The Tea Wife

The Room

Misa disrobed next to the large bath tub which had a gentle steam rising from it. Having been in the same robe for two days she was extremely pleased to wash finally. She sunk down into the warm bath letting the oils cling to her brown hair as it floated around her like a halo. Rui had been even warmer than the bath which now enveloped her naked body from her thighs all the way to her chest. When she thought of his hands in those places she quickly dunked her head under. It was not ladylike to imagine such things especially as an untouched woman.

She had only been eighteen when her father arranged the marriage and now at twenty-one she had still retained her maidenhood. Though she was not saving it for any reason anymore. When her engagement had suddenly been cancelled and she mourned her father she simply had not thought of it again. Then at the teahouse she lived with Mr. Yukawa's daughters who were much younger and had yet to even think of such things.

The way Rui had stood next to her, slept next to her, touched her hand, embraced her; all flooded her memory. She emptied the tub and headed to the shower to rinse through her hair. When she was done she pulled around her evening robe which smelled more of mixed teas than it did the vanilla oil which now clung to her hair.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she saw that some of her clothes had been put away for her in the guestroom. The dresser which had been empty now held her personal items such as a hairbrush, hand mirror and perfumes. It appears Rui had taken his time and arranged them all out for her. The gesture seemed quite romantic and once again Misa became excited by his closeness. On the end of the dresser however and looking out of place was a shoebox. When she opened it, she was overcome to discover that it held all the land deeds and property papers that had been held for her dowry. She was mournful that she believed Mr. Yukawa must have not expected her to return however these were also items meant to be shared in the event of her marriage.

Her marriage, did Mr. Yukawa remember? Did he hear the name of her protector...? Is that why these are here? Was it selfish for a woman to cling onto hope after three years?

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After returning to his bedroom. Rui caught the image of Misa rinsing her hair through the smoke glass wall. His heart again was pounding. She was so close to him. He touched her shadow on the wall before turning off the light in his bedroom and removing his robe. He sat on the end of the bed just breathing, unsure if he should confess to her. When he left the box of documents in her room he had unboxed some of the things she might need. He touched them all thinking of how they may have touched so much of her. The floral perfume had reminded him of last night when he fell asleep looking at her.

Despite all his strength as a twenty-eight-year-old man he was sure his blood would boil if he didn't confess to her and take her on his arms. He laid down in the dark after he heard her safely arrive in the room across the hall. In frustration, he beat the pillow into a lump beneath his head. How he would sleep with these thoughts he had no idea.