Temper: Deliverance: Book Three of the TEMPER Saga, page 20
“Ah, I see him. Over there, by the windows,” Lana said after a cursory glance at the crowd of the coffee shop.
“Then we will be at that other table, on your left,” Honda said, pushing the stroller to save the space. Yuki gave Lana another discreet squeeze and brushed Isao’s hair before going to the register to order drinks. After another couple of deep breaths, Lana approached the middle-aged man whose back was to the room.
It didn’t surprise her that he was busy typing on a laptop. It gave her the chance to assess him before he could modify his body language. He was as good as her in that regard – both for reading people and for blocking them from reading him. Maybe the one thing she could say with certainty was that she had inherited this from him.
Age had caught up with Pierre Martin. At 65, his hair was now snow white, and she could glimpse deep lines running along his nose and mouth, as well as brown marks on his temples. He still favored a small beard, now white as well. Under his priceless tailor-made suit, his shoulders and neck were tense, but whether it was because of their upcoming meeting or whatever issue he was handling, she didn’t know.
The fingers running on the keyboard were as manicured as always. He wasn’t one to abuse his nails when stressed or show any kind of tell-tale sign of stress for that matter. The memories of a couple of high-stake poker nights in Montreal with a few of his business partners flashed in her mind; they were maybe the only fun and relaxed ones they had shared.
“Bonjour Pierre,” Lana called out, surprised at how calm and strong her voice sounded. She hadn’t called him papa since she was nine.
The man glanced up, and after a blink to adapt to the bright daylight framing her from behind, pushed back his chair and stood up, a large smile on his face.
“Lana, ma grande. It’s been too long.” Maybe he had intended to give her a hug, but her cool and stiff posture stopped him from even trying. They weren’t close enough for her to allow it.
“Indeed. Years.” They fell into cautious mutual observation before Pierre pointed at Isao nested against her.
“Congratulations, darling. I was so relieved to hear that both of you went through this terrible ordeal without suffering from long-lasting consequences.”
Lana repressed a huff. Every word he used was carefully chosen. So formal. But it helped.
“Indeed, we were very lucky, but we also had the best doctors.”
“If it had been possible, I’d have come back then, but I was deep in the mud of fracking fields in Chile, and –”
“Pierre. Don’t. Just… don’t.” Lana cut him off with a sharp head move before taking a seat. Her father stared at her for a few heartbeats and sat down again. A painful silence stretched between them.
“You don’t drink anything?”
“I’m fine, thank you. So… fracking, hm? What a change of heart. A couple of years ago, you were all about renewable energies, solar panels, wind turbines, and the like. You bet on the wrong horse? That would be new.”
He gave her a tired smile and shook his head. “I’m not here to talk about business, ma grande. I… was hoping to catch up and meet this little boy here.”
Lana threw him her iciest glare; it had been months since she had had the chance to use it, and it felt almost good. His insistence at using his little name for her grated on her nerves. She went with brutal honesty.
“I don’t know, Pierre. It’s hard for me, I have to say. Don’t expect me to open my arms like that, as if nothing had ever happened.”
“Lana… I thought we could use this as chance to build something new. Leave the past behind us and –”
“No, not like this, with a snap of fingers,” she cut him off. “I’m not talking about your odd sense of priorities when your only child and grandchild are fighting for their lives. You know, I get that. I do. Because whether I like it or not, I’m not so different. Or at least, I used to be kind of like that. A self-centered ass.” She took a deep breath, but her throat constricted, and her face turned hot and red. “Before I consider allowing you in our lives, I need to understand why.”
“Why?” Pierre was clearly lost.
“Why did you leave me with that bitch, that –” Murderer, witch, abusive piece of shit. “With her, Pierre. I mean, you divorced her for a reason. You knew she was unhinged, always high on stuff. And yet… you left me behind. You could have sent me to a boarding school, for fuck’s sake. To a convent, the army, I don’t know! Anywhere would have been better, safer. I was just a kid and you left me in harm’s way!”
