Page 5 of Blossoms of the Heart
“The emperor.” Dad chuckled and nodded. “So, kid, do you think you’re up to translating the journal?”
“Yes.” That was definitely the answer.
“He’ll need you in Tokyo for at least six months. That okay?”
“Yes.” I needed this. Absolutely needed this. It would be perfect. A minimum of six months away from here would be great for me.
“Good, plus truth be told, I personally think you could do with the break. It’ll be just like summers of old for you with Akito, Mitsuke, and…Tai. He’s back.” A tentative expression washed over his face.
I blinked several times and tried not to show any form of emotion in that revelation. But Dad knew me, so there was no point trying to mask anything.
Tai. Akito’s nephew. I hadn’t seen him since I was eighteen and the last time that I did see him was not the best memory.
“Tai? Wow, he’s… back.”
“Yeah, I think he’s been back for a while but he’s been working with Akito for the last six months at the center. That should be interesting.”
Interesting.
I didn’t know if that was the right word, and I wasn’t sure what was.
Tai used to be the highlight of my summer. That was probably clear to everyone.
He was just the boy I wasn’t supposed to be with.
He was the super-hot older guy everyone would crush on. Five years older than me. A complete rebel with his attitude and defiance of authority. He had a new tattoo every summer and it was guaranteed that he’d land himself in some kind of trouble before the summer was out.
Although he and his family actually lived in LA, like me and mine, everyone would head to Japan in the first week of the summer break. Six whole weeks of fun and adventure.
For me it was six whole weeks of seeing Tai.
He went to the Marines and we never stayed in touch.
I didn’t expect him to, not with the way my mother treated him that last time.
It would be good to see him after so long.
Eleven years. That was a really long time.
But back to a time when everything was wonderful. I was eighteen. Young, ambitious and healthy.
Nothing was wrong with me then.
I couldn’t change the years that followed but it would definitely be nice to be in Japan.
“Sounds exactly like summers of old,” I bubbled. “When do I leave?”
“How does tomorrow sound?”
