the pawn shop. I paid for Tonya's big screen TV, and showed up at my old house to a very grateful Tonya. We unloaded it and she served me some ice tea.

"Paul, I'm sorry. I should have started our family, just like you wanted. I am prepared to hand in my resignation as soon as I get pregnant, and become a stay at home mother, if you will have me back."

My god! Hell had just frozen over! I wasn't ready for this.

"Tonya, I have moved on. It's too late."

"It's that Motoko girl isn't it?"

I shook my head. "It was you putting your career in front of family. You had five years, and you chose your career over us starting a family."

"But, Paul. I've learned. I will put our family first."

"Tonya, I was also wrong. I fell in love and married a dancer. You need to dance. That will never change."

"But Paul..."

"Tonya, I tried to make you change for me, and I don't want to do that again. I want a woman who wants to be that stay at home mother, and dreams about doing that. You saw Motoko and her domestic side, I'm not sure that Motoko is the one, but I know she will gladly give up her career as an area associate at Morton in a heartbeat. I believe that even Rose is a better candidate for me than you were, because she cares about the success in the glassmaking career a lot more that more than you cared about my career at Morton Packaging as a contract negotiator. There may have been a chance for us at one time, but not any more. When I look at you now, I do not see any compassion emanating from you towards me. I see a self centered woman who I can never trust again."

Tears started streaming down Tonya's face. "So, there is no chance?"

"None."

Tonya openly started crying, "I've lost everyone, Paul. My mother and father found out, and they have disowned me. Ben won't go out with me. He took me to dinner last week, but he only talked about the marching band and drill team. I dated a two other men, but they went out on one date and never called back. I don't know what to do."

"Dance for him."

"What?"

"I told you, you are a dancer. I fell in love with your dancing. Dance for him."

"You don't understand. Benl has completely shut me off."

Tonya, ask Ben to come here for dinner, at your house. Tell him that you have made up a drill team routine, and then dance for him."

"Ok, I can do that. I could do that at school even."

"Yes, you could. But you shouldn't do anything very seductive at school."

Tonya pondered the situation, and then she grinned. I had seen this grin before. She liked the scheme, and she knew she could seduce Ben, and call it her job as a drill team instructor. I started feeling sorry for Ben, and what I was about to unleash on him. I gave her another push, but just to make it a level playing field for Ben.

"Do you want to come to my Christmas Eve Eve party on Saturday? Ben will be there."

"Eve Eve?"

"Yes, it's on the 23rd, so it's on the Eve of Christmas Eve. Ben is bringing his band, and they are playing an acoustic set. Ben is playing upright bass. It starts a seven." "Sure."

I left my old home, and was feeling better about myself. Tonya had thrown herself back at me, and I had rejected her. I was over her, and ready to embrace being single. I would have to tell Ben that hell had frozen over, because Tonya had finally apologized. Tonya would be his problem, from now on. Little by little, I was gaining control over my life, and feeling better about it every day.

***** After Paul left *****

Tonya went up to her bedroom, and walked into her dressing area. She started stripping off her clothes, and stared at the images in the two full length mirrors. In the last nine weeks, she had been alone, and ate. The last two weeks, after finding out she was broke, she starved. It was taking a toll on her body. She knew that she was now sixteen pounds heavier than when she was a modern dancer. This made Tonya two pounds under normal weight.

She still knew that she would have to lose weight, and it would take time to do that. Valentines Day was less than eight weeks away, and there was no way that she could lose sixteen pounds by then. It took hours of training each day to keep her body in shape for modern dance, and she knew that two hours a day wouldn't even come close to getting her back to where she was.

She was no longer sporting well defined abdominal muscles. Her body core was still in shape, but she now had almost normal amount of fat on her body. Her pert breasts that fit nicely into a AA bra were now bulging out and filling a B cup. She didn't dare turn around and look at her thighs. She was now normal weight, and that hideous to her.

She looked over at the DVD's that Paul had bought her. Striptease 101, The Art of Exotic Dancing, Pole Workout! She looked back at herself again. She was now thirty two years old, who was she kidding! She grabbed her belly and pinched a half inch of fat. When she let go, it jiggled.

She did it again. Once again, her belly jiggled.

She shimmied her hips, and watched her belly jiggle. Then she shimmied her shoulders, and watched her breasts erupt.

"So, Ben wants the marching band to do "Scheherazade" by Rimsey-Korsakov. We can have a business meeting, and I'll show him my moves."

It was four PM. There was not much time. She went to her computer and checked for belly dance shops in Little Rock, which were ninety minutes away. She called and found out that one stayed open until six.

