Ride on Time

Chapter 63

Mitsuo went downstairs for a gym session and hoped he could catch Shree. He made a beeline for the Zumba class and saw that there were only a few other students besides himself, all of them being women. It's not like Mitsuo didn't like Zumba, but it felt kinda odd being the only man there.
Shree noticed this too and chuckled to herself.
Right on Time by Vantage came again and Shree moved significantly faster. Mitsuo couldn't blame her since he found the song rather pleasing too.
But seriously, what was the name of the song? He knew it had something to do with Ride on Time, but why were the lyrics so different, save for the title phrase?
Mitsuo decided to ask her once the class was over. He was tired, soaked in sweat, but decided to chance it since they were in a gym and she was just as sweaty.
Though Mitsuo wondered how she could still look so good.
"Can I ask you something?" Mitsuo asked once they were both outside and Hanis had taken over.
"What is it?" Shree asked removing a curl that had clung onto her face and tucking it behind her ear.
"You wear so many earrings..." Mitsuo couldn't help but remark upon noticing three studs pierced into each of her ears. "You're not secretly a punk or anything, right?"
"No, it's my family tradition," Shree said. "Started by my grandma, passed down to my mom, and then me. Nose piercing too."
Mitsuo nodded understandingly. "I know the nose one is an Indian tradition, right?"
"Yes, that's correct," Shree nodded. "So... is this what you wanted to ask me?"
Mitsuo quickly remembered his question. "No! I wanted to ask you about that song. What song was it?"
"Which song, there were too many."
"The one by Tatsuro Yamashita," Mitsuo pointed out. "I see it's Ride on Time, but why is it so much more different? It even has a different lyrics, completely different than the original!"
"That's because it's the demo version," Shree explained. "It's very rare, it used to be up on YouTube but was removed. But I like this version better. The remix you heard can be easily found, though."
"What's it called?" Mitsuo quickly pulled his phone out to open the music app.
"Right on Time," Shree informed. "Right as in right hand, not ride, and it's by Vantage."
"Understood..." Mitsuo nodded as he found the song and saved it into his playlist. "The original is just called... Ride on Time Demo, then?"
"Yes."
"Great," Mitsuo smiled. "Thanks. That's all I wanted to ask."
He bowed and turned to walk away but Shree quickly called him. "Wait!"
Mitsuo turned around and looked at her, confused. "Huh?"
"Do you want to come over to my house for Pongal to see what we do?" Shree quickly said. "You have to be early, but do you wanna come?"
Mitsuo looked at her in surprise. "I'm sorry, but did you just invite me to your house?"
"Yes..." Shree sighed. "It was my grandma's idea. She has a very high opinion on Japanese people for some reason."
Mitsuo frowned for a moment, the cogs spinning in his head. "Did your grandma go through the Japanese occupation in Malaysia?"
"No, she's too young," Shree sighed. "But yeah, she heard some stories from her parents and they apparently told her that they really respected the Indians even at the time..."
Mitsuo nodded silently. "I'm not sure about that since... like your grandma, I'm too young too."
"She also had a Japanese boss who was very nice to her, maybe because of that," Shree shrugged. "But yeah. Do you wanna come? You have to come really early, but not as early as it would be in the temple."
"What time?" Mitsuo asked.
"Around seven?"
"Deal," Mitsuo grinned. "Sunday, seven a.m. send me the location and I'll come right over."
Shree frowned and quickly thought of something. "It's hard to get a Grape at that time. We'll come and get you."
Mitsuo was surprised but just nodded. "Uh... okay." He rummaged inside his little bag and pulled out a card. "Here, take this. It's my number."
Shree frowned at it before looking at him. "It's in Japanese... I can't read much Japanese. Only a few syllables, not sentences!"
"My Instagram username is in English, just hit me up there," Mitsuo pointed out. "It's my personal account, so I'm pretty active there."
Shree nodded and pocketed it. "Alright then... goodbye!" With that, she turned in the opposite direction and ran off to the bathroom, leaving Mitsuo to stare after her.
He was still very confused but then again...
Mitsuo was getting free insights of how Pongal is celebrated!
This was valuable information for a new book.
He couldn't wait for it.

"I told him to come for Pongal," Shree sighed as she sat down on the couch. "And I told him we can pick him up before seven."
"Do you have his number?" Chandrika asked. Shree pulled out the card and handed it to her. The mother looked at it and her eyes widened in surprise and amusement. "You can understand this?"
"No, but I can read his Instagram username," Shree shrugged. "I texted him there."
"Good," Chandrika nodded. "I wanna meet this feller and see how he is."
"Nice," Shree sighed. Then her gaze fell on her brother, who just sat on an armchair with his arms crossed. "You wanna be bodyguard again ah?"
Vasu gave her a two-finger salute.
"The three of you right," Shree shook her head, so done with them. "Just because he's Japanese and a writer of a good book..."
"And he respects women, stepping in when someone harassed you," Devi piped up, much to Shree's horror.
Chandrika gasped. "You were harassed?! When? Where?!"
"Tell me who he is, and I'll skin him alive," Vasu chimed in threateningly.
"Oi!" Shree looked at him in surprise. "What, you Spike from Tom and Jerry ah?"
"When and where did this happen?" Chandrika sternly asked, ignoring her attempts at being casual.
Shree sighed, defeated. "Yesterday... in the LRT."
"Did you go alone?"
"Yes she did," Devi snitched again.
"Nooo! Awah, why?" Shree groaned. But then she realised. "Then again, Mitsuo was with me and he stepped in."
"Yeah, but you didn't know that," Chandrika argued. "And you still went alone."
Shree groaned. "Not like it was my first time..."
"Yes, but next time go with Vasu or me," Chandrika firmly said.
"I'll grind the creep's bones to dust!" Vasu fiercely said.
"Mom, now he's Akuma," Shree snorted. "He says that in Tekken."
"That's not the point," Chandrika frowned. "From now on, never go out alone."
"No!" Shree whined. "Why does it have to be so hard just because I'm a girl?!"
"A young girl," Devi corrected. "You need to be very careful."
Shree pursed her lips. "Says the one that asked me to bring home a random Japanese guy that I barely know."
"You talk too much," Devi scolded suddenly. "Whatever I say is wrong for you."
"Oh come on!" Shree groaned, leaning back into her sofa. "You always do that once you're defeated!"
Devi started arguing further so Shree decided to just leave. This feud was never spiteful, nor hateful. It would blow over eventually.
But still though, Shree thought it was weird to invite over a guy she barely knew. Then again, Mitsuo didn't seem like a very bad person.
Shree really didn't know what to do.
In the end, she decided to grin and bear it, just let whatever that happens to happen.