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Chapter 6

Posted on Wednesday, 8 December 2004

Due to Elaine's new work schedule, she'd been able to accept Will's invitation to dinner on Monday night. It was over dessert that he reiterated his interest in seeing where she worked and her artwork. Once again, Elaine encouraged him to stop by. It was Wednesday evening by the time Will finally found time to visit Elaine at her pottery shop.

Elaine was bent over, helping a customer choose between two terracotta planters when Will entered the shop. The customer, an older woman with whitening hair, was deciding between one that was the traditional orange color and plain and another that had ridged designs along the planter's surface. "It's called feathering," Elaine was explaining, when she heard the bell over the door jingle. She looked up and saw Will. Her eyes lit up. He waved at her and then motioned for her to return to her customer. With hand gestures, he explained that he'd have a look around while he waited for her to finish. Elaine smiled her understanding. The exchange took less than a minute and the customer never noticed her distraction.

"It's pretty," the customer was saying, fingering the ridged designs. "But I don't know. It's so much more expensive. How is this done?" she asked finally.

"By trailing a feather through wet slip, which is fluid clay in a creamy mixture. It's applied to the planter. See here - this shinier portion of the planter? That's the slip. After it's applied and before it's dried, we trail a feather through it. That's how we get the feathered, ridged effect."

Elaine could see the interest patently displayed in her customer's face. She could also appreciate the internal struggles currently taking place in her customer's head. It wouldn't have been the first time a customer had stood in her store and grappled with the difficult decision of whether to spend more money than she knew she ought to be spending.

"I know it's probably a bit more than you were hoping to spend, but you can see the extra effort that went into it, can't you? The design, the detail, they're much harder to make and it's all done by hand. That's why it costs more. But our customers usually find that it's worth the money spent once they take it home and display it in their homes. It's as much a planter as it is a decoration for your home." Elaine completed her explanation with a smile for her customer.

"You're right," the customer said, putting the plain planter back on the shelf. "I'll take this one. It is nicer and this dark blue color of the - slip, is it? - will match the couch in my living room perfectly. Thank you so much for all your help, Elaine. I know I've been horribly indecisive. You must think me absolutely boorish."

"Not at all, Mrs. Elton. That's why I'm here."

"Well, I appreciate it. You've been very helpful and most informative. I never knew buying a planter would prove so difficult a task. I didn't even know I was going to buy a planter today, until I stepped in here! But now that I know about your shop, I can assure you I'll be back for other things. I've already got my eye on several other items for my new home."

"I'm glad to hear it. And if I may say so, welcome to the Bay Area, ma'am."

"You're sweet, dear."

"Why don't I carry the planter to the counter for you, Mrs. Elton? Mariah will help ring your purchase up for you."

"Thank you, Elaine."

"Come again, Mrs. Elton."

"I will."

The minute she concluded with Mrs. Elton, Elaine rushed to Will's side. She found Madeline already there, explaining that the store was organized such that the functional pieces were on the other side of the store while the non-functional pieces were displayed on the side in which they were currently standing.

"Madeline, hi. Don't worry, I'll take this one." Madeline raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and Elaine laughed and explained, "Madeline, this is Will Darcy. Will, this is Madeline Gardiner."

"Ah," Madeline's face smiled in understanding. "I've heard about you," she told him. "You're the one that's been primarily responsible for Elaine's good mood this past week."

"And you're the co-owner of this charming store."

"That I am."

"It's a great store. I've been standing here, admiring your work. You have some really lovely pieces," he told her. "Did you make this?" he asked Madeline.

She glanced at the vessel he'd selected from the shelf and now held in his hands, and smirked. "No. Elaine made that piece. I'll let her explain its significance to you while I see to our other customers. It was nice meeting you, Will."

"Likewise."

As Madeline glided off, Will and Elaine turned to each other. "Hi," she said excitedly. "You came!"

"I told you I wanted to."

"I wasn't expecting you."

"I had some time and on an impulse decided to drop by."

She kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you did."

"Congratulations on your sale, Ms. Bai." He nodded in Mrs. Elton's direction. The elderly lady was already on her way out the door. Despite the bundle of money she'd just spent, she had an extra spring in her step. "You sounded very professional. I couldn't help but overhear your explanation of the planter she bought."