Pierre buried his face in his hands, hanging his head low. “Lana, I–”
“There is nothing, nothing I wouldn’t do for my son. I would die, I would kill for him,” she growled behind clenched teeth and her father recoiled at the pure conviction surging from her. “So, what was it? You didn’t love me enough? You didn’t care enough? I want the truth, Pierre. And if I don’t like what I hear, this is the last you will ever hear and see of me, of us!”
Her hand slammed the table and people around them jumped in surprise. Her eyes met Honda’s; she could read his concern and worry on his face. He was ready to jump on his feet. She breathed through her nose and made a small hand gesture, half apology, half reassurance.
Pierre tugged at his hair and groaned, eyes squeezed shut.
“No, Lana,” he rasped, and she had to strain to catch his words. “I always loved you. I always will. The truth? This is something I should have told you when you came to Montreal after graduating… but we had no rapport back then, we had grown so distant, and you were still so distraught after what that boy did to you, I didn’t want to –” He stopped mid-words when she began to shake her head vehemently.
“Paolo didn’t assault me. This was another lie. And I confess, I should have told you the truth back then. But I wanted… needed… so much to get over it. And to be honest, I didn’t trust you.”
“What? But who then…?”
“Not now. Tell me what you hid from me.”
Her father stared outside at the dance of landing and departing planes. “I filed for divorce, all right. But I also filed for exclusive custody over you.” Lana gaped at him. “I could sense she had issues, yes, but it wasn’t the reason I wanted to leave her. I wanted to take you with me because I felt she wouldn’t care much for you once I was gone.” He sighed. “The problem was, she had a freaking good lawyer who knew everyone at the local court. When they found out the actual reason behind my decision… it was over. I was… burnt at the stake. They stripped me of everything. But above all, they cut me off from you, with the blessing of the courts.” He wiped away a few tears. “And when we met again, so many years later, you had made up your mind about me. I didn’t know how to fight it and I… I gave up. I am so, so sorry I failed you, Lana.”
She stared at her father who seemed even older now. Tears flowed freely on his face. “What did you do to turn the entire system against you?” she asked, perplexed.
“As a father, asking for exclusive custody was already a tough one. A country like Italy, the mother usually gets it. Traditional views and the like. But her lawyer dug deep in my private life, my relationships, and found out what I had been struggling with for years, until I couldn’t handle it anymore. I am gay, chérie. And when I met the man who would later become my life partner, I had to stop running from myself.”
Silence stretched again, until Pierre scoffed. “You see? You can’t accept it either, you –”
“Pierre! Stop! That’s not it! I’m just… trying to remake the whole puzzle. You being gay doesn’t matter, I’m actually happy for you. At least, you could live your life freely as such afterward.” She rubbed her face. “I get the picture. I see how they used it, how no judge ever in Italy in the late 80s would grant even partial custody to a homosexual father.”
“Not only that, but I was forbidden to contact you until your majority, unless she was there. Needless to say, this never happened.”
Lana let out a shaky breath. “She destroyed us.”
Her father frowned. “Lana, she was very negligent and burned all our chances at a normal relationship, but what did she do for you to say this?”
She hesitated; her next words could destroy him with guilt. “She was the one who assaulted me. I lost my baby and almost died because of her, and that scum, Giulio. They killed Paolo.”
Pierre blanched before turning crimson red. He opened his mouth, but no word came out. His whole body started to tremble.
“No! No no no…” His voice broke and rage shook his shoulders. “I can’t… this is too awful…”
Lips pinched, Lana grabbed his wrist and summoned all her strength to not crumble down. “Pierre. I’m fine now. It took me years, and this also affected what happened to me this winter. But you can’t do anything about it now.”
“I’ll confront her! I’ll make her pay!”