On the way down, she thought about how much she hated Paul for having her take back over six hundred dollars worth of clothes. She now had six hundred dollars credit available on her credit card. It may be frivolous, but she was going to go full out to get Ben back. She was still ticked off a Paul, but she knew she had brought this all down on herself. Paul might have just given her a crack to crawl through.

Tonya hit the shop and looked at the quality of the initial wraps and dismissed them. A thirty dollar hip scarf would fall apart after a wearing or two. She didn't want the thin coins that more for show, but actual brass coins that made a good jingling sound. She knew the beating that a good costume would take in modern dance, and she started asking about durability of the knotting of the coins. Once the owner saw Tonya's eye for quality, the good stuff was put out. Tonya spent four hundred on her outfit, and an extra sixty on videos.

When she got home, Tonya put in the first DVD and started watching. With a degree in modern dance, Tonya knew she could pick up the moves, and choreograph a routine in no time. She was going to fight for Ben, and put her heart on the line.

***** Wednesday 12/20/2006 *****

Because of the "Welcome Back Rose' party at noon, I had to skip the Calligraphy class. I asked Ran to meet me in the dining hall. I presented Ran with my 'Thank You' gift for private instruction in Kyudo and Calligraphy.

Ran was in awe of the plates. She looked at the design, and noticed that it included the Himaki family crest. There are thousands family crests, which include simple designs, such as the three diamonds of the Mistubishi clan, to very ornate flowers, like the Chrysanthemum blossom of the Imperial house. The Himaki crest was a sun and waves. I believe that it depicted a sunrise.

"Where did you order these plates from, these would be awesome to sell in our store. Did you know that this symbol is the Himaki kamon? That's our family crest."

"I made them. It's my 'Thank You' gift to you, for training me in Kyudo and Calligraphy."

"You made these?" Ran picked up another plate and looked for flaws. Each plate had been executed and finished out with professional care.

"Yes, I was very pleased with the bubbles in the surf. Bubbles in art glass are unpredictable."

"B..B..But these are not using western rules of aesthetics."

"Are you referring to the rule of thirds?"

"Yes."

"Ran, I do have a degree in graphic design. Asian Art does tend to use a 30%-70% rule for balance instead of the rule of thirds. I felt that I should use Asian aesthetics for these pieces."

"And the color palette, this is one of the color palettes..."

I joined in with her. "... used in kimono design." I smiled, "it's a spring color scheme, I believe."

"This was from your workshop?"

"Yes."

"Paul, wait here." Ran got up and walked towards the Pharmacy.

I was impressed with her eye for what I did. She knew enough to critique my work, and knew that I had researched not only design factors, but color factors. She returned with a package.

"Here, this is your Christmas present."

I opened the present and found a sweater. It was wonderful, and when I checked for a label, there was one with "Ran's Custom Creations" on it. Ran had hand knitted this for me. I put it on, and it was a perfect fit. "How did you know what size to make this, the sleeves are perfect."

"You didn't think all those measurements that I took for Kyudo were just for uniform, did you?"

I did remember getting measured, and asking questions about measuring the arm length. That meant that Ran had started this sweater over six weeks ago. This was a very fine yarn, so this had taken Ran many hours to complete. This showed me how committed Ran was to a relationship with me.

I looked up at Ran. "You put a lot of hours into this. I can see that you care about me very much."

"Well, I can't show you how much I am interested in you the way Motoko does, but I can still show you how committed I am, without giving up my virtue. You could wear that on Saturday at your party, and Motoko would have no clue it was from me." Ran gave me a wink.

Arrgh! Women and their games! She wanted me to snub Motoko without her knowing it. "Ran, I cannot do that. It would not be fair to Motoko. You gave me up and I expect my relationship with Motoko to run its course before starting anything with you. I am committed to a monogamous and faithful relationship with her, and I am deciding if I want to ask Motoko to be my wife, I will tell Motoko that you made this for me, and I will wear it, just as I showed her the plates that I made for you. Tell, me, would you actually want me as a husband if I did such an underhanded thing as secretly wearing another woman's hand knit sweater in front of you?"

Ran looked back at me with some anger. "She knows you gave these plates to me? You told her?"

"Of course, she knows. You are my private instructor, and I also made a piece for Mr. Sato, my Jujitsu instructor. You taught Japanese cooking to Motoko, and she thought it was a great gift for a cook. I am open and honest with Motoko. I have told her about eating lunch with you."

Ran flared her eyes at me. "What did you get her, may I ask?"

"A weeks vacation in Florida, Fort Walton Beach, Disney, Sea World, and a swim with the manatees in Crystal River. I am using this to find out more about Motoko. I am courting her, after all. I've been out of work for eight weeks, but I have been working hard to get my life straightened up. I want a vacation, with my possible life partner. Tell me Ran, even if we were an item right now, do you think your father would approve of me taking you."

