Postcards Ch. 06

The aide said, "Mr. Morita thanks you for your quick thinking. He did not understand that you were Mr. Richards wife. A breach of manners may have occurred. He was very taken with Miss Kiku. He says her Japanese is excellent. Do you know her family or place of birth?"

I nodded, "Toda Kiku was born in Honolulu." These answers were not expected. Into the phone, I said, "I'm going to get you for this." Kiku laughed. "I told him you were Toda clan. Now you have to take my offer, or he will be after you." Kiku laughed harder. "Laugh it up, Fuzzball."

I muted the call and asked the aide what Kiku had said about me. He smiled, "She asked if Mr. Richards was accompanied by a tall woman that could teach tea ceremony at Lotus House. This is high praise. Then she said that you are the principal. Is this true?" In response I pulled out a flash drive.

While they opened a tablet and loaded my image files, I returned to my call. Kiku said, "Sheila, you should know that is the grandson of one of the Sony founders. His aide is probably being groomed for Senior Management. Have fun, but be aware of the stakes. You were right, he hit on me. Toodles." Ending the call gave me a chance to check the table.

I have mentioned that a quiet Francine scares me. This was one such occasion. She sat back, sipped coffee and watched faces. Sean was studying a menu, even though he would not have noticed if it were upside down. The junior aide was a Hollywood guy, because he and Aaron Aldermann were talking shop. The senior aide was explaining things to Mr. Morita. I waited for the logjam to break.

The key was a waitress with tea. Oh joy. Trying to channel two experiences in Japanese restaurants and a preteen tea hostess, I offered to pour. Suddenly every eye at the table was on me. I tried to glean clues from the Japanese as I poured the first cup. Fortunately, junior aide was an easy read. I served Sean first, then Mr. Morita and Aaron Aldermann. This met with approval. Next came the aides, in seniority order, concluding with myself. Francine smirked behind her coffee mug. Everyone drank, then I took a sip.

I have no idea the correct form for that situation, but the tension abated significantly. It appeared that honoring the tea was sufficient. I was glad for the tea. Breakfast arrived, in the form of an egg white omelet, with pico de gallo and guacamole, oatmeal and fruit salad. Francine had ordered for us. I served most of the omelet to Francine and Sean, but tried a small portion. With the toppings, it wasn't bad.

As I ate the oatmeal, the waitress came back with one boiled egg on a stand and a butter knife. More eyes were on me as I removed the top, added pepper and scooped the contents. It was sort of creepy. If I could have strangled Francine, I would have. The worst was that she was only getting me back for the wedding. At least the egg was done correctly.

For the rest of the time, I could have stayed on the plane. Aaron Aldermann was arguing with the two aides. Mr. Morita was playing with his tablet. Francine was shamelessly hitting on Sean. As I asked for more tea, things came to a head. Aaron Aldermann took the lead.

He said, "This went better than I hoped. At most I thought you would have some fresh approaches." He gestured at Mr. Morita's tablet. "This is well beyond fresh. It may be revolutionary. Many details need to be handled, but this is enough to pitch for time, even some more funding. Will and Ben will thank you. In the mean time, consider your retainer earned. We will contact your legal department for contract details."

Senior aide said to Sean, "Mr. Morita thanks you for your time. Your wife is lovely. It is rare to find grace so far from Tokyo. He hopes that you will be able to visit when the plum trees blossom. Our business is satisfactorily concluded."

Sean replied with a Japanese phrase, which brought a bow. Then he said, "We are honored that Morita Masaru considers us worthy to visit his home. However, when the plums bloom, we hope to have a new child. That is the meaning of the single egg. We hope he understands." Francine glared at Sean for blowing her symbolism. Everyone else looked shocked.

Senior aide bowed to Sean. "If this is so, it is an auspicious beginning. Mr. Morita asks that you send a birth announcement. He would be pleased to host you at some future date. Perhaps at his northern home. The skiing is excellent and children love snow." There was no chance Mr. Morita said all that. Senior aide was either son or heir, possibly both. Sean caught it too.