"Well of course I did. That's what I am, a professional. And don't let anyone, like my mother, tell you otherwise. But really, in all seriousness, that's the whole point of opening our store. Because Madeline and I create everything we sell, we know the entire history of every piece that leaves our hand. You'd be surprised by the number of people who come into our stores and actually want to know how certain pieces are created and designed."

"So tell me about this piece then."

Elaine examined the brick-colored vase in Will's hand. It had two handles and was decorated by a border of white leaves around the bottom, and animals in between the lip and the body of the vase. "Well, first of all, it's a fertility vase."

"A what?" Will asked in shock.

Elaine giggled and quickly snatched the vase from him lest he drop and break her hard work in his shock and surprise. "A fertility vase," she repeated. "I modeled this vase after the sort of prayer vessels that Peruvian villagers might use to store their offerings to their ancient Inca gods."

"What makes it a fertility vase then?"

Elaine touched the animals she'd painted painstakingly onto the vase. "See these? They represent the animals that Peruvian villagers would parade down the main street of their village and out into the country where breeding would take place. The mating of farm animals is a major social event in the Peruvian culture. It's part of their livelihood, so it's a very important annual event for them. Because they use these vessels to pray for a bountiful yield, they've come to represent a prayer for fertility. Hence, a fertility vase."

"Huh," Will said. "Who knew? I guess it's true what they say - you really do learn something new every day."

"But don't worry," Elaine added cheekily. "Just because you touched it today doesn't mean that you'll end up pregnant tomorrow."

"Ha ha. Very funny, Elaine. But seriously, how do you learn all this stuff?"

"I read a lot. It gets boring and tedious to make the same things over and over again, so I like creating new and different things. What better way to get inspiration than to learn about other cultures?"

"I'm impressed, Elaine. I really am. Your work is exquisite." Will trailed off as he turned to study the shelf and its wares in front of him.

Elaine watched him gently trace the edges of one of the pieces on the shelf; it was of a mother cradling her swaddled babe. She feared both knowing and never knowing how he felt about her work and her store - both of which she considered very personal: the core and the essence of the person she was - and waited for what he had to say with knotted hands and bated breath.

Suddenly, his opinion mattered a great deal to her.

"Each piece you create, I can see bits of you in them: your compassion, your humility, and your wonderful sense of humor," he added, now referring to a more playful, abstract piece of hers that depicted a circle of seals tossing a ball back and forth between them. "And your shop . . ."

Elaine followed the flourish of his hand around the store and saw through his eyes what he saw - customers peppered around the store and shelves swarmed with ornate and artistic pieces, some of which had more classical lines and appealed to the traditional sensibilities while others attracted the attention of the more adventurous sorts with their unique, modern feel.

"It's warm, it's inviting, and it's delicate, yet bold at the same time. It reflects who you are."

He wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her that he admired her talent, and the way she treated every customer like an old friend. But he was afraid of overwhelming her and scaring her off with his enthusiasm.

Had it been any other person, he would have accused her of insincerity and panning to the customers. But, with Elaine, he knew she was sociable with her customers because that's just the sort of person she was - open and friendly. And honest. He liked how, in the conversation he'd overheard, Elaine had first taken her customer's wants and needs into consideration before providing her with her frank and honest opinions. No wonder so many people walked out of her shop with overflowing bags and smiles on their faces, he thought, while noting one such happy couple do just that.

"But, then again," Will said lightly, "maybe I'm just biased. Because of how I feel about you."

Something inside of Elaine immediately went: ta-da!

She didn't know how to respond to something like that, so she said very simply, "Thanks." She had to look away as she said it though, and tried not to melt into a puddle of mush as her insides went soft from his battery of compliments. As it was, she was having a hard time hiding the blush that now tinged her cheeks.

"And you're also right."

"About what?" Elaine turned back to look at him questioningly.

"Knowing the history, the story behind a certain piece does make all the difference." He plucked the fertility vase out of her hands. "In fact, now that I know all about the Peruvian culture and its animal mating rituals, I find this vase much more interesting. It's unique. And it really is beautiful. You do good work, Elaine, and you're very persuasive. I like it. So I'll take it."

