Chapter 76
The shovel speech
The cottage had begun its evening slumber, even though the ocean wasn’t ready to settle. A sliver of light on the horizon remained after the sun had dipped. The waves thundered in the distance, lapping at the cliff as if trying to gobble it up.
Kazuki had navigated dinner with both wonder—this place felt like a postcard from Victorian movies—and helplessness; he didn’t understand half of what was said when Aksel and his sister fired jokes at each other.
Vanquished by the British accent.
Now that both siblings bickered over who got to take a peek in the telescope first, David Trewith, the patriarch, lured him into the living room for a much-needed conversation. And Kazuki, diplomat extraordinaire, felt his hair stand on end.
There comes the real test.
Never mind that he’d slept three poor hours during the flight, or was jet lagged to death.
The Cornish man built a small fire, an attempt to set a cosy mood.
David obviously cared for his comfort, probably wondering how this strange Japanese teacher that came from the other end of the continent would handle the frisky nights of Cornwall.
After all, he lived in a ‘tropical’ country—as Aksel joked at dinner.
Kazuki was coaxed into a wing chair with a glass of amber liquid that shone like a gemstone.
David Trewith took a careful sip of his own whiskey, studying him out of the corner of his eye.
The man may be shorter than himself, but he felt carved out of granite.
A true Cornish, grounded in the earth and tanned from many hours spent in the sunlight.
There was no denying where Elyna’s charisma and charm came from; the man settled next to him felt as intense as a menhir. Kazuki exhaled slowly, then took a whiff of his drink. Smoke tickled his nose, and he suddenly tilted the glass back.
Liquid courage.
There were none of the formalities that came with the Japanese traditional ‘meeting the parents’ ceremonial; he was out of his depth. In English no less. A language he had yet to master fully.
“I have to admit,” David Trewith began with gravity, “that when I first heard you were her supervisor, I wanted to strangle you.”
Oh, he shouldn’t have worried about the language! The slur that had flown over the table at dinner was now crispy clear, each word detached and deliberate. Yet, David remained polite, if a little frigid. Kazuki shivered, angling towards the fire to lap up its warmth.
“I understand,” he responded, eyes lost in the amber liquid that swirled in his glass. “I wanted to strangle myself too.”
The older man’s expression shifted; a gleam of admiration flickered through his heavy gaze. Thin lips twitched. “You are very earnest.”
Kazuki took another sip of whiskey. “There is no trust without showing…” He paused, looking for the right word. “ … yourself?”
So said my grandfather.
The leather chair creaked slightly as David adjusted his pose, relaxing against the backrest. A discreet smile bloomed upon his face, yet his eyes remained strained on him, taking him apart. Kazuki struggled not to fidget.
“Elyna told me about that Confucian trait of yours. You seem pretty wise, for a youngster.” He paused then, allowing the crackling of the fire to fill the room before dealing a devastating blow: “So why is it that you couldn’t wait?”
Straight to the chase. Less forceful than Elyna, and polite. But right in the heart.
The question hung between like the smoky smell of the drinks, heavy with implication. Elyna and Aksel’s voices filtered from above as they stargazed, fast paced and excited. Fondness infused him at her enthusiasm. Elyna was his now; ill timing was a problem of the past.
“She got lost in the woods. And I realised I could lose her,” he finally said, surprised by his own honesty. “We tried to stay apart, but it only made us miserable.” David nodded, and Kazuki took a deep breath at the reminder of those difficult days.
“I could have taken the pain,” he confessed. “But to see her so depressed was… I just couldn’t.”
The patriarch flinched before he schooled his expression. British men appeared just as skilled at wearing a mask as Japanese ones. David took a long sip of amber liquid, then turned to him in earnest.
“Well,” he licked his lips. “Turns out you were right to latch onto her so soon. If not for you, she might have allowed her mother to uproot her again.”
This almost feels like a blessing, ne?
