French Cup: A Neighborhood Story

Chapter 9: -Kazuya- Taxidermy Shark

I crashed through the door of Miyuki's atelier, Miyuki Vintage Designs, almost without opening it. She fell back in her chair, fake grabbing at her heart in shock. I'd done this too many times for the reaction to be real.

"HE HAS DIMPLES!" I shrieked. 

"Holy shit," Miyuki sighed, fanning herself with her hand. "Tell me more."

I'd texted her on my way over, telling her about my encounter with him again. But, now I knew his name: Gyeong-Wan. I'd texted her saying I had something major to tell her.

"That's it, that's all I know."

"That changes everything."

"I know."

She went forward in her seat, and I took the one opposite, where her clients would usually discuss the designs they wanted over tea. I'd been there a few times myself, asking her to make an outfit for me for drag. She was an expert at making the 1950's kinds of dresses that I preferred for it. 

"By the way, did I hear that you invited him to Drag Bingo?"

"Uh, yeah." I crossed my knee over the other, my hands folding on top of it, getting comfortable. 

She fell back in her seat. "Oh my god, Kazu," she sighed hugely. 

"What?" Nervousness was spreading in me. Her reaction.

"Think about Drag Bingo for me. What goes on in Drag Bingo?"

I went over it, counting with my fingers silently, staring at the ceiling, envisioning it. 

Nikki and I would be on stage together, dressed up. Nikki would crack jokes, calling out people in the audience. Everyone would laugh. Then, I'd take my turn. We'd introduce that week's prizes, making more jokes about the prizes themselves. More often than not, the most desired prize of the night would be from Pinky's Books, some kind of expensive sex toy-

My hand gripped my knee. 

"The dildo, Kazu!" Miyuki burst out, because I was too slow. "Are you going to explain how to use it in front of him? Are you going to hold it up and make jokes? I wouldn't be able to. I'm glad I'm not a drag queen anymore, or else I'd be up there, too!" She fell back into her chair and fanned herself with her hand again, the dark blue of her sailor collared 1930's dress contrasting with the bright red of her wing backed chair. 

"I'll make Nikki do it!" My mouth was hanging open, thinking of the parade of sex toys that we'd presented in the past. Just the thought of holding any one of them in front of Gyeong-Wan- My knuckles went white as I gripped my knee like a bear trap.

"This is going to be the best Drag Bingo ever. I want a front row seat," she beamed. 

"No, no, no..." I let out a groan. 

"And what about the other weird shit? Do you think he'd want any of it? An Anpanman watch, a vintage earwax picker, a taxidermy shark?"

I thought about my beloved Anpanman watch sitting in my bedstand at my apartment. My hand went to my wrist, picking an invisible scab, as my face went hot. "What am I going to do?" I asked, trying desperately to think of something.

Those kinds of prizes seemed so fun in the past. Everyone brought things from their shops that wouldn't sell and donated them to the community. We'd play for them, taking home these strange things that nobody else wanted. 

"I have no idea, but I don't think he'll come back after this. Ayane and I were talking about it."

Oh, crap. My hand went to my forehead, suddenly a pain.

"You need to find a way to disinvite him."

I shook my head. No way. I wanted him to come, even if it meant... I wanted him to come to the shop. 

"Well, he- maybe he'll enjoy it," I tried to reason, gesturing wildly, but I already knew it was a lost venture. She was already shaking her head slowly, knowingly, too. 

"Only us weirdos like stuff like that," she said. 

She was so right. I was so dead.

When I got back to the shop, completely deflated, Nikki was standing at the counter with his chin in his hand, leaning over on it. He let out a deep sigh of Disney Princess-y love. 

"He was here again. You missed it. He asked me about almonds. I sold him a galette des roi slice." He sighed again, smiling. 

Almonds. Oh... It must have meant he'd eaten my almond chocolates, and must have wanted more almonds. So, he'd liked them. I paused, thinking about this for about a minute, losing myself. But, the problem at the forefront of my brain was too commanding to ignore.

"I have to disinvite him to Drag Bingo," I said, pulling at the bottom of my sweater. 

"What for?" 

I shook my head, thinking about the whirlwind of past prizes. I held up my hands in presenting position. "Next up, a Hitachi massage wand! Yes, the one and only! New, but no box! We promise it was for display! At least, that's what Pinky's told us!" I gave a big wink in Nikki's direction just like on stage.

The scream he gave was all I needed to know that he'd understood. 

We'd stood at the counter for a while, serving various customers who were no doubt listening intently to our conversation. We talked about trying to disinvite him, but could not find a way. It was canceled. There was a flood in the kitchen. The shop is obviously on fire, what you don't see it? But, there was no conclusion. No reason for the show not to go on. 

"Maybe we can distract him with the food. What's being served this time?" Nikki asked finally.

"Rabbit, because it's going to be the year of the rabbit next month." 

"Maybe he likes rabbit." 

"Or maybe he doesn't, and thinks people who eat rabbit are weird."

"Fuck."

I put my hands in presenting position again. "Gyeong-Wan, please partake in a leg of rabbit. Rabbit stew? How about-"

"Wow, is that his name? Gyeong-Wan?" 

Oh. My cheeks went pink, no doubt. I hadn't intended to tell him. I was too in my thoughts to remember that. My face turned to his, and he was looking at me, so surprised. I nodded, swallowing my spit. 

"Interesting. I wonder what it means." His eyes went into a daydream again. 

"Well, say good-bye to him, because we're doomed. Oh, I'm such a... Why did I invite him to Drag Bingo? I just wanted him to come back." My hands went over my face, as I sunk down by my knees a little.

I found a hand on my shoulder, and I peeked through my fingers. The hand squeezed. Nikki was giving me an assuring smile.

"He'll come back. Honestly, if he doesn't like Drag Bingo, do we even want him around? It means he isn't our kind of people. It doesn't matter what he looks like, do we even- I can't even keep a straight face trying to say that!" He pressed his eyes closed and sighed, his hand easing off my shoulder and slipping off it in defeat. 

"He has dimples, Nikki!" I groaned, like I was scolding him.

"Oh. My. God." 

We both made theatrical, loud noises like we were sobbing, acting like we were dying and shriveling up behind the counter, not caring if our friends were staring at us and gathering all the juicy gossip that they possibly could. This would be a disaster. I just knew it. And it was all my fault.