Ren Natsukashi: Heartbreaker and Motorcyclist Extraordinaire

The week we had off between Christmas and New Year, Aiko flew down to Okinawa to spend time with some family she had living there. She sent a few pictures of her on the beach. I guess it never really gets cold in Okinawa and you can go to the beach even in winter… Lucky Aiko, she was nice enough to send a cute picture of her in her swimsuit though. Back here at home, I had a double Christmas dinner, one with my own family and one with Sentaro’s where I mostly got stuck playing either tag or checkers with all his little brothers.

Every afternoon for the entire week after Christmas, Sentaro and I rode down to that empty parking lot and practiced on the bike again and again. Each day I got a little bit better and Sentaro didn’t have to guide me so much. The day before New Year’s eve Sentaro even let me be the one to drive him home. I was still a bit shaky and wobbly, but I’d gotten the hang of everything pretty well. I smiled as I pulled up to Sentaro’s house and got off the bike.

“So, how’d I do?” I asked him, he imitated adjusting a non-existent pair of glasses on his face while checking something on an equally non-existent clipboard.

“Well Mr. Natsukashi, you passed with flying colors!” He did his best impersonation of an old grumpy driving instructor, giving me a pat on the back.

“Thank you, Sen. Seriously.” I held my hand out to him, he took it in his own and then pulled me into a hug.

“Anytime man, you sure your ready for everything that’s going down tomorrow?” He pulled away so he could look at my expression, and I gave him a reassuring grin.

“There’s no backing out now. I’m going to tell Aiko I’m in love with her… and dump my long-term family-arranged girlfriend in the process…” When I said it out loud like that, it didn’t exactly have the most romantic flair to it.

“You got this Man, I know you’re nervous now but it’ll all be worth it when you steal Aiko’s heart. Try to get some sleep, you’re going to need it for tomorrow.” Sentaro walked through his yard to the front door, waving me off before going inside. I took a slow quiet walk down to the train station, my mind thinking of a million different things. Aiko, Hifumi…my dad. It’s too late to back out.

When I got home the first thing I did was start a new chat with Hifumi.

R: Hey, we’re still on for tomorrow right?

H: Of Course, I’ve been wanting to talk to you too actually

R: Haha… oh yeah? Well …good

H: What’s the matter?

R: Do you think…maybe we could meet up a bit earlier than planned? Say like ten o’clock?

H: Of course, but why?

R: I just… want to have more time to talk about some things! Like you said it's been too long, it's practically like we aren’t a couple anymore! (shit, why did I say that.)

H: Okay, sure… Ten o’clock it is. See you then, Ren.

R: Haha…sure thing, goodnight Hifumi

I sighed and set my phone down on my chest, staring up at the ceiling with a guilty feeling in my gut. I wasn’t doing anything wrong, so why did it feel so wrong?... VRRMM VRRMM.

One new picture message from: Sentaro

Hmm? I wonder what he’s sending me now… I clicked the download button and watched as it slowly loaded all the way up to 100 percent. A picture of me driving through the lot on the motorcycle with my mouth wide open like I was screaming popped up on the screen. When the hell did he take that?! I scrolled down to the bottom which had a small caption

“Look out ladies, Ren Natsukashi is a heartbreaker!”

I rolled over on my side and smiled, taking in a deep breath. “You’ll be okay, Ren. Your friends have your back this time.” My eyelids slowly became heavier and heavier until, without realizing I had, I passed out. The following morning I was jarred awake by my father barging into my room, hanging up a freshly pressed dress shirt and a sleek black pair of pants.

“If there’s one thing I know for certain Ren, it's that women love a sharply dressed man. I picked this out for you at the store yesterday, I thought you could wear it for your date with Hifumi this evening.” I yawned and sat up, looking over at the tacky outfit he’d selected.

“Dad, I was kinda thinking I’d just pick out my own clothes for the date. I mean…isn’t part of being a man making decisions for yourself?” My dad gave me a surprised look, putting his hands on his hips as he glared at me from over the tops of his glasses.

