"Excuse me, would you mind telling me how I can get to the Tower of London?" Izumi asked to a lady standing on the street who gladly gave him directions despite his broken English.
This would be the first time that he’s out of the country on his own. He would always go on trips with his family or friends like Mizutani or Tajima and Mihashi or sometimes with the rest of his high school baseball buddies. But this time it’s different. He wanted to go on this trip alone. He wanted to be away from everyone, away from the painful memories.
He went on this trip to forget everything. He first wanted to ask for Mizutani to accompany him on the trip but he thought that it would be no use and meaningless if he can’t get through this alone. I mean, he was reluctant and afraid at first but he needed some air.
Some time.
For himself.
Izumi followed the directions the woman gave and kept walking along St. Katherine’s Way and made a right turn and straight ahead, the Tower of London was coming into sight. He smiled and took a shot of the establishment. He stood there for moment admiring the architectural structure of the place. He felt somewhat relaxed but she was still running through his mind. But he just stared at the structure when he heard the snap of a camera beside him which shook him from his trance.
"Isn’t it a beauty?" the woman said to Izumi as she smiled at the outcome of the photo.
"It is." he replied despite the worry that he won’t be able to hold much of a conversation with this person. Izumi looked at her and was somewhat shocked to see an Asian who he thinks was probably Japanese. He wanted to ask but before he could even speak, the woman was gone. To his disappointment, he went inside the tower.
Inside was truly a magnificent sight. A collection of portraits of the past rulers of England, various paintings by famous painters and the history of England layed out for the public to see. Then he went to see the Crown Jewels which was stunning and beautiful.
Izumi was not really into history but to him, learning about the history of other countries, their culture, way of living and the people in general fascinated him. And besides, he was on vacation and the only thing that he could do was to go sight seeing and practically enjoy himself.
"as if" he thought. "how could I enjoy myself when all I’m thinking about is her?"
By the time he finished touring the tower, it was nearly sundown. He was pleased with the photo’s that he took and then he went to a nearby restaurant to have his dinner. It was the first time that he would be eating out on his own, since that he would always do it with friends or family so it was a bit exciting. As he entered the restaurant he scanned the place for an empty table and found one near the window overlooking the Thames River. He sat down and ordered and quietly waited as he looked out the window.
Izumi smiled to himself but with a feeling of sadness. “I wonder if she’s doing alright” he thought. Despite the things that have happened he still thought of her. He just sat there asking questions to himself if what he’s doing is the right or the wrong thing. But he knows the answers deep within him. As he stared into the distance, he saw a reflection in the window that made him jump.
It was the woman from earlier.
She scanned the room just like Izumi but to no luck, there was no empty tables. But then she looked at the table where Izumi was seating and her face lit up. She walked towards him and smiled.
"Would you mind if I shared this table with you?" she asked.
"Yes, ofcourse." Izumi replied in utter surprise. "does she remember me?" he thought to himself still puzzled as to what is happening.
The woman looked at Izumi and laughed. "I’m sorry, I might have startled you" she said putting down her things on the floor.
"I’m sorry, but I do not understand" He said because he really didn’t understand what the woman just said. The woman looked at him intently and spoke. "Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t know you don’t understand English" she said as she placed her order to the waiter who just left. "I’m really sorry, but are you Japanese?" Izumi asked slowly trying to speak straight and find the right words. The woman’s face lit up "Yes!" she answered in Japanese. “Oh! I am too” Izumi said as the expression of worry vanished from his face. He was glad that this woman was a Japanese for at least he would be able to uphold a decent conversation. "Oh my! how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself, my name’s Nanami; Nanami Yamaguchi" she said holding out a hand.
