Rose Petals Vol1

Chapter 3 The Apartment

Relocating to a new city, town or country can be overwhelming. The thought of leaving behind familiarity to venture off into something unknown and new in itself is exciting. These were the thoughts and feelings of Mayana. It was her freedom she was chasing. No longer allowing herself to be in prison in that cold damp apartment. She was fleeing from loneliness and perhaps boredom. There was nothing in Mumbai that would keep her there. Not even her father. His home was no longer a luxury apartment, but the hospital ward where he spent countless hours, shoving himself back and forth through patient rooms, clinging to his memories. His daughter, no longer the little girl that smiled as she sat on daddy’s lap, pleading for her every want and need. She was now an adult, ready for adventure and a new world, a new life. What awaited her was new beginnings and endless possibilities.

The building that Shiho pulled up too was built sometime in the 1800s. The apartment was small, but comfortable. It had a decent sized kitchen, which was fully opened to the dining room and living room. There were two small bedrooms, a powder room and a complete in-suite bathroom that could be accessed through both rooms. The bathroom seemed a lot bigger than the bedrooms, having both a shower and a garden tub and a small vanity area.

It was located on the top floor, which was a plus, since it opened out onto the flat roof of an enclosed terrace. The roof view of Tokyo was breathtaking, especially at night.

There were only two other tenants, or should I say one tenant and a family of nine kids and one on the way. An elderly woman from London named Mrs. Wilsworth lived on the first floor, with about five cats of her own. Sometimes three or more neighboring cats would come and hang out at the entrance near her front door. It was confusing for poor Mrs. Wilsworth, who could never figure out which cats were actually hers. Her eyesight was slightly failing, seeing only colors and blurred figures. This confusion would cause her to kick out her own cats, who would stay by the door scratching and screeching to be let in, while the flea-infested strays would enjoy a good salmon or chicken dinner. It was only until the other cats got angry at being held as prisoners (since they were free roaming) that she would again realize her mistake.

The other occupants took over all of the second floor. It was actually three families put together as one. Two brothers, both plumbers, their dramatic wives and their nephew and his wife. I think their names were Peaches, Daisy, and..., I can’t remember the other ones, but anyways.

They were Latin. No one knows exactly which one, because they spoke Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and even Navaho and other Native American tongues, along with Japanese. The children were more fluent, while the adults butchered almost every word, with their heavy Latin tongue.

There was always a fiesta or something worth celebrating going on, even in the late hours. A birth of a child, a wedding, or a divorce. Everything was celebrated. There were quiet nights also, which made you wonder if a funeral was soon to be in session or, bluntly speaking, “have someone died.”

The wives were so melodramatic, that during a heated argument, each would grab the wrong girl or boy, and later would open their doors apologetically only to say “This one is yours.”

The brothers and their gambling friends would sit back in their chairs, pop open a few cans of beers, and bet on whose wife’s air would give out first during a heated quarrel. It was always about something petty.

“My son got his first A in gym class.”

“Oh what you try to say, my son’s stupid.”

The plumber's nephew and his wife remained mutual

bystanders to this ongoing battle. They were the more sensitive couple. You would almost feel sorry for them, because it was a lot of work for them to try and keep the peace amongst the other wives. Yet throughout all of this, they remain together and would fight anyone who thought less of any of them.

Maya and Shiho loved the apartment and their neighbors, who stopped by to welcome them, including Mrs. Wilsworth’s cats and the three strays. The girls played rock paper scissor to see who

would get a slightly larger bedroom. Maya lost with scissor cutting paper. Shiho not only had the more spacious room, but it had the better view, just like the terrace. Maya’s room had one window that faced a lot of office buildings, and below dark alleyways that seemed to twist and bend like a maze. The room was almost empty except for a futon and a small dresser with a broken lamp. There were still shards of glass hanging from the lamp and the futon seemed as if it had been thrown into the room and not placed down gently.

Two days before Maya’s arrival, Mr Tashibana had paid a moving company to move a few needed furniture to the apartment. The movers, out of shape and already tired of hauling furniture up and down the stairway, dropped and broke the lamp and floor mirror. Fearing bad luck or compensation for any broken items, they sped off quickly, endangering the feet of the plumbers’ children, whose wives cursed in all Latin languages while cleaning up the mess. Mr. Tashibana was, of course, never compensated since he could no longer get a hold of the company. They had closed shop and decided to pickup somewhere else. There were no forwarding addresses and there wasn’t a number left to contact anyone.

Maya’s desk and a few of her personal items would arrive sometime later in the week.

“I should call dad and let him know I’m here.”

She took the phone out of her crossover bag and dialed his number, only to get a busy tone.

“He must be talking to a patient or his advisors. I'll leave a message.”

“Sorry this mailbox is full.”

She sighed and hung up. Emptying her bag onto the futon bed, she picked up some folded papers, which were among the different smells of oils and shades of lip gloss. She hated lipstick, unlike Shiho, who had every color that any manufacturer could dream up. She found the list of agencies that had been emailed to her the previous week. There was a light knock on the door.

Shiho entered holding two wine glasses and a bottle of cranberry cider.

“I found this in the refrigerator. Dad probably left it for us.” Maya took a glass.

“What do you want to drink too?”

“Not sure.”

Maya thought for a moment. “How about new beginnings and lasting friendships?”

“And making new ones.”

Shiho smiled as they lifted their glasses and took a sip.

“What do you mean by that?”

Shiho licked her lips and closed her eyes. She thought of those

piercing silver eyes and wondered if they would ever gaze upon her again. Maya cleared her throat.

“ I’ll tell you a secret.” She leaned in and whispered. “I have a crush on one of them.”

Maya looked around the room. “Why are you whispering? It’s just us here.”

Shiho took another sip. “I bet you can’t guess who.”

Maya looked down at her glass. She never noticed the other members, only the red-headed devil. Any of them could be Shiho’s crush. And knowing how she operates, she was sure to snag one of them. It seemed like money and looks made the world go round.

The rich and powerful always remained so.