The Host of My Heart (On Hiatus)

Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Issen drove in silence as I stared out the window. I was uninterested in the scenery of the world outside of the car until I noticed the change. The messy, black tar roads and endless highway soon turned to clean neat streets with dainty trees potted at the end of every block. The endless stream of nameless cars soon broke into tiny streams of people, mothers adjusting their child’s strollers and old couples shuffling happily down the road. And the zooming view turned to quaint little store fronts, with lovely little dresses and shoes and hats.

Goodness.

What I wouldn’t have given to go to college here. If just to experience Kichijoji for just a short while, but the university around here didn’t specialize in teaching degrees. I would love to live but it was bit too out of my range as a single teacher.

I eagerly unhooked my seatbelt and got out of the car. Setting foot in Kichijoji again was a breath of fresh air.

Literally.

The interior of Issen’s car had been saturated with scent of tobacco smoke, and him lighting up three new cigarettes certainly didn’t make things any better.

“So,” Issen said before throwing his cigarette to the ground, “Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know” I replied mildly, too busy enjoying the warm breeze of the Tokyo spring.

“You seem pretty fashionable, where should we go?”

Issen shrugged and looked around moodily, his brow furrowed heavily on top of his lenses before responding.

“Hell if I know, I don’t shop around here.”

His answer was stilted and moody and I watched his jaw clench angrily. It was strange, how such a calm, serene setting could make anyone mad, but I guess any place where he wasn’t making money wasn’t good enough for him. I looked around and recognized the area that we were standing.

“Well, we’re on penny road, let’s head to the department store.”

Usually, I don’t really feel calm when shopping. There were too many people and so many things could go wrong. Like if my credit card stops working while I’m checking out, or I don’t have enough cash. Everything could just go wrong so quickly that I’m just a bundle of nervous energy when I go out. It really takes a toll on you.

“Whatever,” shrugged Issen as I was pulled out of my musings.

Walking up the road and away from the car, I noticed a small shop built out of the side of a building. What really caught my eye, however, was a pink, silken, flowing top. Feminine, cute and the draping was perfect to cover my belly pudge. I detoured towards the rack and checked the price with a smile; affordable too!

But, as I reached to take the shirt off the rack, Issen’s confused voice stopped me.

“Is this what you’re buying?”

I nodded, confused myself, “Yeah, it’s cute. You don’t like it?”

With a groan, Issen whipped off his sunglasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Unbelievable. When was the last time you had a boyfriend?”

I answered quietly around the sudden lump in my throat.

“Year and a half.”

While it had been a little more than a year and half since Takeshi and I broke up, you never really get over finding a strange woman in your bed, wearing your panties on top of your boyfriend of three years.