"What?" It was Elaine's turn to be speechless. "You can't be serious."

"Why not? It'll look great in my living room. Besides, why are you so surprised?"

"Because it costs almost five hundred dollars, that's why!"

"Then you should be punching your fist into the air in ecstasy over the fact that I'm dropping a bundle."

"I can't let you spend all that money," Elaine insisted stubbornly.

"Is this how you approach all your sales?" Will wondered. "Because if it is, I don't know how you and your partner manage to turn a profit."

"Will." Elaine put a hand on his arm, and said seriously, "You don't have to purchase the vase just to impress me. You already have, you know. I mean, surely you know by now that I like you. A lot."

He looked at her sternly. "I should be insulted that you would even think that. But I won't be because it got you to say what I've been wanting to hear. Actually, it's handy knowing you feel that way, Elaine, because I happen to like you too. A lot."

Something gooey and warm fluttered in Elaine's stomach. She struggled to suppress and ignore it. She would not let him see how his words had put a hitch in her stride. "So, you're serious about the vase then?" She bit her lip.

"Didn't I say it would look great in my living room? In fact, in my mind, I can already imagine where I'm going to put it."

"So there's no dissuading you?"

"No."

"Well, all right then," Elaine sighed. "Come on over. I'll ring it up for you. But don't say I didn't warn you when you forget and have a heart attack when your credit card bill arrives in the mail next month."

They chatted while Elaine filled out the payment slip and charged his credit card. She was in the middle of bundling up his package when Madeline returned. "Ah, so I see you liked the fertility vase enough to buy it. An excellent choice."

"It'll match the furniture in my living room."

Madeline wondered if he was just saying so. Either way, it was a purchase.

But, even if he hadn't bought something though, she would've been disposed to like Will. Not only had he put a smile on her friend's face, he'd also proven to be a polite and gentlemanly person. For her friend's sake she hoped Elaine would get to see more of him. "You know, Elaine. It's slowed down a lot and we're closing up in an hour anyway. You might as well take off for the night."

"But it's my night to close up shop."

"Don't be such a ninnyhammer," Madeline whispered into Elaine's ear. "Just go." In a louder voice she said, "It's no problem. I can close up tonight."

"I can give you a ride home," Will offered. His car had finally come in during the week.

Since both Madeline and Will were looking expectantly at her, she conceded defeat. "Oh, all right." She took of the apron that protected her clothes. "Just let me get my things."

While Elaine ducked into the backroom to put away her potter's apron and gather her jacket and purse, Madeline took the opportunity to get to know Will a little better. Elaine found them laughing raucously when she returned. She eyed her friend suspiciously. "I hope you're not embarrassing me."

Madeline immediately affected her most angelic expression. "What on earth could you be talking about?"

"I don't know. But I don't like it when your voice gets all sugary like that. It means you're definitely up to something." When Madeline continued to stare at her with a purposefully vacant face, Elaine shook a finger and warned, "I'm onto you Gardiner, and I'll figure it out eventually."

She then took Will's arm, and said, "Come on." At the door, she turned around and stuck a tongue out at her friend. Madeline leaned against the counter and laughed.

"Have you had dinner?" Will asked once they were on the boardwalk.

"Nope. You?"

"I came over as soon as I got off work." His simple confession sent thrills straight down to Elaine's toes.

"How would you feel about coming over to my place?" he asked. "I'll cook dinner for us."

"Really?"

"Yes. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I don't know," Elaine shrugged. "I've never had a guy cook for me before."

"Well it's about time then, isn't it?"

"Just so long as I don't have to return the favor. Other than pressing buttons on a microwave, I'm not a very good cook," she cautioned.

"You can tear lettuce, can't you?"

"Yes," she answered warily.

"Then you can help make the salad tonight."

"And all I have to do is tear lettuce?"

"Maybe some chopping too - tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers - you can handle that, right? Or should I keep knives away from you."

Elaine pretended to be miffed. "I can handle chopping. I can handle most anything so long as you tell or show me what to do."

