There are Many Flowers in Tokyo

Chapter Two

The passengers had drifted from the plane listlessly upon their arrival, their legs numb and their eyes heavy with the inevitable exhaustion which always accompanied air travel. Lily's neighbour had tried to apologise again for his disruption to her peaceful flight, which might have been appreciated had he not clumsily attempted it in Japanese.

While Lily knew some conversational Japanese, and a handful of other odd phrases thanks to Netflix drama shows which were subtitled to perfection, but she didn't know nearly enough for anyone to presume it was native to her. Indeed, she looked far more Caucasian than Japanese anyway, so she wondered why it was the man was so resolute in his idea that it was her first language.

Perhaps he'd noticed her converse with her aunt during the flight, and had thought they were only speaking English for the novelty of it.

Whatever his reasons, it was enough to frustrate her immensely, and she made a point of hauling her suitcase from the conveyor with such aggressive force that it landed on his foot which caused him to yowl in pain; an act which elicited more giggles from the other passengers who'd suffered him, and very little sympathy for his plight.

After this display, Grace had wanted to stop immediately for a coffee and pastry before they got into their car, perhaps under the assumption that her niece's frayed temper was a sign of hunger. Lily had, instead, made a point of rushing her aunt through their passport checks so she could change at the hotel, humiliated enough that the coat only reached her knees, and did nothing to hide the garish pink pyjamas on her legs. Given Lily was normally the sort to linger in airports to check out any boutiques or cafés, her aunt knew better than to argue the matter, and the two women walked with some urgency towards their collection point.

It was entirely coincidental that Lily spotted the man again. His limp had drawn her gaze, as had the enthusiastic way he greeted the man who'd come to meet him from his flight. The man gestured to his foot and waved his arms while he explained the injury, no doubt professing to his friend that he'd been an innocent party who'd done nothing at all to earn the ire of a sleep deprived woman on the flight.

She had half a mind to drop her case on his other foot.

To his credit; his friend laughed. Perhaps he was accustomed to the annoying man's behaviour, or he simply found the entire tale hilarious. Lily was somewhat relieved that he hadn't expressed outrage and thought to come after her in vengeance.

Just in case such things were on the men's minds, Lily used her aunt as a barrier, and scurried on beside Grace in the hopes they wouldn't be seen.

The car was indeed waiting outside for them. A smartly dressed young man held a sign bearing Grace's name. He was rather handsome in his chauffer's uniform, and Lily rather hoped he'd remain their driver for the duration of their trip. It was certainly better than hailing cabs or attempting to navigate buses in a foreign country. The driver held open the door for them both, and tucked away their luggage in the boot before he set off, conveying them to their home for the next week or more.