away. Tell him I’m not here. Tell him anything to make him leave.” I knew it was childish, but I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t face Mr. Ishikawa.
I listened as she went downstairs. There was an exchange of voices. I recognized one as Mr. Ishikawa’s. Finally, a door slammed shut in anger. I let out my breath in a trembling sigh and tried to get my tears under control. How in hell had he found me?
A few minutes later, I heard Mr. Ishikawa’s steely voice come to me, just below my window. “Felix, stop playing these silly games and talk to me. I’ve come a long way to see you.”
I lay down on my bed, grabbed a Care Bear for a shield, and shivered. Maybe, I thought, if I waited things out, he’d go away.
“ Felix, I need to speak to you. I’ll stay here as long as it takes until you face me! Felix!”
I shivered again.
***
By early evening, curiosity finally overcame my good sense.
I climbed out of bed and went to peek out my bedroom window.
Mr. Ishikawa was still there, still waiting as he had promised. His car was parked in the gravel drive and he was seated on the hood, dressed in one of his prim suits, a newspaper in his lap. But the moment I looked down, he seemed to sense me and looked up. I saw his eyes, the hurt and anger etched so deeply around them, and I started feeling bad all over again. “Felix…!” The softness in his voice, that control I responded to so well, was gone. He sounded hoarse, as if he’d been screaming for hours.
“ I’ll come down if you promise we can go somewhere private to talk.”
He took a deep breath as if relieved and pushed the newspaper aside. “Yes. Absolutely.”
I dressed in a flowered sundress and low heels and went downstairs. My Aunt Sarah, standing in the kitchen, saw me. She gave me a little nod of encouragement and squeezed my shoulder as I passed. I told her I’d be back soon.
The moment I stepped outside the house and onto the drive, Mr. Ishikawa started toward me, then stopped, as if afraid by approaching me, he’d spook me. I lifted my chin, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and said, “How did you find me?”
He took my hand. Relief, fear, and concern all played out on his face at once. I’d never noticed that before, how emotional he could become at times, usually around me. “The phone. It has a miniature tracking device in it. All the prototypes do.”
“ Ah.”
Finally, he exploded. “You didn’t answer my texts, my messages…you disappeared without a trace…!”
“ I had my reasons.”
He virtually shook with anger. I watched him close his eyes and take a deep breath. Slowly, he calmed and his face regained that beautiful, masklike peacefulness I knew so well, though it was obvious he hadn’t shaved in some time, and there were dark rings under his eyes. “Please…whatever it is, it can’t be that bad. We can talk about it.”
“ Let’s drive down to the harbor.”
We did. When we arrived, he helped me from the car and we walked down the long, wooden pier. In some ways, it reminded me of how we used to people-watch back in New York on a Sunday afternoon, but in this case, I knew many of the people here. Bob, who owned the butcher shop on the corner, the lady who ran the nail salon next to it, the kid who cut lawns locally. I waved to them as we passed.
“ There’s an ice cream shop up ahead,” Mr. Ishikawa offered. “Would you like an ice cream?”
I indicated a bench near the pier, with a glorious view of the harbor. “Let’s just sit here.”
We sat and I bowed my head. I took a deep, shaky breath, stared at my feet, and just put it out there: “I made a very stupid, elemental mistake with my birth control. I’m pregnant with your baby, but I’ve decided I won’t get an abortion so you can just forget about that.” I got angrier even as I sat there. My fists clenched up. “It’s not just your baby, Alex, it’s mine too, and you have no right to pressure me. You have no rights at all, as
I listened as she went downstairs. There was an exchange of voices. I recognized one as Mr. Ishikawa’s. Finally, a door slammed shut in anger. I let out my breath in a trembling sigh and tried to get my tears under control. How in hell had he found me?
A few minutes later, I heard Mr. Ishikawa’s steely voice come to me, just below my window. “Felix, stop playing these silly games and talk to me. I’ve come a long way to see you.”
I lay down on my bed, grabbed a Care Bear for a shield, and shivered. Maybe, I thought, if I waited things out, he’d go away.
“ Felix, I need to speak to you. I’ll stay here as long as it takes until you face me! Felix!”
I shivered again.
***
By early evening, curiosity finally overcame my good sense.
I climbed out of bed and went to peek out my bedroom window.
Mr. Ishikawa was still there, still waiting as he had promised. His car was parked in the gravel drive and he was seated on the hood, dressed in one of his prim suits, a newspaper in his lap. But the moment I looked down, he seemed to sense me and looked up. I saw his eyes, the hurt and anger etched so deeply around them, and I started feeling bad all over again. “Felix…!” The softness in his voice, that control I responded to so well, was gone. He sounded hoarse, as if he’d been screaming for hours.
“ I’ll come down if you promise we can go somewhere private to talk.”
He took a deep breath as if relieved and pushed the newspaper aside. “Yes. Absolutely.”
I dressed in a flowered sundress and low heels and went downstairs. My Aunt Sarah, standing in the kitchen, saw me. She gave me a little nod of encouragement and squeezed my shoulder as I passed. I told her I’d be back soon.
The moment I stepped outside the house and onto the drive, Mr. Ishikawa started toward me, then stopped, as if afraid by approaching me, he’d spook me. I lifted my chin, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and said, “How did you find me?”
He took my hand. Relief, fear, and concern all played out on his face at once. I’d never noticed that before, how emotional he could become at times, usually around me. “The phone. It has a miniature tracking device in it. All the prototypes do.”
“ Ah.”
Finally, he exploded. “You didn’t answer my texts, my messages…you disappeared without a trace…!”
“ I had my reasons.”
He virtually shook with anger. I watched him close his eyes and take a deep breath. Slowly, he calmed and his face regained that beautiful, masklike peacefulness I knew so well, though it was obvious he hadn’t shaved in some time, and there were dark rings under his eyes. “Please…whatever it is, it can’t be that bad. We can talk about it.”
“ Let’s drive down to the harbor.”
We did. When we arrived, he helped me from the car and we walked down the long, wooden pier. In some ways, it reminded me of how we used to people-watch back in New York on a Sunday afternoon, but in this case, I knew many of the people here. Bob, who owned the butcher shop on the corner, the lady who ran the nail salon next to it, the kid who cut lawns locally. I waved to them as we passed.
“ There’s an ice cream shop up ahead,” Mr. Ishikawa offered. “Would you like an ice cream?”
I indicated a bench near the pier, with a glorious view of the harbor. “Let’s just sit here.”
We sat and I bowed my head. I took a deep, shaky breath, stared at my feet, and just put it out there: “I made a very stupid, elemental mistake with my birth control. I’m pregnant with your baby, but I’ve decided I won’t get an abortion so you can just forget about that.” I got angrier even as I sat there. My fists clenched up. “It’s not just your baby, Alex, it’s mine too, and you have no right to pressure me. You have no rights at all, as
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