Ride on Time

Chapter 76

Mitsuo met up with Shree right after class again, much to her dismay.
"Nika, can I ask about this... Lunar New Year thing?" Mitsuo asked.
"You don't know about Chinese New Year?" Shree asked, trying to smoothen the fallen locks of hair back into her bun.
"I do, but Lunar New Year isn't just celebrated by the Chinese..." Mitsuo pointed out.
"Well, it is in Malaysia," Shree shrugged.
"Yeah, but what I wanted to ask is... about the 'Open House' thing you mentioned?"
Shree realised what he meant. "Oh that! So basically, it's like this. You get invited to someone's house and go have lunch. Then you sit and talk over snacks."
"Oh..." Mitsuo understood. "So it's basically like how we invite someone over for Oshogatsu?"
"Something like that," Shree nodded. "This Sherry lady and her whole family invites us for Chinese New Year, and we usually invite them over for Deepavali."
"I see, so that's what Open House is..." Mitsuo nodded understandingly. "Also, is there a special dress code for this occasion?"
"Respectful, I guess?" Shree shrugged. "Then again, I always see Sherry and her whole family wear shorts and t-shirt. The daughter doesn't show herself much, though. But I've seen her a few times, she looks just like her mom."
"So I should wear shorts?"
Shree quickly shook her head. "Wait, wait. There's a specific dress code. This is Chinese New Year we're talking about. You can't wear black shirts. Pants is fine, I think, and red and yellow is best. Gold too."
Mitsuo frowned thoughtfully. "Can I just wear the same thing I wore at the temple the other day?"
"No, that's too formal," Shree frowned. "A shirt and pants should be fine. Actually, you can wear shorts, but not too short. I've never actually seen Vasu wear long pants when going there."
Mitsuo nodded, pulling out a notebook to jot it all down. "No black. Red, yellow, gold is good, and it's okay to wear knee shorts, long pants is too much. Is that right?"
Shree nodded. "Yes." She let out a sigh. "Mitsuo, I think I have to warn you. Sherry is a big busybody. Okay?"
Mitsuo pursed his lips, as if deep in thought. He finally turned his gaze to her, a slight smile on his face. "Can I bring a book?"
"Yes, yes, do that," Shree nodded. "Just bring a book and sit there. That way, they might not try to ask you too many questions."
"Alright, I'll bring one of Shri Mohan's books," Mitsuo stated. "I still haven't finished The Collision of Two Worlds."
"Just bring it, it's a good idea," Shree said. "But greet them politely when you enter, okay?"
Mitsuo nodded. "When it comes to being polite, my Japanese heritage takes over."
Shree chuckled. "Good. That will be good."
"Then what about to Batu Caves?" Mitsuo asked. "That satin dress shirt would do, right?"
"Too grand and impractical," Shree said. "You do not want to ruin it. Just wear a t-shirt or something. Polo shirt with slacks should do."
"Impractical?"
"Yes, because you have to climb up three-hundred steps," Shree pointed out. "So yeah, it's like going for a hike."
"Hike," Mitsuo nodded. "Got it. We're hiking up three hundred steps this Saturday."
They bade farewell and parted, with Shree leaving to the bathroom and Mitsuo going up to his room.

***

Mitsuo waited in the lobby, so impatient that he couldn't even concentrate on his book. He placed the bookmark between the pages and put it away into his bag, staring out the entrance to see if Shree and her family had arrived.
Finally, a red Viva appeared and Mitsuo sprang onto his feet to see if it was Shree. He even knew the number plate by heart so he knew he was right.
The back window opened and Shree peeked out. "Mitsuo, front!"
Mitsuo nodded and got in, trying to mask his excitement. He greeted everyone and Vasu went down the ramp, exiting through the highway.
"So excited to go to Batu Caves!" Mitsuo exclaimed. "How many steps was it again?"
"Three hundred," the four of them muttered, but not in unison.
"How many floors is that?" Mitsuo asked again.
"It's three hundred steps," Shree sighed.
Vasu frowned, skipping the Jalan Timur exit to go to Kuala Lumpur. "Well, I've counted the steps to my class in the fourth floor, and that's like twelve per flight, twenty-four per floor. So four floors is ninety-six."
"Okay, so how many steps does Batu Caves exactly have?" Mitsuo asked, pulling his phone out to search. He got the answer in seconds. "Two hundred and seventy-two steps."
Vasu started calculating, indicating to turn left into the exit. "Two hundred and seventy-two divided by twenty four... two hundred and forty steps would be ten floors... so add another thirty two..." he paused for a moment. "Around eleven and... eight steps extra. This is if we use the calculation of the step-count in my school building."
"That's a lot..." Mitsuo gulped. "Seriously, I haven't climbed anything higher than... two floors?"
Vasu smirked. "Four floors for me. I once climbed five when I had to go to the library for an award ceremony."
"Yeah, and he was complaining about it for an entire week," Shree added with a smirk.
"Aww, come on, I wasn't as fit back then as I am now," Vasu reasoned.
"It was last week, Vasu," Shree chuckled. "Last week."
Vasu groaned and continued driving.
"Do you know the way to Batu Caves?" Mitsuo asked. "I'm just asking since you seem to be driving confidently when you guys said you hardly ever go to KL."
Vasu grunted and stopped the car at the side of the road with the hazard lights on, taking his phone out to use the GPS.
"Okay, so you actually don't know the way," Mitsuo noted.
Shree leaned forward slightly. "Mitsuo, do you know your way around Tokyo?"
"Not without a GPS I don't," Mitsuo shrugged. "Yes, I see what you're getting at and I wasn't judging. I just don't wanna be lost in a foreign country..."
"You better take me around Japan when we go there," Shree said. "And I wanna see all the best attractions in Kyoto."
Mitsuo smiled. "By all means." He stopped short when her statement finally sank in. "Wait... you wanna come to Japan with me?"
Shree let out a gasp when she realised what she had just said.
"Nika loves Japan, what," Devi piped up to add fuel to the flame. "She wear makeup all like Japanese that day."
"She dressed like geisha," Chandrika added with a grin. "She did all the makeup herself, even hair."
"Yeah, I saw," Mitsuo said. "Did you style your own hair or was it a wig?"
"Real hair," Shree sighed, glaring at the two older women. "It was hard since it wasn't easy smoothening my curls."
"Respect to that, because I know it's really hard," Mitsuo stated. "My mom once did that hairstyle and she needed both mine and my dad's help to make it happen."
Devi smiled proudly. "Nika did alone some more."
"Yep, no help at all," Shree smirked, also just as proud.
"You actually did a very good job with it," Mitsuo agreed. "I saw her that night, the first time we met."
"Yeah, she did it nicely," Vasu added too.
"You said I look like ghost..." Shree muttered under her breath, a frown on her face.