“Um. Son…” Freddie said.
“Don’t tell me what anything is.” Darren said, “If its something that I’ll find repulsive, tell me tomorrow. Tonight I plan on eating a bit of everything.”
Darren ate his fill in silence. He noticed that Yuki ate without saying much either. Freddi and Mr. Tanamoro did most of the talking. And laughing. They told each other stories about each of their kids growing up.
During the dinner, Darren learned some things about Yuki. She hates spiders, and that her mom died when she was young.
Yuki learned stuff about him too. His first words, the name of his favorite stuffed animal, and other equally embarrassing things that he would sooner not have anyone know about.
Yuki’s dad’s cell phone rang.
“Hello, Taikaso,” Mr. Tanamoro said. “Yeh Yeh. What’s going on? You are interrupting an important dinner… The what?…” A panicked look appeared on his face. ”We are not far… Yes, favorite restaurant… Yes, Freddi is with me… A car will be here in five? We’ll be outside.”
“What’s wrong?” Freddie asked.
“Problem. I need your help, my friend.” Mr. Tanamoro said.
Freddi looked over at Darren.
“Go.” Darren said, “I’ll be fine.”
Mr. Tanamoro looked over to Yuki.
“Are you planning on going home or…”
“Dad.” She said, “I was planning on hanging with Darren tonight.”
“That’s my girl,” Mr. Tanamoro said.
Mr. Tanamoro put a bunch of money on the table.
“Finish your meal,” Mr. Tanamoro said, “That should pay for it and a bit extra. It is Sunday night. Take him to a movie or something.”
Freddi and Mr. Tanamoro both left in a hurry.
“Its funny how normal that is,” Darren asked after a moment.
“The hurried departure or the obvious date set up for us?” Yuki said.
“Umm…” Darren said, “I… umm…”
Yuki broke out into laughter.
“They’re trying to set us up,” Yuki said.
“Does it bother you?” Darren asked.
“Not really.” Yuki said, “Japanese culture is that the men work long hours to support the family.”
“I meant the other part,” Darren said.
“What?” Yuki said, “You don’t want to be set up with me?”
Darren blushed again.
“Umm…” Darren stammered, “Umm…”
Yuki leaned over the table and kissed Darren on the cheek.
“I like you.” Yuki said, “I don’t know why, but I do like you.”
“I umm…” Darren said.
“Cat caught your tongue?” Yuki asked.
“Kinda.” Darren said, “I’m not sure what to do or say…”
“I understand.” Yuki said, “Things are changing very fast for you. I have patience. I can wait if I need to.”
Darren finished the last of the sushi. Yuki was done eating too.
“That was very good.” Darren said, “Way better than anything I have ever had back in Canada.”
“I bet.” Yuki said, “There’s even better food at other restaurants too.”
“So your dad wants us to go out to a movie.” Darren said, “Was there another movie you want to go see?”
“Not really.” Yuki said, “I want to go do Karaoke.”
“Oh dear lord.” Darren said, “I can’t sing very well.”
“That’s nice.” Yuki said, “I can. Let’s go.”
Yuki used most of the money her dad had left to pay for the meal and they left the restaurant.
“Wait.” Darren said, “Aren’t we going to that Katana Club Meeting?”
“That’s what they’re doing tonight,” Yuki said.
Chapter 4
Darren and Yuki walked down the street. The lights of the city glowed in the distance. In all of the confusion of what was going on with his mom and his ex-girlfriend, he felt happy.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. A news article flashed on the screen. In big red letters, it said, ‘Emergency. Read this article.’
Darren clicked on the link and then stopped walking. The karaoke with the Katana club was forgotten.
Displayed on the phone was a live news report from a news agency in the United States. Darren turned the volume up.
A view of a female reporter at an airport. A large sign was displaying a long list of flights. After each flight was the red letters that said, “Canceled.”
“Reports are coming in that flights in and out of most airports in the continental US have been canceled due to ash,” The reporter said, “as well as parts of Mexico and Canada. Please stay away from the airports.”