Lana’s eyes shot wide and she panicked. “No! Don’t! Don’t tell her anything about me, don’t give her any hint about my life today… don’t take any risk. She is dangerous, he is a menace. She’s dead to me. I have to move on, you see? Finally, finally I have everything to be happy. And I’m working on it every day.”
Pierre stared at her before groaning, nodding in understanding. “Yes, I get it. And I’d also get it if you want me out of your life. I let you down. The worst thing a parent can do.”
Lana gave him a joyless smile. “No, trust me, there are worse things. But I won’t. She almost succeeded in making total strangers of you and me. But no more. So… Pierre Martin, please let me introduce you to this little boy, your grandson, Honda Isao. Isao kun,” she said softly, switching to Italian, “this is your grand-papa, Pierre. Want to say hello?”
She took Isao off the carrier and handed him to a dumbfounded Pierre who couldn’t believe the turn of events. He recovered quickly and accepted her present with care and gratitude, pure joy shining in his eyes.
“Bonjour toi. How cute you are. The spitting image of your maman when she was your age.”
“Oh, come on…” Lana chuckled.
“You don’t believe me? Look at this,” he took out his wallet. “This is the only picture of you I could keep back then. You were eight months old. Same mouth, same nose.”
Lana laughed in delight before turning serious again. “Give me Isao back, and take a picture of us. Time to make new memories, don’t you think?”
Swallowing down hard, her father nodded and began to shoot a series of pics. “Thank you, Lana, you have no idea how much this matters to me.”
“I do. Now introductions are not over. Take Isao back please and come with me.” Lana led them to where Honda and Yuki sat. She gave them a small but confident smile, and they obviously relaxed as they stood up to welcome them.
“Papa…” The name sounded odd, but it was also a relief to use it after thirty years. She switched to English. “I’d like you to meet my husband and Isao’s father, Honda Naruhito.” Honda extended his hand, and silent, the two men shared a long handshake and an even longer stare.
“And… this is my wife, Honda Yuki, who is also Isao’s mother. Goshujin sama, oku sama, my father, Pierre Martin.”
“Very nice to meet you, Mr. Martin,” Yuki said, as calm and composed as ever. “I’m so glad that you could meet our little Isao.”
To his credit, after a double-take and a side glance at his daughter, Pierre recovered promptly and shook Yuki’s proffered hand.
“It is a pleasure to meet both of you. I didn’t get that Lana was actually married, my apologies.”
“Long story, papa, but yes, we are. Not in the eyes of the law, but of higher authorities, and I am extremely happy.”
“That’s all I need to know. Congratulations to all of you, you have no idea how much joy…” He shook his head and regained his composure. “Lana, I might be back in Asia at the end of the year. Would you like me to…”
“Yes! Please come by, and this time stay at our place. I think this would be all right, no?” Her spouses nodded.
“Of course, I would not accept any other accommodation plan, Mr. Martin,” Yuki said.
“Call me Pierre, please.”
“I am afraid this is impossible. You are our wife’s father.”
Lana blinked. “Right. Then, how about père? That would be the closest to otoh sama in French.”
Pierre was surprised but nodded. “Terribly formal for me, but I understand.”
Yuki gave him a deep bow. “This sounds perfect. Père, I look forward to welcoming you in our humble house.”
Honda mirrored his wife’s gesture. “Indeed, it will be our pleasure to see you there, Père.” Martin blushed a little, and Lana had to fight a smirk.
“Thank you very much, all of you. Unfortunately, to my deepest regret, my plane leaves in less than an hour. I should go now.”
They exchanged a few more pleasantries, then Lana accompanied her father until the security gates, Isao tucked in his grandfather’s arms.
“Safe travels, Papa. Please give me some news when you have time.”
“Same to you, ma grande. I feel blessed today, thank you so much for your understanding and forgiveness.”
Lana fought back fresh tears. “It will take a bit of time, but I am glad we did this today. An important first step.”
“Yes, and meeting your family is such a relief. They seem to be decent people, and I’m happy you aren’t alone anymore. Your wife is so beautiful and sophisticated! She seems amazing.”
