I wasn't quite expecting to do Hindsight so quickly after replying to you about it! Still, it's a good point in December to handle it, so let's see where we go....
Hindsight Melina noticed immediately that I didn't have my phone with me when I sat back down at the table. She set down her cutlery and raised an eyebrow. "I dropped it in the toilet," I said. "I didn't even hear what the person on the other end had to say." "Dropped? Or threw?" She folded her arms and her eyebrow didn't lower. "Dropped," I said, sighing just a little. "I'm clumsy -- I'm clumsier -- at the moment, and I'm not really not clumsy in the first place." I turned my damaged wrist this way and that. "I was... I've been expecting a call from the hospital about this and now I guess I won't get one." "Let's just get your phone from the toilet," said Melina. "Dry it out, maybe it'll still work. Though... why didn't you try and get it yourself?" "I was using the toilet when I dropped it," I said, hating the image that put in my head. "I thought the phone would stay after I flushed, but it didn't." Melina shook her head, but at least she unfolded her arms. After a moment she started eating again, and it struck me that she ate very daintily. I sort of liked it. "You're hopeless," she said. "You need someone to help you out a bit, I think. Someone you can rely on." I agreed, and pushed my food around my plate. As it got colder it got even less appealing. I wondered if Melina would want to order dessert, since I was still hungry. "Well," said Melina, after a little silence. "I think I might be willing to give it a go. Let's see if you get a bit more confidence in yourself when you've got someone who likes you nearby." I stared at my plate. Was she asking me for a date? Did women even do that? "Well?" She looked at me as she finished her food. "Actually, let's get the dessert menu so you've got a bit longer to think about it." "Yes!" I said, and she looked at me, just a touch startled. "Yes to what?" "Yes to all of it," I said. "Yes to dessert, and yes to you and me giving whatever this is a go!" Melina smiled. "I think I would have preferred the other order," she said, "but it's good enough. Have you had Japanese cheesecake before?" "Allow me to order for you," said a voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. A short man, too pale to be Japanese ethnically, and speaking excellent English that might well be native, stood at our table. "In fact, please allow me to join you." A lightbulb went on in my head; this was the voice of the guy from the toilets, and for the first time in what was probably my entire life I didn't blurt that right out and end up embarrassed or having to try and explain myself. Instead I stayed silent while Melina raised that eyebrow again and asked, "And who are you exactly?"
"Why, you mean to say that young Kenneth here hasn't told you all about me?" the man asked, gesturing in my direction without taking his eyes off Melina. My face scrunched up as my brain tried to understand what was happening. Something in the way he had said my name had triggered a faded memory but the specifics were evading me.
"Kenneth?" Melina returned her attention to me, her expression a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "There appears to be a lot Kenneth hasn't told me."
"I prefer Kenny," I muttered at the same time as the man said with a chuckle, "I suspect he would like it better if you called him Kenny."
"I see you two know each other," Melina said, her eyes shifting back and forth between us. "Luckily for you both I'm more keen to hear the story than I am annoyed by all the secrecy. Have a seat."
"Too kind," the man said as he settled himself to my left and Melina's right. I stared at him, still unable to place where we could possibly know each other from while at the same time hoping I wouldn't have to be the one to ask - clearly he knew me, after all.
"Well?" Melina asked after dessert had been ordered for the three of us, saving me having to make an awkward confession to this stranger who - apparently - was not a stranger at all.
"Where to begin?" he asked and it took me a moment to realize he was asking me.
"Probably not with me," I said, grasping at an idea that had finally forced its way to the foreplay of my mind. No, forefront. "I'm still dealing with a concussion."
"Ah, so that's why you're so flustered! I thought it was because of your lovely dinner date."
"No, no." I said, shaking my head. Then I saw that Melina had cocked her head at me. "I mean, she's got me flustered too." She bit her lip but a smile managed to escape her clutches. "I mean, I'm not like t-"
"It's okay," the man said with a laugh, patting my knee with a heavy hand that nearly tipped me off balance. "You rest that little brain of yours. There will be plenty of time for thinking later."
