Ride on Time

Chapter 84

"Alright, why lie to us about your job?" Shree frowned. "And you're the one who told us that, not Auntie."
"I told you like that because Sherry only asked to tell," Wang admitted in defeat. "It's because right... she didn't want you guys to know our family matter."
"But you pry on ours?" Shree, for the first time, felt brave enough to speak out like that to him. "Seriously, you ask my grandmother everything right down to the condition of her kidneys! But do you tell us your matters?"
Wang tried to reason with her that he didn't mean to lie like that. Mitsuo wished he had popcorn but just stood silently, not meddling with the argument. But he knew that Wang deserved it.
"Come on, Mitsuo," Shree suddenly said, turning away from Wang and pulling Mitsuo's arm. "Let's go."
She went back to the lift lobby and pressed the button to go down. Mitsuo was still dazed at being dragged all the way.
"That was good," Mitsuo chuckled as they entered the lift.
"Yeah, I finally got to say that after twenty-five years," Shree sighed. "My family had known Sherry long before I was even born. Before she even got married to this guy. I'm not sure if he's the one who changed her or if it was her that changed him."
Mitsuo frowned. "I don't think he changed her to become like that. He seems like he has some good in him deep down."
Shree scoffed. "How would you know?"
Mitsuo shrugged. "Observance?"
A few seconds of silence passes before Shree spoke again. "My grandmother had always told me that he was the better one. But I've seen how he pries just as badly as his wife."
"So I have too," Mitsuo agreed. "But I think I've seen another side of him. It just has to be... dug out."
"I didn't see this side for the last two decades and you think you've seen it in just two encounters?"
"Maybe I'm better at reading people."
They arrived at the ground floor and started making their way out.
Shree went on complaining about Sherry and Mitsuo went on nodding, wondering how the two families even remained friends in the first place. All of a sudden, he felt a hard thud on his shoulder and looked up to see a slightly swarthy man with a moustache. He seemed to be Malay, but Mitsuo wasn't sure.
"I'm very sorry," Mitsuo bowed apologetically.
"S'okay," the man nodded.
Mitsuo smiled and quickly scanned the name on his tag, which read Mikail, as he went on his way. He had no idea why but he seemed a little familiar.
"Is it just me or are you always bumping into someone?" Shree suddenly said, catching Mitsuo's attention.
Mitsuo looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"
Shree shrugged. "You said something about bumping into my neighbour in Old Town."
"Oh..." Mitsuo nodded.
"Anyway, how did you come?" Shree asked. "Grape?"
"No, I took the LRT like the other day," Mitsuo said. "What about you?"
"My brother and grandmother are waiting outside," Shree sighed. "They're not letting me get into an LRT alone after... the harassment."
Mitsuo smirked. "Good thing too."
"You want us to drop you to Sheralbon?" Shree asked.
Mitsuo tried to refuse but Shree wasn't letting him off that easily. So he found himself slipping into the front passenger seat of the Perodua, beside Vasu as always.
"Eh, you also here ah?" Devi said in surprise.
"Yeah, apparently, he had secret business with Shruti too," Shree smirked. "Found him sitting in her office, talking about her brother's books."
"Oh, Shri Mohan ah..." Devi said, much to Mitsuo's surprise. "That feller famous writer lah."
"You have seen him before?" Mitsuo asked.
"Yes, he got come in tv so many times," Devi chuckled. "Very famous. One of his books went to Japan also, you know. I think the one you read that day."
Devi then proceeded to talk about how Shri may or may not have been Chandrika's college-mate. Mitsuo realised that it might've been a possibility and wondered how small Petaling Jaya was till literally everyone knew Shri at some point. First, Shruti, then Sufyan, then Wang, and now this. He wondered if Yamashina was just as small too.
Shree then told her family about Sherry's husband.
"Awah! Vasu! Guess who else we saw in Shruti's office?" Shree grinned.
"Madhavi ah?" Vasu asked eagerly.
"No. It wouldn't be unusual for her to be here since it's literally her mother's office," Shree rolled her eyes. "We saw Sherry's husband. He apparently works here too."
"We saw him exit the lift and followed him," Mitsuo added, grinning. "Nika confronted him and he apologised!"
"See ah..." Devi nodded thoughtfully. "See how she lie to us?"
They continued complaining about the Chinese couple throughout the journey to Sheralbon Hotel to drop Mitsuo off before heading back home.

