“I can’t explain it, Takumi. I have a feeling that both of our lives are about to change, and not for the better. Go away with me. We can go to the old building and stay. I don’t want you going out with this particular man. Please, Takumi.”
Takumi pondered the insane request. It puzzled her that Aiko would ask such a thing of her. “I’d like for you to help me prepare, Aiko.”
“I won’t do it, Takumi. Find someone else to whore you up for the pleasure of the old goat—I refuse.”
Takumi watched, flabbergasted, as Aiko ran down the hall and out the side door of the okiya.
Sendai was the only girl in the whole okiya who wasn’t busy, so Takumi had her assist with preparations. She had to put her makeup on, fix her hair, and try to knot the kimono with literally no help. There was no way she’d be ready in three hours.
Takumi had Sendai hand her the lotions and powders she needed to get started. It didn’t help that both girls needed glasses and didn’t wear them. Geishas were thought to be the epitome of the perfect Japanese female. How would that translate into eyeglasses?
The lotion that should have gone on her legs got rubbed all over her face. The powder that should have set her cream makeup went all over the floor when Sendai sneezed. Takumi’s hair was down, the kimono had a spot on it, and her lips appeared to be twice their normal size. She obviously didn’t know how to outline and fill in.
The door opened, without so much as a knock, and Madam Oy walked in. “Why aren’t you ready, Takumi? Mr. Takanobu Nagumo is waiting downstairs for you. I’ve told him how well you perform the fan dance, it’s his favorite.”
Takumi looked up with fear in her eyes. There was no good explanation for the way she looked.
“Oh my God, child. You appear horrendous to me and certainly will to Mr. Nagumo. What in the world will I do?” The old woman paced the room silently, her cane tapping the floor every time she lifted her left foot.
“You must do the dance anyway. Use your skills to hide your face and finish as fast as you can. Leave your hair down. We will have to hope and pray that this danna will not take offense to you. Get dressed and be downstairs in five minutes.”
Madam Oy left without another word. The slamming of the old wooden door added a finality to Takumi’s situation. “Help me get dressed, Sendai. I’ll show her.”
6
WHEN TAKUMI MADE HER entrance downstairs, Mr. Nagumo was sitting waiting for her. Madam Oy started to wheeze when she saw that Takumi was wearing a white bathrobe with a purple-painted dragon on the back. She wore no shoes, her hair was wrapped in a lavender towel, and the huge umbrella she held hid all of her face.
She snuck a peek at Mr. Nagumo before she began. His receding hair was black, what was left of it. He wore expensive clothing and shoes and she could smell his cologne from across the room. His belly hung over his custom-made leather belt. There was no kindness in his eyes. His lips drew together in a thin line of determination. What was this man here for?
The dance started out as it always did with structured hand movements up and down. Her legs both bent at precisely the same angle when she moved. She lowered the umbrella onto the floor and picked up a black, silk fan. Tiny steps were taken as she stared at the garden scene that adorned the fan.
Takumi shook her head and let the towel fall down. She touched the closed fan to her hair and smiled. In one slow moment she had whipped the fan open and was following its motion with her head. The music was soft vocals that seemed to tell a tale of love lost.
With her arms connected she simulated the waves of the ocean. Her still-wet hair swished against her upper arms as she moved. The fan was laid down and her palms came to rest upon one another. In one fluid motion she knelt on the floor. Cupped hands rested beneath her chin, then rose into the air as she lowered herself onto the floor. Her eyes were closed to the stares that surrounded her.
The unusual position, with her legs bent under her, caused her robe to flop open and reveal her bare, virginal pussy. She had used black makeup to draw whiskers, a nose, and ears there—Mr. Nagumo was privy to geisha kitty.
Takumi made no effort to rise when the dance was over. Madam Oy fainted and no one moved to revive her. Quiet overtook the room for several minutes.
Clap, clap, clap. The round of applause piqued Takumi’s curiosity, so she sat up and opened her eyes. Mr. Nagumo was clapping. A smile was on his face. He’d gotten up from his chair and was right at that moment heading toward her.
“Well done, you little minx. Very well done indeed. I’ve never met a geisha who would dance as you just have. You’re exactly what I’m looking for. I’ll be back tomorrow night. We’ll be going out. You may want to wear a kimono, but clothing is always optional with me.” He was still laughing when he exited through the front room of the teahouse.
Takumi got up as fast as she possibly could and ran out of the teahouse and back to the main part of the okiya. Tears of rage covered her face. White makeup poured off her face. She threw off the robe and dropped onto her bed immediately after tearing through her bedroom door.
It took at least an hour, but her fury did diminish with time. I can’t believe he liked that. What kind of danna wants a geisha who would shame herself like that?
“Uh, mmm, Takumi.”
She hadn’t realized someone else was in the room with her. Aiko sat on the edge of the second bed with her hands folded in her lap. “I heard what you did, how he reacted. We must leave tonight. There’s no more time, Takumi. Please.”
“I have brought shame upon Madam Oy, upon my geisha sisters, upon my own mother, and worst of all I have shamed myself. You were right, Aiko. This man is looking for a plaything, nothing more. I’m doomed.”
“No, please don’t say that. More importantly, don’t think that. We were meant to be together, and together we will be! Enough self-pity. Let’s leave right now.”
The young girls held hands as they crept from the okiya. They hoped that the falling darkness would cover their tracks. They stepped outside, shut the door, and leaned down to put on their shoes—and Madam Oy materialized from inside the okiya.
“Going somewhere, girls? You wouldn’t steal from me, would you? Both of you are my personal property, don’t forget that.”