"Enough delays already," Melina said, leveling a hard stare at the newcomer. "Start explaining."
"Yes ma'am!" he said with a crisp salute before telling me in a loud whisper, "I see why you like her!" Melina clearing her throat brought his attention back to the matter at hand. "Right. Well, it's been many years since we were last face to face, but I'd recognize my little brother's voice anywhere. That's why when I heard h-"
"Brother?" It took me too long to realize that Melina and I had spoken in unison.
"That's hurtful, Kenneth. I mean, sure, I've put on a bit of weight and my hair isn't quite so shaggy anymore, but-"
"Frankie?!?" My jaw dropped so fast and hard that it hit the table. Yes, literary. Er, literally.
"Ugh, how many times did I punch your arm for calling me that? And you still never called me Francis."
"What are you doing in Tokyo?" Melina asked, clearly amused by the both of us.
"I've been working for one of the banks over here for the last ten years," Frankie told her and I could see how proud of himself he was. "Been meaning to come back for a visit but Dad and I aren't exactly on speaking terms these days."
"Join the club," I mumbled, somehow managing to stop myself from blurting out that I'd burned dad's house down.
"You're over here hiding from Dad too?"
"No. Well, sort of?" I didn't really want to get into the details of my latest misadventures with Melina there. Not yet, at least. Maybe later, if she stuck around long enough for there to be a later. "It's complicated."
"How long you staying for?"
"I... I'm not sure yet," I said, trying and failing to not look at Melina.
"Well, if you need a job I've got an opening for an assistant," Frankie said as dessert arrived. "The last one disappeared on me. Last I saw her she was talking about wanting to become a nurse or something. Not that I'd let her within a mile of me with anything sharper than a spoon, that's for sure. No idea how I didn't fire her crazy ass before she quit on me."
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I wasn't quite expecting to do Hindsight so quickly after replying to you about it! Still, it's a good point in December to handle it, so let's see where we go....
Hindsight
Melina noticed immediately that I didn't have my phone with me when I sat back down at the table. She set down her cutlery and raised an eyebrow.
"I dropped it in the toilet," I said. "I didn't even hear what the person on the other end had to say."
"Dropped? Or threw?" She folded her arms and her eyebrow didn't lower.
"Dropped," I said, sighing just a little. "I'm clumsy -- I'm clumsier -- at the moment, and I'm not really not clumsy in the first place." I turned my damaged wrist this way and that. "I was... I've been expecting a call from the hospital about this and now I guess I won't get one."
"Let's just get your phone from the toilet," said Melina. "Dry it out, maybe it'll still work. Though... why didn't you try and get it yourself?"
"I was using the toilet when I dropped it," I said, hating the image that put in my head. "I thought the phone would stay after I flushed, but it didn't."
Melina shook her head, but at least she unfolded her arms. After a moment she started eating again, and it struck me that she ate very daintily. I sort of liked it.
"You're hopeless," she said. "You need someone to help you out a bit, I think. Someone you can rely on."
I agreed, and pushed my food around my plate. As it got colder it got even less appealing. I wondered if Melina would want to order dessert, since I was still hungry.
"Well," said Melina, after a little silence. "I think I might be willing to give it a go. Let's see if you get a bit more confidence in yourself when you've got someone who likes you nearby."
I stared at my plate. Was she asking me for a date? Did women even do that?
"Well?" She looked at me as she finished her food. "Actually, let's get the dessert menu so you've got a bit longer to think about it."
"Yes!" I said, and she looked at me, just a touch startled.
"Yes to what?"
"Yes to all of it," I said. "Yes to dessert, and yes to you and me giving whatever this is a go!"
Melina smiled. "I think I would have preferred the other order," she said, "but it's good enough. Have you had Japanese cheesecake before?"