“That she is.”
“And your husband… well…” There was something in Pierre’s eyes that made Lana double over with laughter.
“Wait a second, should I fight you over him, or what?”
Pierre laughed and shook his head. “Well, I’m allowed to express my appreciation of your fine tastes, am I not? But if Daniel comes with me next time, I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t find himself alone with him. He’s got a sweet tooth for gruff and strong guys and is no shy at all about saying it loud. He’ll be delighted to finally meet you properly, by the way.”
With a chuckle, Pierre side-stepped Lana’s playful swat, before kissing Isao’s cheeks softly.
“See you soon, petit bouchon. I’ll bring you toys next time, and we’ll get to play together. Au revoir, ma grande.”
“Au revoir, Papa.”
21 – Noisy Neighbors
“Am I stupid or what! Yuki sama, I forgot to pick the three loaves of bread,” Lana exclaimed right as the two women stepped out of their favorite bread shop outside their station. “I’ve got the brioches and Danish, but no bread.”
“Don’t fret, I’ll go back and get them.”
“Oh no, it’s so crammed, we already waited thirty minutes… We can do without it, right?”
“I guess we could, but I love their bread; stay outside with Isao, it’s too hot and stuffy in there. Wait for me under the bus stop. With no umbrella, we’re going to drown in this downpour!” Yuki said with a disgruntled look at her beige suede pumps; they wouldn’t survive ten minutes out there. “How come is it raining so hard anyway? The forecasts are totally wrong today, I feel like calling the weather channel to complain.”
“I’ll call a taxi. So sorry for the bother…”
With a little head-shake and a shrug, Yuki went back inside the small shop that was always a victim of its own success on Sundays.
Protecting the head of a sleeping Isao as well as she could with her coat, Lana jogged to the bus stop, already sweating in the relentless August heat.
Yuki and her love of lines. I’ll never get it.
After sending a quick text to their husband to let him know they’d be late, she checked out her social media and got lost in the latest depressing world news.
Something soft and small brushing her shins caught her attention. A loud gasp of surprise escaped her when her eyes fell on a small, round long-haired dog rubbing itself against her skinny jeans.
Not any kind of dog.
That dog.
The one from the shrine next to their house, that had made her trip so many months before. So hairy she couldn’t make out its face.
But does it even have one?
Wetting her lips nervously, Lana took a step back, her arms going around Isao out of pure reflex.
“Hey… hey there. Long time no see,” she whispered. There was nobody around but still, she felt silly talking to something no-one else could see.
The funny creature began to run excited laps around her, and Lana gradually relaxed at its antics. It seemed in a playful mood, as if happy to see her. Its high-pitch barks were annoying but then, they wouldn’t wake up Isao.
Would they?
A glance at her baby boy told her he was still fast asleep.
“Thank you for that night, by the way. You saved me.”
Whenever she thought about that incident, she came to the conclusion Nogitsune had been lurking in the shrine. She had come very close to falling into his claws. With nothing, no magical artifact, no weapon, nobody to protect her.
Except for this little creature now running even faster around her.
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to tell me but—” Glancing up, Lana fell silent, goosebumps erupting on her back and arms.
On the sidewalk on the other side of the street, two small figures stood side by side. A diminutive granny with crooked legs, and a child wearing yellow rubber boots and whose face was hidden by the hood of a red coat.
They carried no umbrella, but the hard rain didn’t touch them. As if they weren’t truly there. Or at least, not enough to be affected by insignificant details like the weather.
The granny’s wrinkled face wasn’t smiling, and Lana was too far away to see her eyes. Still, she couldn’t perceive any sense of threat. Only mere observation. An assessment maybe.
Working her jaw and clutching Isao against her, she straightened up and stared back.
They won’t make me cower. I faced much worse than those two. Their master has no longer any hold over me, and I’m not going to apologize for it. They picked the wrong team and the wrong woman to bother.