David retrieved the bottle for a much-needed refill, and Kazuki accepted it as a gesture of peace. No doubt he would nurse a headache tomorrow morning, if he even managed to drag his body out of bed before noon.
“Now tell me. How are you going to handle this substantial age gap?”
Kazuki met his eyes directly. “Elyna is very…” The words were at the tip of his tongue, bathed in whiskey, but they escaped him like Shūji flying after a prank.
“Wise?” David offered patiently, earning him a nod of gratitude.
“Hai. Yes. Very wise.”
“She is more mature than her age,” Kazuki went on, intending to lavish praises of the man’s daughter. But the stricken look in David’s eyes caught him off-guard.
“Yes. She is.” He sighed deeply, the rueful sound coming straight from his chest. “Divorce has a way of making children age faster. Don’t make the same mistakes I did, Son.”
Son. The words touched deep, just as much as David’s pain. The man could have made his life into a lesson, drilling into him the importance of marriage, and divorce. Treating him like any elder would. But instead, David retreated into his chair, and downed his glass in one go.
“Divorce is messy. Don’t get there,” he simply concluded.
Kazuki only bowed respectfully. “We have time before we decide, and Elyna wants to pass a Japanese teaching licence. This is a very difficult exam.”
“One you’ve passed, if I am not mistaken?”
He simply nodded. The man eyed him suspiciously, remarkably steady given the stiff drinks he’d just swallowed. “You are surprisingly complacent. Do you not want to marry her?”
Kazuki straightened; it was hardly being complacent when both parties aligned. “I do. But I’ll wait.”
The reason for the mighty frown that marred the patriarch’s face escaped him, as well as his vehemence.
“Hear me out,” David stated. “I will not give my blessing for a marriage before I’m sure Elyna will be happy.
Life has the habit of throwing curveballs, you see, and I want to make sure you’re a good team. ”
The fire popped, sparks flying upwards from the dry log. Kazuki leant forward slightly; hands clasped around the whiskey glass as he watched the mesmerising flames. “You know, Japanese people are very … serious about family. When we commit, we do not give up.”
By his side, David’s expression turned sour. “I’m going to be blunt, but I don’t care what your culture dictates.”
Ouch. That stings.
Even though he expected the blow, it still punched his breath away when David’s eyes pierced him. “Does refusing divorce makes couples happier?”
The question was complex, and spot on. Uncertainty flickered in his chest. If he’d married Miyuki…
Things were changing, but many Japanese couples would rather endure loveless years than face the shame of divorce.
Agreements to seek comfort elsewhere were not so uncommon. Happiness sacrificed for appearances.
“I…”, Kazuki started, then decided trust wasn’t built on lies. “I see your point.”
David seemed satisfied enough to relax in his seat, leather creaking as he repositioned his limbs. “My Elyna may be respectful of other people’s feelings, but she is fierce and independent. She won’t let herself be trapped by expectations to be a good wife.”
Despite the jab, Kazuki brightened. “No, she won’t. And that’s what I love so much about her.”
An easy declaration that flowed naturally out of his mouth; to think he’d struggled so much to give his heart away, oblivious that Elyna already owned it. “I will support her in the career she chooses.”
To leash Elyna’s potential would be a crime. “Did she tell you how she set the school on fire for culture week last year?” he added.
David shook his head. “Only in passing.”
Her father listened with barely concealed pride as Kazuki described how Elyna rallied both students and teachers, paving the way for the kōkō to build up external funding.
“That girl always needed to make her own experiences to learn,” David warned him. “If she chooses to live on the other side of the world, I cannot have her back.”
Oh, that’s what he’s afraid of.
Kazuki nodded. “I understand.” And he did. The safety net provided by her father had pushed Elyna to reach further, to be daring and proactive. He swore to himself he would be that silent support, a safe place to fall back to, an understanding partner that treated her like an equal.