"Allow me to order for you," said a voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. A short man, too pale to be Japanese ethnically, and speaking excellent English that might well be native, stood at our table. "In fact, please allow me to join you."
A lightbulb went on in my head; this was the voice of the guy from the toilets, and for the first time in what was probably my entire life I didn't blurt that right out and end up embarrassed or having to try and explain myself. Instead I stayed silent while Melina raised that eyebrow again and asked,
"And who are you exactly?"
"Why, you mean to say that young Kenneth here hasn't told you all about me?" the man asked, gesturing in my direction without taking his eyes off Melina. My face scrunched up as my brain tried to understand what was happening. Something in the way he had said my name had triggered a faded memory but the specifics were evading me.
"Kenneth?" Melina returned her attention to me, her expression a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "There appears to be a lot Kenneth hasn't told me."
"I prefer Kenny," I muttered at the same time as the man said with a chuckle, "I suspect he would like it better if you called him Kenny."
"I see you two know each other," Melina said, her eyes shifting back and forth between us. "Luckily for you both I'm more keen to hear the story than I am annoyed by all the secrecy. Have a seat."
"Too kind," the man said as he settled himself to my left and Melina's right. I stared at him, still unable to place where we could possibly know each other from while at the same time hoping I wouldn't have to be the one to ask - clearly he knew me, after all.
"Well?" Melina asked after dessert had been ordered for the three of us, saving me having to make an awkward confession to this stranger who - apparently - was not a stranger at all.
"Where to begin?" he asked and it took me a moment to realize he was asking me.
"Probably not with me," I said, grasping at an idea that had finally forced its way to the foreplay of my mind. No, forefront. "I'm still dealing with a concussion."
"Ah, so that's why you're so flustered! I thought it was because of your lovely dinner date."
"No, no." I said, shaking my head. Then I saw that Melina had cocked her head at me. "I mean, she's got me flustered too." She bit her lip but a smile managed to escape her clutches. "I mean, I'm not like t-"
"It's okay," the man said with a laugh, patting my knee with a heavy hand that nearly tipped me off balance. "You rest that little brain of yours. There will be plenty of time for thinking later."
"Enough delays already," Melina said, leveling a hard stare at the newcomer. "Start explaining."
"Yes ma'am!" he said with a crisp salute before telling me in a loud whisper, "I see why you like her!" Melina clearing her throat brought his attention back to the matter at hand. "Right. Well, it's been many years since we were last face to face, but I'd recognize my little brother's voice anywhere. That's why when I heard h-"
"Brother?" It took me too long to realize that Melina and I had spoken in unison.
"That's hurtful, Kenneth. I mean, sure, I've put on a bit of weight and my hair isn't quite so shaggy anymore, but-"
"Frankie?!?" My jaw dropped so fast and hard that it hit the table. Yes, literary. Er, literally.
"Ugh, how many times did I punch your arm for calling me that? And you still never called me Francis."
"What are you doing in Tokyo?" Melina asked, clearly amused by the both of us.
"I've been working for one of the banks over here for the last ten years," Frankie told her and I could see how proud of himself he was. "Been meaning to come back for a visit but Dad and I aren't exactly on speaking terms these days."
"Join the club," I mumbled, somehow managing to stop myself from blurting out that I'd burned dad's house down.
"You're over here hiding from Dad too?"
"No. Well, sort of?" I didn't really want to get into the details of my latest misadventures with Melina there. Not yet, at least. Maybe later, if she stuck around long enough for there to be a later. "It's complicated."
"How long you staying for?"
"I... I'm not sure yet," I said, trying and failing to not look at Melina.
"Well, if you need a job I've got an opening for an assistant," Frankie said as dessert arrived. "The last one disappeared on me. Last I saw her she was talking about wanting to become a nurse or something. Not that I'd let her within a mile of me with anything sharper than a spoon, that's for sure. No idea how I didn't fire her crazy ass before she quit on me."
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