"Fine. While you work on the salad, I'll work on the rest of our dinner."

"Deal."

They'd reached the parking lot by then, and Elaine looked around unsure of where to proceed next.

"There's my car."

"Where?"

"Over there."

"The Beamer?" Will nodded his head. "Oh, wow. What an awesome car!" Elaine ran to the car and brushed her hand lovingly over the sleek, silver lines of the compact convertible. "It's beautiful. Can we ride with the top down?" she asked, her eyes filed with eager, child-like anticipation.

She was a woman after his own heart, he thought to himself. "You bet. Hop in."

Elaine didn't have to be told twice. They were halfway to his apartment when he asked, "So, I just have to ask. Did you really go swimming nude at a nudist's beach when you were in college?"

Elaine's eyes gorged and her cheeks instantaneously flamed red. "I'm going to kill Madeline," she mumbled to herself.

"So, I'll take that as a yes then?" Will was already grinning like a fool.

"No!" was Elaine's immediate and mortified answer. "Well, yes. But, no. Argh. That's not how it happened. Trust Madeline to only tell the story halfway. She was there too, you know.

"We were studying abroad in Spain at the time and a friend of a friend of a friend - it was one of those relationships - invited us to join her at the beach. Well, it was summer, it was hot, and it sounded like fun, so we said yes. Imagine the shock we felt as four unsuspecting Americans armed with bathing suits and beach towels stumbling upon a nude beach! I think we all tripped over one another like dominoes in our shock. Once we recovered, we all tried to be cool and very cosmopolitan about it all, but I'm telling you Will. I didn't last more than fifteen minutes. We tried to keep our gazes above neck, but it's hard to keep your eyes trained on anything other than naked bodies when they're all around you! We quickly made our excuses and got out of there fast.

"Never again." Elaine added a shudder for emphasis.

Will chuckled.

Elaine waited several beats before saying, "Interestingly enough, I didn't feel the least bit embarrassed or uncomfortable when I bathed nude at a public bathhouse the last time I visited Japan."

Will's foot fell off the accelerator.

Elaine laughed. "I thought that might grab your attention."

He pulled into a parking lot. "Mind if we stop off at the grocery store? I'll need to pick a few things up for our dinner."

"Oh, I though you had everything you needed at your apartment when you invited me over and I agreed. I don't want to put you to any trouble."

"Not at all. I would have had to stop by the grocery store even if I was cooking for just myself. My fridge is woefully empty."

"I know that feeling."

Once in the grocery store, Elaine separated herself from Will. "I'll meet you at the checkout lines," she told him. He looked questioningly at her, but she refused to say anything more.

"Before you go, any allergies or any particular food aversions I should know about?"

"I don't think so. I pretty much eat anything so long as I don't have to cook it, so I'm sure whatever you cook will be fine."

"Okay."

True to her word, she met him fifteen minutes later at the checkout lines. Behind her dangled a small, white shopping bag. "What's that?" he pointed and asked. Elaine shook her head and refused to let him in on the secret.

"Can I split the cost?" she asked as he paid cashier. He withered her with one look. "Guess not." He even refused to let her help him carry their groceries back to the car. Once at the apartment, he did allow her to carry in the packaged fertility vase since his hands were tied with the groceries.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Will said as he unlocked his door and gestured her inside. He followed in behind her and kicked the door shut. Though he put the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter, he quickly returned to the living room where Elaine was in the midst of ogling his apartment. "First things first," he told her, and took the shopping bag with the boxed vase inside it from her.

"This is a great apartment, Will."

"Thanks. I'm still moving in, as you can see from the boxes lying about. Hope you don't mind the mess."

"No, not at all." It was clear he had an eye for taste; unlike other guys she'd known. Everything was tastefully placed and his furniture in various shades of tangerine, amber, and chocolate matched the cream-colored walls. His furniture was obviously new, but comfortable-looking. There was nothing cold or pretentious about his apartment; it looked welcoming and lived in. She liked that.

She admired the framed posters and photographs he'd hung on the wall. "What's this?" she asked.