He said, "I will understand if Morita Masaru wishes to see the Holy Mountain. That is fitting. Perhaps he could send a representative to the baby's christening, heaven permitting. Our humble house is barely 250 years old, but the gate is open to you." Senior aide translated to his father/boss. I added, "Hopefully Kikusan will also be present." He said nothing, but his ears pinked.

Half an hour later we were in the limo with Francine and junior aide. Francine said, "Damn it Sean, why did you ruin my egg? We both know Sheila has an egg and oatmeal every day. That should have slipped past you." Right. Good luck with that.

Junior aide asked, "Myself also. While it is clear in the context—open egg, open womb—I had not heard of such a ceremony. Is most interesting."

Sean smirked. He enjoyed this entirely too much. "That's because Francine invented it today. Eggs are symbolic of fertility. You will find many references. It was Francine that added the twist with the shell. The egg was soft cooked. It takes skill to take off the top and remove the liquid yolk, without breaking it. Sheila has excellent hands." I could forgive him for that.

Francine was about to bust a gasket, so I did a Spock. She said, "Why haven't you asked who the other aide was? I paid close attention. He was never introduced by name."

Sean and I spoke at once. I said, "Son, maybe nephew." Sean said, "Heir to the family holdings." Junior aide stared in disbelief. Francine stared a moment, then nodded.

She said, "Damn Skippy, I get it. It was so simple I overlooked it. You can talk to each other. Hell, half the time you don't need to talk. Damn if I can tell your cues, but neither of you misses a line." From Francine, that was the highest praise. She changed the subject, "What the hell was on that drive? Triple A's tongue was hanging out."

I spent the rest of the trip showing Francine how my idea worked. Junior aide was fascinated when I demonstrated how I broke down a frame. The platform requirements were simple, but there was a lot of detail work. Francine commented that the final scene would have a dozen still shots. I asked, "What do you want? Butch and Sundance on the cover of the Times?" Francine looked at the junior aide, then both pulled out phones. Oi vey.

Sean:

Being married is supposed to tie you down. That may be true of some people, but no one married to Sheila would be bored. The way she blasted through Schofield Barracks would have NCOs and junior officers talking for a month. One did not snub the Pentagon assholes, no matter how much they deserve it. Because she was not—ever—in the military, Sheila could get away with it.

All that paled beside La La Land. Franky Marcel arranged an ambush. Sheila dealt with it with her normal aplomb. The first gambit was for extending our layover. Sheila told them no chance, but they could use of our five hour slot.

Next, Francine chose a Hollywood restaurant, where movie icons were normal and Japanese were not. The management group felt out of place. Sheila ignored the restaurant and gave our introduction in Japanese, via her smartphone. The younger Sony exec noticed Kiku more than Sheila. That was fine. Sheila told him that Kiku was both from good family and American by birth. That hit the Japanese contingent like a bucket of cold water.

Once introductions were made, Sheila gave up her rough sketches. From the reaction, the movie wonks thought they were more like the Mona Lisa. It quickly became apparent that a senior Sony executive was showing his replacement around. I would have cued Sheila to this detail, if she ever showed need of assistance. Silly me. Sheila wowed all of them, including Francine and Aaron Aldermann.

Not that it was enough. Francine had lain layers of traps. Most Sheila avoided, as if they were rocks on the sidewalk. The soft boiled egg was too much for anyone to ignore, so Sheila deftly grabbed the horns and slayed the beast. Eating the egg was almost overkill.

At that point Sheila faded back and let everyone talk. As her boss, I approved. Napoleon said, "Never interrupt your enemy while he is making a mistake." My version is, "Never interrupt a client that is making a decision." If they want information, they'll ask for it. Either way you get a firmer commitment.

Usually, it's a matter of waiting for a sign that the decision is made, then clearing your throat. My problem was Francine took the opportunity to make crude jokes. I didn't remember her being so dirty minded. While I was preoccupied, Sheila signaled the server for more tea. Smoothly done.

|Aaron Aldermann spoke for the group. They were very pleased. Magic words, like "consider the retainer earned" are infrequent at best. Hearing them a week into a six figure project doesn't ever happen. That meant it was time to play CEO.

Mr. Morita's aide/heir gave me an easy opening. He mentioned Toyko and plum blossoms. This was an indirect way to invite me to visit his corporate headquarters. Spring has a special place to traditional Japanese, so this was no token request. Since I intended to refuse, I intentionally misunderstood the honor that was offered.

