said. “Tell her, Rhonda, that at times we must follow our own hearts, even if it’s down an unconventional path.”
“I’d rather not,” Rhonda said.
“Fine! Then tell her that men are trash.”
Across the room, Mike grinned.
“Asami,” June said in that perpetually soothing voice. “You’re upset. You don’t think that.”
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
“What about the men in your family?”
Asami’s gaze fell on her mother.
“My otosan stepped out a time or two, didn’t he, Ma?”
Yukiko fell a shade past ghost.
Asami looked to Mike next.
“And he’s not exactly a saint. He’s been pining over his cousin’s wife for years.”
Deena’s face flushed, even as Mike’s darkened.
“So the others are then?” he said. “Tak? Kenji?”
Asami laughed.
“Tak a saint? Let his wife answer. She’ll know more about it than me.”
Deena couldn’t shake the feeling that they were teetering at the precipice.
“I…have no problems with Tak,” she said.
“No problems you know of,” Mike said from the corner.
Deena watched him wide-eyed.
“What?” she managed to whisper.
“Tell me this, Deena. And all you who feel Tak is a saint, feel free to help out. How’d you come by this house? Got a good deal on it, I’d bet.”
“Yes.”
The word felt very small in her chest, like the punctuation mark for a bigger thought.
“From a gorgeous girl named Aubree Daniels, that Tak just happened to know.” He paused, glare triumphant. “Look around you. Look at your family. Correction. Look at his family.”
She did. They wouldn’t look at her.
“Aubree was—”
“His girlfriend, Deena. His girlfriend for years. On again, off again, right back on again and loving it.”
He stopped to soak up her look of dawning horror.
“But, he said—”
“He lied. You’ll find he does that sometimes.”
“Michael—,” June said.
“You’ve seen her,” Mike said. “Seen her over the years, I’d bet. And you just happened on this house at the moment when Aubree’s leaving her husband? How do you think Tak knew it was for sale? How do you think Tak still knew her? Don’t you think it’s a little convenient that—”
No. No more of this.
Deena stumbled from the room. Walls pitched at her as she ran, the floor drew near, and at one point, she stopped to suck in great gasps of air.
But she would not cry.
Instead, she bled from heartbreak.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The room erupted.
“Why would you do that?”
“What were thinking?”
“It was cruel! So cruel!”
“All you two do is hurt each other! You and your cousin and your sick games!”
And Aunt Rhonda at the door, shouting after her niece.
Mike pushed past all of them, all of them hurling accusations. He didn’t care what they thought. He didn’t care what they thought they knew. He had the truth. All things worked to a purpose.
*** *
Tak broke into a run mere yards from home just as the rain fell in earnest. Still, the storm at home was worse. Asami attempting murder. Tony screwing girls in the garden. Deena’s secrets. Mike locked in the bathroom with his wife. It all had the feeling of standing at the center of a hurricane, while trying desperately not to get sucked in.
When the house came in sight, Tyson flung the door open and held it despite violent rain and wind. When Tak found him in the doorway, it was amidst a cannonade of thunder.
He pushed past him with thanks, peeled off his windbreaker, kicked away his sneakers, and shook the rain out his hair. A look down at his shirt had him sliding that sop off, too.
“Everything OK?” Tak said when he saw Tyson was still there.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I, uh, had something to say. Forgot, I guess.”
Tak hesitated, saw nothing further coming, and gave the guy a curt nod.
“Let me know if you remember,” he said and clamored upstairs to his bedroom.
Where he found Deena yanking his clothes from the closet.
“Uh, Dee?”
She whirled on him as if scalded.
“I’d rather not,” Rhonda said.
“Fine! Then tell her that men are trash.”
Across the room, Mike grinned.
“Asami,” June said in that perpetually soothing voice. “You’re upset. You don’t think that.”
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
“What about the men in your family?”
Asami’s gaze fell on her mother.
“My otosan stepped out a time or two, didn’t he, Ma?”
Yukiko fell a shade past ghost.
Asami looked to Mike next.
“And he’s not exactly a saint. He’s been pining over his cousin’s wife for years.”
Deena’s face flushed, even as Mike’s darkened.
“So the others are then?” he said. “Tak? Kenji?”
Asami laughed.
“Tak a saint? Let his wife answer. She’ll know more about it than me.”
Deena couldn’t shake the feeling that they were teetering at the precipice.
“I…have no problems with Tak,” she said.
“No problems you know of,” Mike said from the corner.
Deena watched him wide-eyed.
“What?” she managed to whisper.
“Tell me this, Deena. And all you who feel Tak is a saint, feel free to help out. How’d you come by this house? Got a good deal on it, I’d bet.”
“Yes.”
The word felt very small in her chest, like the punctuation mark for a bigger thought.
“From a gorgeous girl named Aubree Daniels, that Tak just happened to know.” He paused, glare triumphant. “Look around you. Look at your family. Correction. Look at his family.”
She did. They wouldn’t look at her.
“Aubree was—”
“His girlfriend, Deena. His girlfriend for years. On again, off again, right back on again and loving it.”
He stopped to soak up her look of dawning horror.
“But, he said—”
“He lied. You’ll find he does that sometimes.”
“Michael—,” June said.
“You’ve seen her,” Mike said. “Seen her over the years, I’d bet. And you just happened on this house at the moment when Aubree’s leaving her husband? How do you think Tak knew it was for sale? How do you think Tak still knew her? Don’t you think it’s a little convenient that—”
No. No more of this.
Deena stumbled from the room. Walls pitched at her as she ran, the floor drew near, and at one point, she stopped to suck in great gasps of air.
But she would not cry.
Instead, she bled from heartbreak.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The room erupted.
“Why would you do that?”
“What were thinking?”
“It was cruel! So cruel!”
“All you two do is hurt each other! You and your cousin and your sick games!”
And Aunt Rhonda at the door, shouting after her niece.
Mike pushed past all of them, all of them hurling accusations. He didn’t care what they thought. He didn’t care what they thought they knew. He had the truth. All things worked to a purpose.
*** *
Tak broke into a run mere yards from home just as the rain fell in earnest. Still, the storm at home was worse. Asami attempting murder. Tony screwing girls in the garden. Deena’s secrets. Mike locked in the bathroom with his wife. It all had the feeling of standing at the center of a hurricane, while trying desperately not to get sucked in.
When the house came in sight, Tyson flung the door open and held it despite violent rain and wind. When Tak found him in the doorway, it was amidst a cannonade of thunder.
He pushed past him with thanks, peeled off his windbreaker, kicked away his sneakers, and shook the rain out his hair. A look down at his shirt had him sliding that sop off, too.
“Everything OK?” Tak said when he saw Tyson was still there.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I, uh, had something to say. Forgot, I guess.”
Tak hesitated, saw nothing further coming, and gave the guy a curt nod.
“Let me know if you remember,” he said and clamored upstairs to his bedroom.
Where he found Deena yanking his clothes from the closet.
“Uh, Dee?”
She whirled on him as if scalded.
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