He looked over to see what she was admiring. It was a collection of four landscapes, each one depicting a different season. He came over and stood behind her. "Like it? I picked that up when I visited Russia. It's called beresta - the bark of a birch tree. Russians and Siberians make lots of different things out of beresta, one of which are these paintings. You can see from the raised and bumpy surface of the painting how they incorporate the bark into the painting."¹

"I've never seen anything like it," Elaine marveled. "When did you visit Russia?"

"Couple of years back when I was in college. I had a friend who was spending a year there, studying abroad, so I took advantage of knowing someone over there who spoke the language and having a free place to stay, and visited her over spring break."

"Her?" Elaine arched an eyebrow.

"Strictly a friend. Now come on back and help me decide where I should put the vase."

"I thought you said you knew exactly where you wanted to put it when we were back in the shop." With her hands tucked into her pockets, Elaine followed him from behind.

"I do. But I want your seal of approval."

"Do you need my approval?"

"No. But I should like to have it all the same."

"Oh, all right."

Will carefully unwrapped the vase from its protective bubble-wrapping, box, and tape, and placed it on a table that ran along one side of the wall. "Well? What do you think?"

It did look nice and it did complement the coloring of his living room, and she told him so. "You've a good eye, Will. It really does match your apartment perfectly. Now, one last thing before we get to the cooking. You have to find a place for this."

She held out the bag she'd hidden from him at the grocery store. "What is it?" he asked.

"Open it and discover for yourself."

He pulled out a bamboo plant in a porcelain vase, painted blue and white with lotus flowers. "It's a Chinese custom to give bamboo as a gift. It's supposed to bring good fortune," she told him. "And it's a little thank you gift for dinner tonight."

"You didn't have to do that, but thank you. It's perfect. As you can see, my apartment is sadly lacking in the plant department. Now I have a little bit of green in here. Plus, bamboo should be easy to take care of right?"

"It's a pretty hearty plant," Elaine agreed. "You just have to add water to its pot once in a while."

"Good. Because I confess, I'm no green thumb. I have a tendency to kill any plant that's left in my care. Let's hope this plant lives up to its own reputation."

Once they'd found a new home for the plant, on top of his television, Will and Elaine retired to the kitchen to begin their dinner preparations. "Since it's kind of late," and indeed it was already going on nine o'clock, "I decided to save the fancy stuff for another time and go for something quick and easy. How's pasta sound to you?"

"I love the stuff."

"Great," Will said, sounding relieved. "I was half afraid you'd turn out to be one of those girls who ran from anything that tasted anything better than cardboard and lived off a low-carb diet."

Elaine raised her hand to her chest in mock horror. "No carbs? Perish the thought. I swear by the stuff. My motto is - the more the carbs, the better the food."

"Excellent because I bought some garlic bread that we can pop in the oven and some fixings for a salad. Think I can leave it to you to assemble the vegetables? You just have to wash the lettuce and here are some cucumbers and tomatoes you can slice and add. I'm going to get started on the pasta and sauce."

"Aye, aye, captain."

The tasks she'd been assigned were simple enough and she had no trouble doing as he asked. She left the salad dressing to him, but felt free to taste the marinara sauce when he asked for her opinion. "Yum." She wiped her mouth after he'd fed her from the spoon. "That's really good. What'd you put in it?"

"My secret ingredients."

"Hmph."

He handed her plates and silverware and asked her to set the table while he finished up the pasta and the salad. "Are you sure you don't want any wine?" he asked as he handed her the water glasses.

"I'm not really fond of alcohol," she admitted.

"Okay. Water it is."

Within thirty minutes, the food had been cooked and the table set. "We work well as a team," Will observed as they sat down to dinner. "Garlic bread?"

"Don't mind if I do." Elaine snagged a slice from the breadbasket. "Salad?" He held up his plate and she spooned some of it onto his plate.

"Mm." He took a bite of the salad. "It's delicious. You did an excellent job with the salad, Elaine. I don't know why you say you don't know how to cook."

She rolled her eyes. "You know perfectly well that's your own dressing you're tasting. All I did was throw a bunch of vegetables together. Hardly gourmet."

The pasta was simple, but fragrant and flavorful, and Elaine told him so. "The secret is in the fresh herbs," he told her. "Even if you cheat by using spaghetti sauce from a jar, you should always freshen it up by adding fresh herbs.