I started with the last line of a famous haiku. It roughly translates, "So the journey begins." Then I declined the invitation, on the grounds that Sheila and I expected a child about then. Francine's egg worked perfectly with the situation, so I used it. She could glare, but walking on my lines was out of bounds. My polite refusal, for such a good reason, earned face with the Japanese.

This time their offer was unambiguously a visit to a residence, but not in Tokyo and not in spring. However, the offer extended to my whole family. They were serious about establishing ties. My counter was to invite the heir to visit my home, not just in the spring, but for the christening. Naturally, I had to mention my home was unworthy. That established symmetry, gift for gift.

Since the exchange completed our agreement, Sheila mentioned that she would invite Kiku. Her words were in English. Though the aide/heir did not translate, his boss didn't miss it. He and I exchanged a glance. We understood each other. The rest was details. It still took twenty minutes to say goodbye.

In the car, Francine's mouth started running. It was an informal after-action report. She was pissed that her traps did not net any game. She was particularly upset about the boiled egg, thinking it was subtle. Perhaps she was pissed that I had used her bait, without springing the snare. The junior aide was interested in details, so I made up a plausible fiction.

In retrospect, the story was too good, so it was much repeated. We would encounter references for years. Christine loved it and turned it into a ritual. She faithfully presented a single boiled egg to almost every expectant mother, even when it required a trip to Europe. The exception, two eggs, turned out to be twins. We never figured out how she knew.

Sheila topped even that. She made an off hand comment about the ending of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It was the sign Francine was looking for. She jumped in with both feet. The deal made her made a great deal of money and launched her second career as a movie producer. Sheila received recognition on another sort, in the form of a statuette she keeps in the Library. I was only mildly surprised when she would not collect it in person.

In case it was unclear, I often feel like the slow cousin at a party. Francine is smarter than I am and Sheila far above that high standard. Mostly, Sheila points, I growl and we get good results. Occasionally, I have been glad for an excuse to exit, such as our boarding time at LAX. For once something went as planned.

The plane to New York was not red carpet. Maybe they didn't get the memo. After the high stakes breakfast, it was nice to be just another couple returning from Hawaii. As the plane neared New York, Sheila showed me her CAD depiction of Jo's bedroom. It was unreal that she did it so quickly, with unfamiliar software. Then she started morphing Jo's room into a nursery. I thought I foresaw all this when I bought the software, but Sheila still blew my mind.

Have I mentioned that my wife is gifted?

Sheila:

Our final leg was comforting. Part of it was my project. I was doing drawings of the Residence. Part of it was the sight of familiar fashions and the sound of familiar accents. Even the flight attendants sounded of the City. Still, the fact that home lay at the end of the run was what really mattered. I was feeling quite happy.

Airports can kill the nicest buzz. We were on the ground for more than an hour before we were allowed to deplane. There was a nice reunion with Siobhan and Christine, followed by a mixup with our bags. Sean's suitcase either never made it on the plane or stayed on board for the return trip. At least our footlocker made it through. While Sean filled out forms, we girls spent several minutes going through the many things Sean and I had been given. One thing led to another and I opened my suitcase. Siobhan looked at my beach bunny dress in disbelief. Wait til she saw the pics.

The drive home was another new experience. Sean and Siobhan had a long talk. It was the first time I saw their sibling relationship in action. The other sibling, George would be at the residence. The last Siobhan had seen, he was shooting pool with one of the security techs, arguing how to increase the rate and bandwidth of the secure data line. That had direct relevance to my work, so I payed attention. It was not easy, because Christine was teasing me.

Much has been said of Siobhan's transformation. That evening I was struck by Christine's new confidence. The day I met her at the corporate offices, she seemed constantly braced for rejection. Within a day, she and I had developed a clear relationship. Almost at once, she became more relaxed and the process continued. Having her at my side felt as natural as showering with my husband.

I leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Kinbaku." Christine shivered and leaned closer. I had a new hobby. Siobhan noticed and nudged Sean. I looked at her and said, "What? I was just promising to tie her up." Sean, very theatrically, slapped his forehead. We all laughed.

It was good to be home.