Tea Leaves and Opal Necklaces

Jōmon Sugi

Match Two: Jōmon Sugi:

Alfred doesn't take no for an answer. Lydia found herself quick to learn this after turning him away many times. This morning, he knocked on the door. As predicted, the young woman greeted him with a frown on her face.

"Yo!" Alfred said with a goofy grin, waving.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Is Florence in?" he asked. The American man could already see where this game was going to go. He lost count of how many times Lydia turned him away. Alfred told himself each day that this time would be different.

"She's asleep," Lydia said with her eyes narrowed.

"Can I come in anyway?" Alfred asked.

"No."

"Why?"

She threw back her head and groaned. "Alfred! Why can't you accept that you aren't welcome anymore? What is it going to take for you to get that through your thick skull?"

"Have I offended you or something?" the American man asked. Lydia snorted.

"Goodbye, Al," she said. The young woman started to shut the door, but this time Alfred stuck his foot in the doorway.

"Alfred!" Lydia shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"Let me see Florence," the American man said. "You keep turning me away every time I come over. I want to see her again. I don't care if she's asleep or not!"

"Well, you can't!"

"Is it because she's dying?"

Lydia froze with big eyes. Alfred narrowed his eyes. The young woman looked down at her hands. She looked so tiny under him for an eighteen-year-old girl. Earlier in the weeks, Alfred wondered how someone so tiny could be strong enough to stand in his way. Lydia acted like Cerberus when he came by their house. The American man did his best not to get into a fight with her. (He was a big, muscled man, after all. If he laid a hand on her, Alfred could be easily accused of inflicting violence on Lydia from an outsider's point of view.) He gave her a gentle smile.

"That's it, isn't it?" Alfred asked.

"Could you please go away?" Lydia asked. "You're going to make this harder than it needs to be."

"And you think letting Florence die alone is any better?"

"She has me."

"But what if you're not there when she dies, man? You can't keep us apart like this. Please let me in."

Lydia glared as she puffed up her cheeks. "You still won't go away no matter what?"

"No," the American man said. Both stood, waiting for the other to make a movie. Lydia dropped her shoulders and sighed.

"You win," she grumbled. Alfred did his best to keep from squealing like a happy little girl as Lydia moved aside. He hummed as he walked past the young woman. She rolled her eyes and closed the door behind him.

It almost felt like being home again. Alfred looked around at the closed blinds in the living room.

"Isn't it a bit early to have everything closed up?" he asked. Lydia frowned in the kitchen.

"I don't understand you," she said in a low voice. The American man gave her a puzzled look.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Why do you want to see my sister so desperately?" Lydia asked.

"Because I want to..."

"But why?!" She turned around from the sink with a frosty look on her face. Alfred couldn't see where this was going.