"So," Will began after he watched Elaine take a bite of her dinner, "tell me about that Japanese bathing house where you bathed nude."

Elaine almost choked on her dinner. "There was no hope of you forgetting I said that was there?" She sipped on her water.

"Are you kidding me? Not on your life."

She twirled some pasta around her fork. "I was five at the time."

"Couldn't we pretend you were twenty-five?"

Elaine smirked, knowing exactly which route his male mind had taken. "That would mean I've been to Japan in the past year and I haven't. Mores the pity."

"So people bathe nude in these bathhouses?" Will asked askance.

"Sure. They're called onsens, which means natural hot springs.² It's a big part of their culture so a lot of the nicer hotels in Japan will have them. That's where I visited an onsen. Very few are co-ed; most onsens are separated by gender. The one we visited was." Elaine paused in her story, trying to decide whether she should say anything more. She gave in with a groan. "This is actually kind of embarrassing, but -"

"What? What happened?" Will's interest was already piqued.

Elaine had always had a healthy sense of humor, even when the subject was herself, so she was already laughing when she resumed the story. "Well, keeping in mind I was only five when this happened, one night, I went to the onsenwith my family - my dad went into one room and my mom took my sister and me into the other. When you go to an onsen, once you've stripped and before you enter the water, you're supposed to wash your body. This is how they ensure that the water stays clean. The onsensprovide soap, buckets, and water for this purpose. My mom was in the process of organizing everything to bathe us when I spotted the water. You have to understand - I'd just learned how to swim the summer before, so I was very into the sport. As soon as I saw the water, it was like something in my eyes went 'bing' and I just started running towards the water."

"Oh no. I think I can tell where this story is headed."

"I jumped into the water, more or less like a cannonball, and pretty much disturbed the entire serene bathing experience for all the other bathers. Their shocked and mortified expressions were the last of my concerns though. I was more concerned about the fire on my bottom! They're not called hot springs for nothing, you know." Even Will was laughing by now. "Oh, it was terrible. I looked and felt like a boiled lobster. My evil, unsympathetic sister was laughing at me, and my mom was so embarrassed. At least the other bathers took it in stride. They probably chalked it up to my young age. Thank goodness. I learned my lesson though and I was much more behaved on subsequent trips to the onsen."

She glared at him as he continued to laugh even after she'd finished her story. "It's not that funny," she said crossly.

"Sorry. You're right. It's not." Will quickly sobered, though his eyes did still twinkle. Elaine shared one last laugh with him.

He stood and started to carry their empty dishes to the sink. "Can I help?" Elaine asked.

"Sure. How are you with a dishtowel?"

"I'm an expert dryer."

"Great. Suit up." He threw a dishtowel at her, which she deftly caught.

While Will washed the dishes, Elaine dried them and stacked them neatly on the counter. Suddenly, she turned to face him and leaned against the counter. "Will, there's been something I've been wanting to ask you," she began slowly. "I didn't know how to bring it up."

"Go for it. What's up on your mind?"

This was what she liked about him. He was so relaxed about everything. Nothing ever fazed him; he just rolled with the punch. "I know we've only been out a few times - less than a handful, really. But -"

He wondered where she was going with this. He hoped she wasn't going to say, "But I don't think we should see each other anymore." He forced himself to continue washing the dishes so that she wouldn't see his shaken nerves.

Elaine shook her head. "Never mind."

Well, at least they weren't the words he'd feared. Still, they inspired some additional panic and curiosity as Elaine's face was scribbled with doubt and uncertainty. "Come on, what gives?" He tried to tease her into opening up by bumping into her hip.

"It's nothing. Really." She feigned a smile, all the while inwardly berating herself. She never should have said anything. It was just that, for a minute there, she'd been tempted to invite him to dinner at her parents' house next week. Then, once she'd started to formulate the words in her mouth, she realized it was much too soon. She was enjoying Will's company so much and having fun getting to know him. She really liked him, and she didn't want anything to ruin that. Namely, she didn't want to hear what her mother would have to say about Will after she met him. And she was sure her mother would have something to say about Will, like the fact that he wasn't Chinese.

