Sweet Saturday: Plum Blossom Covenant #5

Image credit: deepspacedave / 123RF Stock Photo

Welcome back! I have been sharing scenes from one of my current works-in-progress, a Japanese historical I'm calling The Plum Blossom Covenant. It is the beginning of the twentieth century, and Yasahiro Tanaka has returned to his native Japan after having spent four years in America. His parents have met him at the harbor. And by a twist of fate, a woman who broke his heart is now living in Tokyo. He finally has a chance to speak with her about what happened:

Yasa held back as the women went ahead. He noticed Yumiko doing the same, and took the opportunity to talk to her again.

"Do you plan to work for these ladies? Will you stay with them, or will they return to America?"

Yumi was slow to answer. "I don’t work for them, exactly. I work for the WTCU."

"And after the conference?  What will you do then?"

"I—don't know."

Yasa sighed. "I searched for you, you know. I looked everywhere. No one would tell me where you had gone."

"No one knew."

He stared at her. "You didn’t tell your parents where you went?"

"No. I—couldn't. I didn’t tell anyone."

"Yumi—"

"It was better that way. I had to get away and I didn’t want you or anyone else to become involved. It’s better this way. I have built a life here. You can move on with yours."

"My life was supposed to include you."

She bowed her head. "I know. I’m—sorry."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, heedless of the excited chatter ahead of them.  Suddenly, Yasa stopped.

"I could stay here."

Yumiko stopped, too. Not because he stopped, but because she was so startled her feet refused to move. "No!"

"You don’t want me here?"

"No, it’s not that, but — you would do that for me?"

"I might, if I understood what it is about Furano that keeps you so far away."

Yumi hesitated.  Could she tell him?  It would be so nice to get this out, to share the burden of her knowledge. But she couldn’t.  If he knew, it could hurt him. She had to keep it to herself.

"Were you that impatient? You knew I had only one more term to finish at the college. I promised I would come back to you, and I did — but you were gone," Yasa persisted.

"I—I know. I’m sorry." She knew her apology was so inadequate, but it was all she could do. She walked on, hanging her head in misery.

Yasa’s next words to her made the pain worse. "I am sorry, too. I must have done something, or not been the man you wanted me to be, if you cannot abide even living on the same island as me. There is nothing left for me to do but return to Hokkaido and work with my father." He walked ahead then, joining his family.

If only you knew, she thought. You are everything I ever wanted, but can never have.

****

Thanks for stopping by! Several other authors are sharing excerpts from their works today, and their links can be found at Sweet Saturday Samples. Be sure to check them out!

If you want to read the story of Yasa's parents, please check out The Samurai's Garden. Only $2.99 at your favorite ebook outlet – Astraea Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and others.

Sweet Saturday

Plum Blossoms Image credit: hanaschwarz / 123RF Stock Photo

Welcome back to Creative Hodgepodge! I've been hard at work on some new stories, and I hope you'll like them. Today I'm sharing the opening for a work-in-progress that follows the son of my samurai hero in The Samurai's Garden. My working title is The Plum Blossom Covenant. This is the opening scene:

Yasahiro Tanaka stood at the bow of the ship, gazing intently ahead.  The salty spray from the ocean stung his face, but he kept his eyes pointed toward his goal.  He was returning home, back to the land in which he had been born and raised, the land of his family, his roots.

It had been five years since he had left his parents' home, under protest, not wanting to separate from the cocoon of security his loving family had wrapped him in all his life.  But his father, his wise samurai parent, had insisted. “You need to see more of the world before you settle down,” he had said. “You know of nothing but your surroundings. There is much to see, so many other lifestyles, ideas, and knowledge that is yours for the taking. Go. We will miss you, but you must do this before you can truly lead.”.

So he had gone. First, he'd gone to the mainland to visit his father’s family in Tokyo. He had been there before, but this time he'd gone alone, absorbing everything he saw and heard. He'd visited the courts where his grandfather, the great samurai warrior, had served the emperor. He'd worked out at the dojo where his father and uncles had trained.

After a few months, he had boarded a ship and gone across the ocean to the enormous country called America. He had a limited knowledge of English, having attended the Hokkaido Agricultural College in Sapporo, where the president and several instructors were American. They had told him stories about their homeland, and he wanted to see if the tales of the largeness of the land, about the freedoms to move about, and the opportunities to be had there were all true.

And now he was coming home. He had so many wonderful tales of his own to tell, to share with his family, and a few souvenirs as well.

A young boy nudged into his side, reminding Yasa he was not alone on the deck. The youngster peered through the railing, only to be pulled back by his anxious mother. Yasa cast a quick glance at the mother, his breath catching at the sight of her purple jacket, emblazoned with white plum blossoms. It was a painful reminder of another woman in a similar gown, in another place and time.

No matter how hard he worked, or how far he traveled he couldn't escape reminders of her. She had professed to return his feelings, but then abandoned him.  Even now the pain of her rejection had the power to make his his temperature rise, to make his mouth taste bitter. She had worn his favorite kimono that night, white plum blossoms embroidered on purple silk.  She'd fastened matching plum blossoms in her hair and he had never seen her looking so beautiful.

Growing up with flowers, he'd known the meaning of those blossoms.  Westerners associated plum blossoms to beauty and longevity, but in the Asian countries the blossoms meant “pure and true”.  He cringed at the irony. He had known her all his life and had believed he'd found his soulmate, but in reality he hadn't known her at all.

****

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to leave a comment, and check out the excerpts offered by other authors by going to Sweet Saturday Samples. And if you want to read about Yasa's samurai father, check out The Samurai's Garden by clicking on the book cover below.