Approach and Doubts

That week flew by for Sachie. With so many new things and places to discover. She hardly saw Takumi during the day. The factory he managed was almost an hour away from where she was, so she had to take care of her needs alone.

It wasn't difficult for her to adapt and she enjoyed chatting with people, negotiating prices, products, and she noticed that she smiled more and more. Her health even improved from being outside all day under the sun without her father's restrictions. She made real friends who shared recipes with her. Sometimes she even went to their houses to eat.

She liked and enjoyed going to her friends' houses. They were noisy, the children were open to expressing themselves, to sharing opinions, and although there was some discipline, it was not as strict as the one she once had.

The first time she spent the day with Takumi, she really didn't know what to do. It was going to be a day for the two of them. She was nervous, which reminded her of those times when she was forced to meet her suitors.

But the outing was relaxing for her. Takumi asked her about her interests, her opinions, and about some current topics. Takumi also talked to her about the factory, about how they had invested in machines to do embroidery and designs faster.

Sachie found herself smiling and enjoying the time she spent with Takumi. By the time October began, she was already looking forward to those days she spent with her friend. At that time Takumi visit her with more regularity and by that month they also started spending more time together, more hours, more than two days.

"You are very close to Mr. Takahara," a neighbour told her while both were going to the market to buy vegetables. "Where do you know him from?"

"Well... I..." Sachie stammered. She didn't know what to say or how to explain how she met him. "When I was in Nagoya, he helped me."

"You make a good couple," the person said while smiling. Sachie did not understand this phrase. "It's a shame he is the heir to an important family. There is no way he would notice a peasant like you."

Couple? She never thought of Takumi as a couple. In fact, she didn't even know how to start a relationship beyond friendship with him.  The neighbour laughed a little when she saw Sachie blushing and nervous.

"Autumn has arrived very quickly this year," the vegetable seller said while attending to Sachie and her friend. "What can I offer you?"

Sachie's neighbour asked for what she wanted, and they continued with their shopping. After a while, both women started going home. For the first time, Sachie looked at the landscape. Some trees were already beginning to have red and orange leaves.

She remembered those times when Akiko took them out to eat dango while they looked at the parks full of dry leaves. Before her mother began her education to turn them into wife candidates. There were always games, laughs, and fun. Sachie began to feel nostalgic.

"Look," the neighbor said, pointing to something in a nearby park. "The Aki Matsuri will be celebrated soon."

"What is that?" Sachie asked, confused. Her companion teased her a little.

"The Aki Matsuri,  the Autumn festival! Don't tell me that in Nagoya there aren't any fetivals,” she said, still teasingly, laughing. "You'll have to wait and see it for yourself."

"Aki Matsuri..." Sachie whispered as she continued the walk with her friend. It was time to go home. Aki... Aki... Sachie kept thinking, who for the first time thought about her mother since she abandon her home. That afternoon, as a surprise, Takumi came to her room with some sweets and tea to share.

"And this tea?" Sachie asked curiously when she saw it; she smiled. It smelled especially strong, but she decided to try it.

"This Earl Grey tea comes from London," Takumi explained while Sachie prepared the teapot for the water. "The mochi are from a local shop near my house. They have become popular lately."

Sachie mentioned that she was getting used to her new life. She had gotten a part-time job at an apothecary near Mizutani pier, and in her free time, she continued learning. She liked the idea that people in that area still trusted traditional medicine more.

"There are more people here who can teach me to improve," Sachie commented with excitement. "They don't even find it strange to see me as an apprentice."

The tea was ready in a short time, and Sachie was surprised by its flavor and accepted that perhaps she was too rigid in her traditions, in her ideas. Maybe foreign things also had worthwhile aspects.

"And you haven't tried the sweets from India," Takumi commented before taking a sip of the tea. "There is a sweet prepared with rice, milk and some sugar."

The conversation continued to other topics, toward the life Takumi led. Sachie was interested in how he worked in a factory.

"How about we go for a walk?" Takumi said, getting up from the table. "It's an excellent day. We can walk nearby."

Both left the room. Some neighbours recognized Takumi; "My mother works in his factory," someone whispered. "Why would he be interested in a nameless peasant girl?" commented a gray-haired man.

Others, intrigued by his clothing, looked at him and pointed. The neighbours knew Sachie was single, and it caught their attention that someone from the upper class was in her room as if they were already married.

"Could they be relatives?" someone commented while watching the couple go down the stairs. With them out of earshot, they could speak more openly.

"I don't think so," said another person, a woman about 40 years old who was always watching what Sachie was doing. "Maybe he wants her to work at the factory. I've heard that only women her age work there."

"And why isn't he hiring her yet?" a man asked that woman. She just shrugged her shoulders.

"How should I know?"

At the Takahara home, the situation was complicated for the heir. That afternoon, when he arrived home, Takumi realized there was a strange silence. Usually, the housemaids talked among themselves. It wasn't dinner time yet, and there was usually noise in the kitchen. That day there was none.

"Takahara-sama," one of the housemaids said when she saw Takumi going toward his room. "Your father is waiting for you in the library. It's urgent."

Takumi asked permission to enter and, after waiting for the response, entered. His father was there, looking at the perfect garden: without a fallen leaf, without an untrimmed branch. The door closed when Takumi entered.

“Good afternoon, Takumi,” The man began to speak.

Keiichi, a thin man, fashionably dressed, wore glasses and had the bad habit of consuming opium. That man was not looking at his son. He was distracted, watching if there was anything to fix in his perfect garden. He hated autumn because it meant more work in it. That man moved, sat at his desk, and finally looked at his son, who waited patiently in silence.

"I want to retire," Keiichi said seriously. "I need you to take charge now."

"I am taking charge, father," Takumi replied, approaching his father's desk. "I go to the factory every day to supervise it. Besides..."

"Your mother and I are already looking for a suitable candidate to be your wife," his father commented, searching for something in his desk. He took a photo of a well-dressed young woman. "She is Shibasaki Haruna. She belongs to a family of prestigious merchants. They have traveled to India, China, Europe..."

"Why are you doing this?" he asked in a strained voice. Of all the topics to discuss, he didn't expect this one, not now.

Keiichi looked at his son with authority; he didn't want to lose patience and ruin the afternoon. "I expected you to understand. You are already 25 years old."

Annoyed by the topic and unwilling to continue, Takumi excused himself and left. For first time the thought about his father’s plans. He genuinely think about his future and why he was accepting all his father wants without questioning it.