“What’s with all this attitude from you lately? Judging by the way you dressed yourself yesterday, I’d say if I let you pick out your own outfit, any respectable girl is liable to turn tail and run.” No matter how you’d looked at him, my dad was simply an imposing man. He made everyone around him feel small and unintelligent, even if he wasn’t trying to. He had this underhanded way of getting under your skin, but I wasn’t going to allow him to talk me down this time.

“Just because you didn’t like my outfit doesn’t mean girls won’t. Mom is the one who bought it for me, she’s a girl dad!” I was a bit surprised at myself…that was a pretty decent comeback.

“You’re right, Ren. You’re much too old for me to be holding your hand anymore. If you wanna blow your future by not taking your studies, fine. If you want to ruin the relationship I’ve made for you with a beautiful girl like Hifumi, fine. But I don’t have to listen to your disrespect. You live under my roof, and you will give me at least that much. Have I made myself clear?”

“.......”

“I said…Have I made myself clear?” My father lowered his voice to the deep venomous tone he used when he was no longer willing to accept anything but the specific answer he was looking for. I clenched my teeth, feeling trapped.

“Yes sir…”

“Good. Don’t be late either, I have a reputation to upkeep with Hifumi’s family that I don’t need you sullying like you’ve been doing with everything else.” My father turned and left the room without another word, leaving me to sit there and feel like I’d let him down.

“I’ll show you, just you wait. I’ll be the kind of man that you could only dream of being.” I muttered to myself, pushing myself out of bed to shower and get dressed for the day. Rummaging through my closet to come up with an outfit for the second time this week… what had my life come to? I eventually settled on a plaid long sleeve coupled with a pair of deep brown coffee-colored jeans with the same boots I’d worn before. I looked at myself in the mirror long and hard, keeping a stern face. “You’re wrong about me… I can do this, even if you think I’m a disappointment. I can do it because I have people who believe in me and want the best for me.”

I straightened out my shirt and fixed my hair so that each section was in perfect symmetry before walking downstairs. I sat down at the kitchen table to have breakfast, but I was too nervous to each much of anything, settling instead for a small bowl of rice with an egg cracked over the top and some ketchup. VRRM VRRM.

I tried to grab my phone from my pocket while keeping it hidden under the table, but without even so much as looking up from his morning paper, my father had caught me.

“If you’re going to blatantly break the rules in front of me and text at the table, at least have the decency to own up to it and excuse yourself…” He sipped his coffee and continued reading as he spoke, the reflection of the morning light on the lenses of his glasses making them seem like solid pieces of opaque white glass. Something about the way he’d said it… the condescending tone in his voice made it impossible for me to endure being around him for even a single second longer.

“You know what… I’m not even hungry. I’m going out to hang with Sentaro and Aiko today…later.” I stood up and walked out of the room, as I passed through the doorway I noticed my mother giving me a nervous and concerned look. When I was out in the hall I glanced down at my phone.

One new picture from: Sentaro

“Guess who’s back from Okinawa?” the caption read, as the photo slowly loaded in I could see that it was a picture of Sen and Aiko smiling and standing in front of his motorcycle. Just behind them in the background of the Photo was a lit-up neon sign that read ‘NaNa’s cafe’. I burst through the front door and took off through my yard and down the street like a firecracker.

I skidded on my heels as I took the turn onto Dobuita street a little too fast, regaining my balance as I started to pick up speed again. A garbage truck down the street in front of me was stopped, and one of the workers hanging on the back hopped off and was about to pick up a can on the side of the street at the same time I was passing through. He quickly jerked back as I lunged up high and flung myself over the garbage can, turning to wave to him apologetically as I continued running.

“Sorry, in a rush!” He scratched his head and then shrugged, picking up the can and getting back to work. I continued to sprint down the street as fast as my feet would carry me, the thought of seeing Aiko’s cute face after she’d been away for a few days putting a reinvigorated spring in my step. I arrived at the cafe, Sentaro’s motorcycle was parked right out front. I stepped up onto the sidewalk and peered through the big glass windows, spotting the back of Sen’s big head in one of the booths. I flung the door open, the little brass bells on the handle jingled as I ran back to the booth where I’d seen Sentaro.

“Aiko!” I jumped into the booth beside her and hugged her tightly, not even thinking twice about it.

