Honey Flava

“Do you agree to abide by these rules, Takumi? The alternative is to be locked up in your room for the rest of your days. You will still do as I ask, of course, but you will forgo the before-mentioned perks of the house.”

“I will do as you ask until the day I escape this wretched hell of a mansion you call home.”

“Hmm, so glad you brought up the escape option. If you try to leave my perimeter, I will have you shackled to the wall in the dungeon and brought up only for parties. It’s your choice of course, but with me you get only one chance.”

“May I leave now?”

“You may eat now. When you’re finished, you are welcome to spend the remainder of the day on your own recognizance. Don’t make me regret giving you this leeway, Takumi.”

“Of course not, sir.”

The food tasted bland in her mouth. She ate only because she had to. Freedom had been so close. She’d had everything a person could possibly want only a few days earlier—a devoted lover, a place to live, and the promise of a happily-ever-after future. Now she had a tyrannical master who had bought and paid for her services. She lived hundreds of miles from everyone she’d ever known. Life sucked.

9

TAKUMI SPENT THE DAY exploring the grounds, gardens, and escape routes. She had no intention of staying here any longer than she had to. One constant was in her mind: Mr. Nagumo had her body, but he would never have her heart or her soul.

Since she had a while before lunch she retired to her suite for some alone time. Thoughts of Aiko whirled through her brain. Images of their building filled her mind while she fell into a deep slumber.

“Aiko? Is that you?” A person stood before her in a long, white dress. The person’s back was turned to her, making it difficult to identify who it was. She stood before the double doors of the building with the sun pooling around her outline. Takumi’s eyes couldn’t adjust to the brightness.

Suddenly the figure turned and walked toward her. Features became recognizable as the person came closer. “Aiko, it is you!”

Takumi ran to close the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around shoulders covered in white, gauzy material and laid her head down. Aiko didn’t speak. She didn’t lift her hand to pat Takumi’s back. She didn’t open her eyes to gaze upon her long-lost lover.

“What’s wrong with you, Aiko? What have they done?”

Whispers drifted into the air although Aiko’s lips never separated. “They have bartered for my servitude, Takumi. Tomorrow I go to live with another madam in another city. Madam Oy has chosen to retire. She complained about the price she brought for me. I’ve been quite useless since your move. Please come to me. Together we are everything. Alone we are nothing.”

The figure turned to leave the building that they had both come to love.

“No, don’t leave me, Aiko. I will get back to you. I will find you. Don’t let yourself be taken off. Go to the building, Aiko. Go there and wait for me. I vow to meet you there one day. If it kills me, I will escape this horrid man I’ve been sold to. Don’t give up on me!”

The spirit raised a finger into the air and gave a nod as she exited down the old stone steps. Takumi couldn’t tell if Aiko had given her a positive or negative response. She would hope for the best. Escape was her only option. Tears poured down her cheeks.

“I’ll be there soon, my love.”

Takumi woke with dried goop all over her skin and in the corner of her eyes. Her heart felt a stab of forewarning. I must run tonight. The rest of the morning and afternoon would be spent calculating a plan of flight. No land or prison could contain her love.

“Sleep well, ma’am?” Takumi hadn’t realized that Mae was standing over her until she opened her eyes.

“I slept fine, thank you.”

“Something troubling is brewing in those eyes of yours, young lady. What are you planning to do and when are you planning to do it?”

Takumi looked down at her hands and fiddled with the blanket covering her legs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mae.”

“Takumi. Please, I won’t share your thoughts or intentions with that ogre of a man that I must serve. I, too, stay here against my will. It has become commonplace for me, but the thought of leaving is a distant hope in all of my nightly dreams.”

“I had no idea, Mae.” Takumi thought for only a few moments before revealing her plan. “I’m leaving tonight.”

“Tonight, ma’am? Mr. Nagumo has a special party planned for tomorrow tonight. Did he not tell you? He plans to out you to his business friends and family. He flaunts girls like others flaunt money. He is truly an evil human being. I detest him. It eats away at you to hate someone so much, but I can’t help myself.”

Takumi saw a weird look pass over Mae’s face when she mentioned Mr. Nagumo.

“Did he used to flaunt you also, Mae?”

The shock that registered on the woman’s face verified Takumi’s suspicions. That’s why she still lived here. She was as much a prisoner as the young geisha herself. A thought flashed through Takumi’s mind: I must take her with me.