Shruti was still thinking about something, about the year 1998. How it was both a very good year and a very bad one. Shri had been happy for that year, it being the year of the tiger. His year, just like 1974. But no. It was anything but his year. It had been a happy one for him, being the year he met a nice girl named Misao. But it was also a horrible one, being the one to take his life.
"Shri..." a single tear rolled off her eye as she looked at her brother's photo on her nightstand.
But then she thought about Mitsuo and Shree, the two people whom the same tiger that took her brother and Misao had given life to. The same tiger that took the life of Shri and Misao had given birth to Mitsuo and Shree, mere days later.
What if the two instances were related? Shruti wasn't sure about Shree but she sees her brother in Mitsuo through the way he fiddles with his pendant, his writing style, his smile, even the shared need for glasses.
Maybe Shree was Misao too?
Shruti hadn't met Misao much, not as much as her brother did anyway. But she did remember the fact that she was a geisha, a woman who learned traditional music and dances, culture, folklore, and always wore a kanzashi which was her grandmother's keepsake, much like Shri having their grandfather's Om necklace.
Shruti gasped as she realised something. Shree may not be a geisha girl, but she was still most of those. She distinctly remember her mentioning that she had learned to play the sita and sing sangeetham from a very young age, not to mention Bharthanatyam and Odissi. And as for the kanzashi part, wasn't that how Shree and Mitsuo first met?
Shruti smiled, remembering the story of how Shri lost his Om pendant and Misao found it and returned it to him. If her hunch was right, that these two people were the ones reborn into Mitsuo and Shree, then the same thing had happened again but in reverse.
Oh, who was she kidding? How could that even happen in real life? Well, even if it did, how would she know? Religion told her that it was possible, being born again in the afterlife. Well, even if it were true, she wouldn't know. She might've been a reincarnation of one of her ancestors, her children too. Shruti always believed that her brother had been reborn as one of her children. But she wasn't so sure now.
What if Shri's soul had been exported all the way to Japan while Misao's had been imported here? After all, her brother had always dreamed of living in Japan while Misao always dreamt of visiting Malaysia because of Shri. At least Shri got to live in Japan for a few weeks, Misao didn't even get a glimpse of Malaysia.
"Shruti," Tyler suddenly called, jolting her out of her thoughts.
"Ah! Ty!" Shruti smiled, straightening herself.
"Is everything alright?" Tyler asked, running a hand through his blond hair.
Shruti shrugged. "I have no idea, honestly."
"Why?"
"You met Mitsuo, right?" Shruti asked.
"Yes? The Japanese boy that we met on Pongal Day, right?"
"Yes, him."
"What about him?"
"He... he reminds me too much of my brother," Shruti admitted. "I don't know why, he's like a Japanese version of my brother, even having the same habit of playing with his chain! Even his writing style is similar."
To his surprise, she pulled out a copy of The Collision Two Worlds and Timeless Love.
"Read these two, compare the writing style and you'll know," Shruti said, handing the books to him. "You have to believe me!"
"I believe you because I've seen him playing with his pendant myself," Tyler admitted, gently taking the books and placing them on the nightstand on his side. "And I remember your parents mentioning your brother having the same habit as well."
Shruti smiled. "Thanks, Ty."
"Now get to bed," Tyler gently said, stroking her curly hair. "It's getting late, Me Henny."
Shruti chuckled and kissed him Goodnight before getting ready for bed.

And here we have it, Mikail! He's just a little older, and for some reason The Sims gave him long hair when I aged him up. Not sure if I have a picture of him...
I don't think I do lol.