“What the hell….you never greet me that way and we’ve been friends for years” Sen rolled his eyes with a smile and suddenly flinched as he saw me fling myself over the table towards him, landing on the seat beside him and hugging him in the same fashion.

“Wow, you’re in an especially good mood today, did you really miss me that badly?” Aiko gave me a little grin. I glanced over to Sen who was looking back at me, we both began laughing so loud the other patrons in the cafe began to stare. Aiko looked at us perplexed, tilting her head like a curious cat.

“What?...What?! C’mon guys, its not funny! I want in on the joke too!” Aiko whined childishly as Sen and I continued to laugh harder and harder.

“T…there’s no joke Aiko. We’re just both really excited to show you the surprise we got for you while you were gone.” Sen chortled, barely able to get the words out without giggling. He Slid himself out of the booth so I could too, pointing his finger backward over his shoulder to the door. “It’s right outside if you’re ready that is.” Aiko’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas

“You guys got me a present?! “ She immediately jumped to her feet and followed behind us as we walked outside, both Sen and I turning to face her as we reached the sidewalk.

“Okay, but you’ve gotta close your eyes, okay? You do that and Ren will go get your present.” Aiko immediately brought her palms up over her eyes and stood there with expectant anxiousness.

“Okay fine, but if this is some kind of trick I’m gonna pummel the both of you” she muttered.

“Nope, no tricks. It’ll only be a second.” Sen signaled for me to run around the side of the cafe to where he had stashed the second motorcycle we bought while Aiko was on vacation. As I ran around the corner I spotted it sitting there, it was an older model Suzuki GF250 with slightly faded silver paint. It seemed a lot smaller and a bit more weathered than Sen’s bike, but it was also going to help us complete the biggest item on our pact list: A road trip to Kagoshima to send our childhoods off with a proverbial bang.

I hopped on the bike, the key was left tucked under the seat right where Sentaro and I had discussed earlier. I grabbed it and started the bike, sitting there for a moment with an anxious feeling in my gut.

“C’mon, Ren… you have a chance to look cool in front of the girl you like and make her feel really happy. You’ve practiced this over and over again, now get it right.” I hesitantly shifted into first and pulled out into the street, the bike responding like an extension of my own being. I Made a quick and easy U-turn back around the corner, parking in front of Sen and Aiko.

“Okayyyyy…..open your eyes!” exclaimed Sen excitedly as I parked just a few feet away from them. Aiko slowly lowered her hands and opened her eyes, her eyes got bigger and bigger before she squealed ecstatically.

“You guys bought me a motorcycle?!” She ran over to it, trying to push me off the bike to sit on it herself. Sen broke down into laughter again, though I didn’t find it quite as amusing that she didn’t understand what we were going for.

“Uh…not exactly Aiko…take a look at the person on the motorcycle.” Sen tried to clarify while simultaneously holding back a slew of giggles that were building up in his chest. Aiko slowly looked up from the bike and took a hard look at me.

“Wait, Ren? You’re driving a motorcycle so that means…”

“Operation Kagoshima is a go!” I smirked at her and gave a thumbs up. She threw her arms around me and pulled me in close. My face blushed bright red…she always smelled sweet and delicious, and just being near her made me happy. I never wanted her to let go…but she already had.

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” she had to jump up to get her arms around Sen’s neck as she thanked him as well, her feet dangling off the ground. I chuckled, she looked like a baby koala or something as she hung on him that way…

“No problem, Ai-chan. It was mostly Ren anyways, he was a natural at learning to ride a bike! That and he gave up all of his saved allowance money without question to get the bike from my old boss.” Sentaro winked at me, lowering himself down a bit so Aiko could get her feet back on solid ground.

“That’s right, I’m Ren Natsukashi, motorcyclist extraordinaire!” I teased, striking a super hero-esque pose on the bike. Sen laughed at me, knowing all too well how much of a struggle it had been for me to even get the bike started the first time.

“We’re off to a great start, It’s only January and we can already cross two things off our list… First, Ren learned how to ride a bike! And second… we get to see the fireworks in Yokohama tonight!” Aiko was so excited she was practically shouting, people that had been walking down the street began to stare a bit.

“Uh, Aiko…about that…” I put on my best sad face and looked down at the ground.