Will narrowed his eyes to give Elaine a considering look, but she'd returned to wiping and drying the dishes, pretending that whatever it was that had just happened in the last five minutes had never happened. I wonder what that was all about, he thought to himself.

"Hey. Slowpoke." Elaine waved her hands in front of Will's face to catch his attention.

"Hm? What?"

She held out her empty hands. "Hit me."

"Oh, right. Sorry." He quickly rinsed the soapsuds off the plate he'd been washing and then handed it to Elaine when he was done.

Elaine peeked a glance at Will and was relieved to see that he'd gone back to washing the last of the dishes. It seemed, and she hoped, that he'd put her little aberration out of his mind. "That's the last of them," Will said as he handed her the last of the silverware to dry.

"Thank goodness. You're such a slave driver," Elaine teased.

"Slave driver! After the meal I cooked for you?"

"Eh." Elaine shrugged her shoulders. "It was okay."

"Okay? Just okay? I'll show you okay!" He dipped his hand into the sink for some of the remaining soap bubbles that had yet to disintegrate and flicked her on the nose, leaving a puff of soap bubbles on her nose.

"Hey!" She wiped it off and reached for him, but he blocked her with an arm. "No fair!" A water fight ensued. Elaine shrieked as she almost lost her balance. She grabbed his arm and almost brought him down with her.

"Whoa, steady now," Will said. She took advantage of his distractedness to cover his nose in soap. "Hey now!"

"You started it!" Elaine accused. Will lunged for the water spray gun, attached to his sink, and turning the water on aimed it at Elaine. "Oh no. Don't you even think about it." She backed away even as she spoke. "Don't you dare, Will. I'll -" He opened fire before she could finish her sentence. "Oh, you're sooo going to get it," Elaine warned. She skirted around him and turned on the water faucet, cupping water in her hands.

Suffice to say, it was a fairly damp Elaine that Will dropped off at her apartment. "So, what are you doing tomorrow night? Can I see you again?" he turned and asked.

"I can't. I have to work," she answered with regret.

"What about Friday night then?"

All of the sudden Elaine felt guilty, and the uneasiness she'd felt in Will's kitchen before the water fight resurfaced. "I have . . . plans." She wasn't sure if she should explain anymore beyond that.

If he noticed the hesitation in her voice, he didn't let on. Instead, he let out a long-suffering sigh and said, "Well, I suppose we'll have to try for some time next week then. I'm on call Saturday night."

She smiled and kissed him on his cheek. "I'll be sure to call you Sunday evening then, after you've gotten your rest."

He grabbed her face before she could pull back and kissed her hard on the mouth. "I'm going to keep you to that promise."

"Good-night, Will." She stepped out of the car and as an afterthought, turned back to add, "Thanks for the shirt."

Jane was waiting up for her when she walked through the door. She took off her reading glasses, laid them on the legal brief she'd been reading, and stared slack-jawed at her sister. "What happened to you? It's not raining outside, is it?" She hadn't heard the usual telltale pattering at the window, but Elaine's hair was a wet, mangled mess and patches of her jeans were soaked through. She didn't recognize the t-shirt her sister was wearing either.

"No. It's not." She threw the plastic bag that held her wet shirt at her sister. "That's what happened."

Curious, Jane opened the bag and took a look inside. "I don't get it."

"We got in a water fight," Elaine told her.

"A water fight?" Elaine nodded her head. "I don't think I want to know." She brought the handles of the bag together and, with one hand, passed the bag back to her sister. "So dinner was good then, I take it?"

"Very nice," Elaine said with a smile on her face. But there seemed, to Jane, to also be a tinge of sadness underlying that smile. She wanted to probe, but Elaine headed her off by saying, "I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to take a shower and then head straight to bed."

"Okay. Is everything all right?" Jane couldn't help but think that there was something else going on with her sister. Though she couldn't quite put a finger to it, her sisterly intuition was telling her that there was something off.

"Yeah. Everything's great. Why?"

Jane shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Okay. G'night, Jie."

"Good night, Elaine." Jane had already put her glasses back on and returned to her legal brief and notepad when she remembered something. "Oh. Elaine? I forgot something."