“Do you?”, David asked, his eyes razor sharp. “Can you take on that role without chaining her?”
The answer came without hesitation. “Yes.”
“Even if it means her path takes her away from you?”
Stricken, Kazuki felt his chest crack; the idea of losing her was unbearable.
But Elyna would always be free by his side, or she wouldn’t truly be his at all.
Above them, a spark of laughter drifted down, as if nailing the point across.
Kazuki welcomed the burning of the whiskey as he attempted to gather himself.
David Trewith is a mighty guardian.
One word. There was only one possibility, one answer, one way to preserve Elyna’s light in this world. “Yes.”
Her father nodded slowly, deflating in his seat as he raised his glass in what looked like both salute and blessing. “You’re a good man, Kazuki.” It felt strange—almost intimate—to hear his given name so casually spoken. David Trewith went on, oblivious.
“I’m glad Elyna has you, but don’t break my trust.” There was no threat in that warning. Only high expectations.
“I won’t.”
“No pressure,” Elyna’s father added with dry humour, draining his whiskey and setting the glass down with finality. “Now, tomorrow we’re going swimming. Let’s see if you can fit into this family.”
Kazuki lapped another mouthful of his drink, finding himself pleasantly buzzed. The firelight caught a mischievous glint in David’s eyes, an expression that suddenly reminded him of Shūji before a prank.
“Right then,” Elyna’s father announced as he steepled his fingers. “Now for the most important question.”
Kazuki straightened slightly, finding his posture—and ability to think straight—hindered by the alcohol.
Wasn’t the interrogation over?
He had overindulged. Not that he was a lightweight, but jet lag and lack of sleep mingled poorly with Scottish whiskey.
He braced himself for a round of questionings on his earnings, and his ability to provide for Elyna.
Financial stability was a major concern in Japanese prenuptial meetings.
Would he pass the test, or be once more disregarded as not enough?
Kazuki tensed, ready to defend his position—teacher wasn’t as well regarded in Britain as in Japan.
“What’s your size, Son?”
My size? What kind of … size?
The question stunned him silly. Heat flared up his face; surely his future father-in-law wasn’t asking about …
that particular aspect of his anatomy? Was it a British tradition?
Some kind of bully-the-newcomer he wasn’t aware of?
English humour could be quite direct for a Japanese guy, but this crossed a thousand, no, a billion lines.
He tried to take a sip of his drink to stave the embarrassment, only to inhale it. The unforgiving brew burnt down his windpipe like liquid fire. His eyes stung as he fought not to spray expensive Scottish single malt across the living room, shoulders shaking with suppressed coughs.
“I…” he wheezed, voice broken. “I’m sorry, what?”
David Trewith waited patiently for him to stop dying, his expression innocent except for the quirk at the corner of his mouth. He seemed to savour every moment of Kazuki’s mortification. “Your size,” he finally repeated once the coughing fit had subsided.
“I’ll need to know before tomorrow morning so we can find a wetsuit that fits. You’re too tall for mine. Unless you don’t mind cold water, that is.” His tone suggested this had been obvious all along.
Kazuki practically dissolved in his chair, sagging with relief and residual embarrassment. The look he directed at his future father-in-law was probably borderline murderous, but a part of him was impressed, too. At thirty, it wasn’t often someone backed him in a corner so easily.
Well played, well played.
David eventually stood, looking amused as he gave Kazuki’s shoulder a companionable pat. “Welcome to the family, Son.” He picked up both empty glasses and headed towards the kitchen, calling back with barely suppressed laughter, “Better get used to British humour though.”
Aksel: sleeping, sis?
Elyna: I am NOT texting you in the same house
Aksel: your guy crashed?
Elyna: He’s beat, and I think dad put him through the wringer. He refused to tell me…
Aksel: probably something devious. Night night
Elyna: don’t let bed bugs??bite
Aksel: see you in the morning light
Elyna: for a swim, yeah!!! ??♂?