Ran shook her head, "I guess Motoko is a better fit for you that I would be right now. I knew Motoko and you had made up. She is talking in the bath again. I wonder why she hasn't mentioned the trip to anyone."

"I am not sure, but you were right about her using her body to win me over. I still have trust issues with her, and I didn't expect that. If I didn't, this would have been a honeymoon."

Ran stiffened up. "Maybe that's why she was so silent about things. She probably knows that this could have been her honeymoon. She did say she was working on a new dish to feed you. A German dish, I think."

I was amazed at how much Ran picked up from the bath. I wondered how much Ran had revealed about me to others. I guessed that Ran would never have talked about our sex life the way Motoko did. "Beef Stroganoff. My mother taught her how to make it."

Ran stared at me with her jaw quivering. A tear ran down her face. "You're Mother's recipe?"

"Tell me Ran, If we were courting for six to eight weeks, would you expect me to introduce you to my mother?"

Ran took a napkin and blotted her tears. She nodded. "You're right. I just didn't think you would take Motoko so seriously. God, I am such a fool!"

"I want to remind you that this relationship was your idea, Ran. I told you that I was going to cut her off, but you pushed me into her arms. You have to let this relationship run its course."

"I know, but..."

"I don't want to play games Ran. I have trust issues with both of you and Motoko. You pushing me into Motoko arms tells me that I was just a game for you. You making this sweater tells me that you are serious. But, Ran, my life is not a game to me. You have committed a lot of time to me, and your father knows it. He is out in the garden right now as we speak, and can tell that you are irritated with me. Don't even try to look. You just need to know that you're not the only one who keeps tabs on others. Like I said, I have trust issues with Motoko, and I do see changes in her. I am trying to be patient with her, and it may be that I am the one that has a problem. After all, my wife cheated on me in my marriage, and I may be the one who has to learn to trust again, not Motoko. At this point, Ran, I have to treat you as my friend, and Motoko as my future wife."

"OK, Paul. I'm sorry."

We sat for a while. Ran started crying. "How did this happen? This is the most personal and precious gift that I have ever received from a man, and I end up getting angry at him."

"Ran, I know that you put a lot of time into this sweater. I also expected this to be a lot more joyful exchange of gifts. We can end this on a positive note. I know you like history, Ran. I know that your crest is an ocean scene of a sunrise. Can you tell me the history of the Himaki clan, and how it came to live in Arkansas?"

Ran nodded, once again, wiped the tears from her face, and began. "The Himaki family has always served the emperor of Japan as Naval Commanders and as Imperial Astrologers. It is said that the Himaki clan is a desendant of Abe No Semei's daughter Ritsuka. I even have the tail to prove it.

"A tail?"

"Well........ Sort of. My coccyx, or tailbone, is not fused to my pelvis. I can wiggle it, a little. It's a Himaki trait."

"What's this about a tail, and what does it have to do with the Abe guy?"

"That Abe guy? You've never heard of Abe No Semei?"

I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders.

"Think of a cross between Merlin and Nostradamus. He was believed to be half Kitsune, which is a fox creature who can shape change into an enchantress."

"OK, I understood fox, and the entire world would have to be blind to not know that you are a fox. I believe you. Tell me more."

Ran smiled at the compliment, and continued her story. In the end, we were both smiling.

***** *****

When I arrived home at the workshop, Motoko was already working in the kitchen. Motoko took off the day from work and was at the workshop with several bags of groceries. As I put up decorations around the workshop apartment, She worked hard on her meal to welcome back Rose. After finishing up the decorations, I went out into the workshop, and vacuumed again. After my blunder with the tile saw, I was not about to let Rose find a single speck of quartz dust.

The "Beluga" arrived and Mary, Sherri, and Jason helped Rose out of the van, and into a wheelchair. When Rose came into the workshop she immediately noticed the two sets of railings that I had installed on one side of the workshop.

"Paul I thought we agreed to put the sand blasting stations over there. What is going on?"

"Rose, they will be there in time, but for now, I think we needed a therapy station."

The railings were twenty feet long and set 32 inches apart. Rose was wheeled over to the railings, and helped up. With everyone's encouragement, Rose placed one hand on each of the two rails and took a step with her new leg. After steadying herself, she moved her other leg and, once again, regained her balance. She then moved her hands forward and re-gripped the rails. With every one giving words of encouragement, Rose slowly made her way to the end, where a banner that said "Welcome Back" was stretched over the end of the rails, like a finish line. When Rose broke through the banner, she was helped back into her wheelchair, and everyone made their way to the lunch Motoko had prepared.