The screen changed to show a shot of a stock photo of a male reporter, with a sub-title that said, “Audio Only.”
“Can you hear me? The noise was deafening.” The off-screen reported said, “The smoke and ash exploded from the Caldara, and I am worried about the people left at the scene. This is devastating. We are being told by the national guard to get out and leave, but there…” The phone cut out.
A news reporter came on the screen, “For those that are just tuning in, I will recap what we know so far. Twenty minutes ago, in the Yellowstone national park, the volcano has erupted. A hundred square miles around the park is inaccessible due to the falling ash, and there is ash falling up to a thousand miles away. This is bad people. If you are in the following states, you are to evacuate immediately. Do not stay home. Get out now before it is too late.”
Yuki pulled out her phone from her bra as Darren muted his. She fiddled with her phone and then a couple of moments later, the screen changed to a female Japanese news reporter.
“…Caldera has erupted.” The reporter said in Japanese, “Government officials have reported that while the eruption has happened in the United States, people will need to prepare for ash to fall on the islands. They say that anyone with respiratory problems needs to stay inside or get to an emergency facility. If any ash is to fall on Japan, it will be in light quantities and in sixteen hours…”
Yuki put the phone away.
“Is that what I think that it is?” Yuki asked.
“It is bad,” Darren said.
“How bad.” Yuki said, “My English is not as good as I thought.”
“Do you know what…” Darren said, “I’m looking for the Japanese word for a mountain that spits fire. Like Mount Fuji.”
“Volcano,” Yuki said the Japanese word.
“Right.” Darren said, “Do you know where Yellowstone National Park is?”
“Kinda.” Yuki said, “It’s in America somewhere.”
“Well, the entire park is a giant volcano. It makes Mount Fuji look like a pimple.”
“And that means?” Yuki asked.
“If the news report was correct, then things are going to get worse.”
“How bad?” Yuki said, “Tsunami? Earthquake?”
To Darren, it looked like Yuki had tensed up. He could almost taste the fear in her.
“Maybe, I don’t know.” Darren said, “I’m not an expert. I only know what I’ve read online. I don’t think a volcanic eruption can trigger earthquakes and tsunamis. And if they do, I don’t think they will affect us here. ”
“So what do we do?”
“Not sure. I don’t think the ash will get to us over here.” Darren said.
“What do we do?” Yuki asked.
Yuki held onto his arm while Darren looked into her eyes. A look of sheer panic showed in her eyes. She closed her eyes after a few moments and took deep breaths.
“I survived the Tohoku tsunami.” Yuki said, “My family was in the area. We climbed onto a roof and watched the water swirl around us. A helicopter had to come a day later to pick us up.”
Darren held her shoulders and looked into her eyes.
“I promise you Yuki, that no matter what happens, I will keep you safe,” Darren said.
Yuki and Darren looked into each other eyes for a few minutes. Yuki lowered her eyes and blushed.
“Thank you.” Yuki said, “I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” Darren said.
“We should go catch that train.” Yuki said, “Its getting cold out, and we need to get to your brother. He might be freaking out right now.”
“We will take a cab.” Yuki said, “It is faster.”
Darren started to take off his jacket.
“I am not cold yet, silly,” Yuki said.
Darren looked down at her open sports jacket and her white blouse. Yuki’s nipples showed through her shirt.
“Still.” Darren said as he took off his bomber jacket and put it on her shoulders, “I have this hoody, and you just have that thin jacket.”
“Thank you,” Yuki said.
Yuki called a cab, and they rode down the streets towards the apartment. Darren was afraid of what the bill was going to be.
Darren pulled out his phone and sent a couple of texts out about the news. He sent one to his mom and his sister. He wanted to make sure that they were okay.
“Sorry,” Darren said, “I sent some text messages to my family back home. I need to know that they are safe.”
Yuki’s phone rang.
She picked it up.
