The Painful Past
Lisbon, Portugal
“There are no litters in the streets. This is not a bad place for my morning walk. I will just bum and eat today while watching people get busy.” Ayu told herself while warming up for a jog.
Ayu looked at the other side of the street. She saw a man walking leisurely with yellow flowers on one hand. Does he not have to catch up to his 9 am office job? Why is he wearing a suit early in the morning? Where would this kind of guy go at this time? Ayu thought of many possibilities and of following him. Then, unknowingly, Ayu giggled.
A man just walked past her with a questioning look. Ayu gave him the same expression.
“Does he know I’m about to try out my newly inspired stalking job?” Ayu smirked. She looked around again. “Where did that suit man went to?” She remembered he was carrying a bouquet of beautiful yellow flowers. “If he is proposing to someone, will it not be better to do it at night?” Her thoughts wandering again.
Ayu was feeling good when she received a phone call. She answered it immediately. It could be one of her clients abroad.
Her face became pallid. “I’ll call back.” Ayu’s voice quavering. She ended the call with hands still trembling.
They say that when something good happens, something bad follows.
At the airport.
“What do you mean? Explain it. Tell me what’s wrong. I’ll help you with whatever it is.” Pam has been convincing Ayu all morning to tell her what was happening. But Ayu kept giving her cold shoulders. It is difficult to do it when they are facing each other. What more can Pam do when she can only hear Ayu’s voice? “Ayu. Fly tonight or early tomorrow. I will pick you up at the airport when you arrive. Call me anytime. Do you understand?” Pam was afraid that Ayu would clam up again. This rarely happens since she met Ayu. But when it does, Pam always felt that Ayu would do something regretful.
Ayu agreed. She just arrived at Lisbon Airport. She has her luggage and passport but undecided about the next step. Her eyes darted around the airport to the toy tag that has been dangling from her luggage since the first day she escaped to Europe. She wondered if the time would come when she will be very happy and carefree like the dolphins. Ayu looked at her watch. It is almost 7 p.m. She will arrive in Brussels in less than three hours.
At Pam’s apartment.
“So why not go back to the Philippines? You will know what happened to them when you get there.” Pam said in a soothing voice.
Ayu was crying non-stop since Pam picked her up from the airport. Ayu’s parents just divorced after twenty-six years of being together. But Ayu can’t decide if she should go and reach out to them. Ayu doesn’t have a good relationship with her parents. Never with anyone except Pam and those two childhood friends she has back in the Philippines.
“Here’s a deal. If you go, I will go too.” Pam tried everything to calm Ayu down. Now, she is desperate to help her friend.
“You mean it?” Ayu asked in a shaky voice.
“I mean it,” Pam assured her. “But you have to fly first, and I’ll go after I settle everything in the restaurant.” Ayu suddenly felt embarrassed. “I’ll ask Justin to take care of it for me,” Pam added.
“Okay.” Ayu hugged her tight. “You truly are my family.”
“Alright. Quit crying. Do you feel better now?” Pam tapped her back and hoped that everything would go well for Ayu.
“I will call your assistant to file for vacation leave for you and book a ticket to Phil. Tell me if there is anything else to settle before you go. Okay?” She caringly told Ayu.
Ayu nodded her head while wiping the tears on her face.
1989, Kyoto, Japan (31 years ago)
It was early in the morning. Stall owners just opened their shops. Their long time chefs preparing various dishes for visitors. They can be seen from the see-through glass of the shops. Some were making dough for the noodles. Others were mixing ingredients in a bowl. It looks like a synchronized step of a cooking show. Outside, the city residents were seated on a cemented bench and enjoying the morning breeze oblivious of the passersby. Others were walking leisurely with their pets and enjoying their surroundings.
In a few more hours, a pool of new faces will occupy the benches for a feast that closely resembles a picnic. The noise will also start to rise. The empty spaces will get crowded. Typical of festivals.
“Cool! I remember eating loaves of bread that looks like fish when I was a kid. These things, though, are at an entirely different level. Interesting!” Katy was always observant. They were strolling and found many stalls that serve ayugashi.
It was Katy’s curiosity that led them to meet. Katy came to Kyoto for the Arishayama Waka-Ayu Festival. Never did it occur to her that love is just around the corner.
“Call this number. He is a Filipino. I’m sure he would help you out.” One of her good friends recommended a guy to help with her venture. The next day she was in another town in Kyoto.
“Hi, I am Kris. You are Katherine? Can I call you Katy?” The guy happily shook her hand and led her to walk ahead.
“Sure. You were fishing?” Katy pointed to the rod and icebox that Kris was carrying.
“Ahuh. Just for you.” There was no hidden agenda. He only stated a fact.
“For me?” Katy did not expect that answer. What could this guy have in mind? “What?”
“You are here for the ayu, right?”
Katy was still confused. Then she remembered the bread molded like a fish from the festival yesterday. “Ah, yes.” She answered Kris.
“When your friend called yesterday, I was still contemplating if I will fish early today. So, when she said you are curious about the fish, my friends and I decided to go. Thanks to you, we fished a lot.” Just like that, he explained as a matter of fact.
“I see. An instant lucky charm. Lucky you.” Katy beamed at Kris.
That was their first encounter. Simple and memorable. They were just two people asking and answering questions of each other. They parted without any promises.
One small fish made their summer an unforgettable season.
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