“What? Don’t tell me they got canceled or something!” what has just a moment ago been the happiest Aiko I had ever seen, almost instantaneously became an Aiko on the verge of tears. I waved my hands back and forth as a nervous bead of sweat dripped down my face.

“No, no… it's nothing like that. It's just my dad said I have to stay home all afternoon and practice for the law bar exams. So I won’t be able to go to Yokohama with you and Sen “ I did my best to sound convincingly upset.

“Whhhhaaat?! But it can’t just be Sentaro and me… it has to be all three of us or it doesn’t count!”

“Woah calm down! I never said I wasn’t going...I just said that I might be a little late… I’ll have to sneak out after my dad goes to bed and catch up to you guys before the fireworks start.” Aiko seemed a bit shocked at this, giving me a curious look.

“You’d really do that just to be able to go to the fireworks with us? I guess that makes three things we can cross off our list! Because you’re definitely going to stand up to your dad when he finds out you snuck out and went all the way to Yokohama!”

Sen looked over at me knowingly, and we both gave each other a little smile.

“Yeah, but I’m sure I’ll find a way to handle it. Say, before I have to go home and study for boring lawyer exams why don’t you let me take you on a ride?” without a second thought or even a moment of hesitation Aiko jumped onto the bike and wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Onward Ren! Next stop, Yokohama…then Kagoshima! And after that anywhere the Jump pact wants to go together is fair game, the sky's the limit!” Sen hopped on his bike behind us and revved the engine to life, the two of us taking off down the street towards Aiko’s apartment building. I didn’t fumble any of the controls or even feel the slightest bit nervous. It was like having Aiko on the bike with me was actually helping to calm me down.

We arrived at Aiko’s place without a hitch, she hopped off and pointed back at me before going through the glass doors to the lobby.

“You better not be late Ren Natsukashi! You made a pact and you have to honor it!” I flipped up the visor on my helmet so she could see me smiling.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Aiko.” Because now, you are my world. Sen and I waved as she disappeared into the apartment.

“You sure you’re ready for everything? You’re way past the point of no return now.” Sen seemed a little bit worried that I might be having second thoughts, but I don’t think I’d ever been more sure of anything in my life.

“I’ve got it, see you tonight.”

“Don’t forget to park the bike around the block from your house. The last thing you need is your old man knowing you bought a motorcycle right before you’re about to drop the news to the girl he set you up with.” He kicked his bike down into gear and slowly began to pull off down the street, turning back to shout to me. ‘Don’t be late man, a love like this happens once in a lifetime!” He returned his attention to the road and I heard him downshift, zipping through the gears as he turned down the twisting alleyways of Yokosuka.

What I hadn’t expected to be so difficult was finding something to do with the time I had before the big breakup. I went for a ride around town and got a bite to eat. I went to the bookstore AND the video game store. I parked my bike around the block from my house and took a slow walk home just like Sen told me to.

“You have got to be kidding me.” I groaned as I walked into my room and checked the time. “There is no way it's only 5:00! What am I gonna do for a whole five hours?” I flopped on the bed and kicked my feet back and forth with frustration. I flipped over onto my back and stared at the ceiling for a while, beginning to vividly daydream and hallucinate.

“It’s the New Year… that means Aiko will probably be wearing a kimono … wow! Imagine that, seeing Ai in all those bright colors with her hair done up. I bet she’s beautiful.” I began to wonder if Aiko had ever thought about me the way I thought about her. I know she’d kissed me that one night when we were drinking, and I knew she’d hugged me on more than one occasion. But was that the first sparks of love or just friendliness?

What if she did love me back? I really hadn’t even considered that part. Would we run away and get married? Have our own little family someday? I tried to imagine as a housewife with our little son or daughter sitting on her lap. Just trying to picture it made me laugh. It would never work out that way, if anything I’d end up being the househusband while she went off to work. All these thoughts racing through my head made me feel happy and warm, I slid down into my futon and propped my arms up under my head.

Perhaps more importantly, how the hell was I going to break things to Hifumi? We’d been “together” for years now that I thought about it… But it never really felt like we were actually a couple. I wanted to break it to her gently and ease the pain, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that no matter how much planning I did I could never truly be prepared.

The only way to handle this was to dive straight in.