“Hi, dad.” Yuki said, “What’s going on?” Yuki paused, and stood at the bottom of the steps, “We are in a cab on the way to Freddi’s apartment… We saw the news on my phone and Darren explained it to me… Yes, dad higher ground… Earthquakes? Is that normal? No, dad, I don’t remember that from high school… Yes, dad… We will go back to the apartment and make sure that Anthony is safe. Do you want us to go to our shelter? You sure? Bye, dad. See you later.”
“What’s happening?” Darren asked.
Yuki leaned in so that her head was right beside Darren. She spoke in a quiet, hushed tone right next to his ear. To Darren, it was evident that she didn’t want the cab driver to hear the conversation.
“My dad says there have been a couple earthquakes. Major ones just hit America.”
“Where?”
“New Madrid and San Andraois.” Yuki said, “I am not sure where those are.”
“I know the San Andraois one. Its pushing California into the sea.”
“Isn’t there a bad movie about that?”
“Yes, there is.”
“Where’s New Madrid?”
“I’m not sure.” Darren said, “My gut says that we should prepare somehow.”
“My dad has a storage bin on Omotesando Hills.” Yuki said, “Its filled with things that we can use.”
“Are we going to go meet them there then?”
“No.” Yuki said, “He thinks that its premature. Something about the apartment being good for an earthquake if one comes.”
“What about Tsunamis?”
“He isn’t worried,” Yuki said.
Darren looked at Yuki. She seemed calmer now. Like the act of calling her dad calmed her nerves down.
“So you’re preppers?” Darren said.
“Preppers? I don’t understand.”
“Preppers is a North American term for people who plan for the end of the world.”
“Zombies?” Yuki asked, “Those people that prepare for Zombies?”
“Kinda.”
“Aren’t they all crazy?”
“Some of them are.”
“Are you a Prepper?” Yuki asked.
“No,” Darren said, “I have an uncle who’s a big one. He says that if anything happens that we can head out to his house.”
“Its a little far now though.”
“Way too far,” Darren said.
“Aren’t you scared?” Yuki asked.
“I am.” Darren said, “But its abstract. Its not here yet. It isn’t going to hurt us five thousand miles away.”
“But what if it does?”
“That’s why we’re going to go get Anthony, and we’re going to go to a safe place.”
“You are humoring me,” Yuki said.
“Yes I am, but if your fears are correct, then we are safer.”
“And if it turns out to be nothing?”
“Then we have a funny story to tell,” Darren said.
The taxi bounced along the road in the darkness. The lights of the metropolis of Tokyo spread out before them. Darren found himself staring at the lights in the distance.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” Yuki said.
“It is serene,” Darren said.
Yuki leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder.
“You’re comfy,” Yuki said.
Darren wrapped his arm around her. Yuki grabbed hold of it and held on tight.
“Is it bad that I have a bad feeling,” Yuki said.
“What type of feeling?” Darren said.
“I don’t know how to describe it, but years ago with that tsunami, I wanted to go driving into the mountains that day. Something wanted to make me go.”
“I think I understand.”
“Do you really?” Yuki asked.
“I think so.” Darren said, “Its a feeling of unease. You don’t know what causes it, but something is making you feel off. You can sometimes drown the feeling with food or drink, but if its important, it stays.”
“That’s it.” Yuki said, “I’ve been having that feeling for a couple weeks now.”
Yuki’s phone rang again.
“Hello.” Yuki said, “Hi Sakiko… No, I can’t make it tonight… Just… No, I am not… Well maybe… Look, I can’t make it cause I must do something for my dad… Yes, I know that he’s paranoid… I’ll call you tomorrow… Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Who was that?” Darren asked.
“That was just Sakiko,” Yuki said.
“Weren’t we going to the Katana club?” Darren said,
“That’s what she called about.” Yuki said, “But I said no.”
“Yellowstone?” Darren asked.
“Yes.”
The trip to the apartment was uneventful. The taxi pulled up to the front of the condo, and Yuki paid the bill.
“Let’s go get your brother,” Yuki said.