Elaine popped her head around her bedroom door. "What?"

"Ma called."

Footnotes:

1. For more information on beresta artwork, see http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/rus_cultures_cuisines/106744

2. For more information about Japanese onsens, see http://www.outdoorjapan.com/onsen/onsen-introduction.html

Chapter 7

Posted on Saturday, 1 January 2005

The red jell-o wobbled back at him as he studied the low fat dessert and poked it with the tines of his fork. There was something oddly fascinating about jell-o, and it continued to captivate Will's attention until Charlie slid his tray onto the table and sat down opposite of him.

"So, word on the street is that someone had some company for dinner last night. Someone of the two-legged, skirt-wearing variety."

Will put down his fork and stopped playing with his food. "Word travels fast. I take it you talked to Jane."

"Every morning, noon, and night," he practically sang.

It was difficult resisting the urge to pick up Charlie's bowl of soggy, lumpy, gravy-smothered mashed potatoes and dump it over his head. "Yeah, well, I thought I'd drop by Elaine's store after work yesterday and see what it was all about. It wasn't at all what I expected."

"What were you expecting?"

"I don't really know. Something cute and quaint, maybe?" Will shrugged as if it to say it didn't matter, and it didn't. Because now he'd seen Elaine's store and knew how he felt about it. "It was better than anything I could have imagined."

"Isn't it great?" There was fraternal pride in Charlie's voice. "She and Madeline have put in a lot of elbow grease into that place; it's their baby. But it's paid off."

"You can tell. I liked it a lot."

"So how much did you end up dropping at the store?"

"Why," Will took a sip of his water and swallowed, "do you automatically assume that I would have bought something?"

"Because I know you and I know you can't resist a good bargain when you see one."

"You make me sound like a woman."

Charlie glanced at his friend's neatly pressed button-down shirt and compared it to his own rumpled one. He didn't think he'd ever seen his friend in a shirt that wasn't perfectly starched and ironed. He was also positive his friend spent the evening before each new day carefully picking out his clothes for the morrow and then making sure that the accompanying tie complemented his clothes. Will was excessively organized like that.

He, on the other hand, always put on the first thing his hand happened to grab in the morning, which was probably how he'd ended up wearing a checkered shirt and a polka-dotted tie today. He looked down at his shirt and considered it for a second or two. He thought his shirt was clean; he hoped it was clean. It'd been at the top of his laundry basket, which either meant that it was clean and waiting to be ironed or dirty and waiting to be cleaned. Whichever it was, and he really couldn't be sure, the shirt had at least passed his sniff test. If Will ever found out that had a "sniff test," he'd likely have a heart attack.

"Compared to me you are a woman."

"So, now you're calling me a comparative woman?"

"You're avoiding the question."

"So take the hint."

"Nice try."

"Fine. Five hundred dollars." Charlie choked on his mashed potatoes. "Hey, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Five hundred dollars?" Charlie gasped and quickly grabbed for his water. "Man, you really do like her, don't you? Desperate to impress?"

Will bristled at the insinuation. "As a matter of fact, I would've bought the vase regardless of the artist or the price. I liked what I saw and knew it would fit with the décor of my apartment, and I thought the craftsmanship worthy of the price, so I bought it. My decision to purchase the vase had nothing to do with trying to impress Elaine. Although it was a nice side benefit, I suppose."

"Good." Will's indignation was precisely what Charlie wanted to hear. He considered Elaine a younger sister and, feeling as though he had some small part in bringing Will and Elaine together, he wanted to make sure that his friend wouldn't hurt her in any way.

"So where did you put it?"

"The vase?"

"Isn't that what we were talking about?"

"Right. In the living room, on the little trestle table. The coloring in the vase picks up the color in the furniture and some of the paintings I hung there too."

Charlie couldn't, for the life of him, conjure a picture of his own apartment so he had absolutely no idea what Will was talking about. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure he even knew what a trestle table was. "I'll take your word for it that it looks good."

"So what are your plans for tomorrow night?" Will asked. "You up for a little game of b-ball after work? I still think that last game you won off of me was a fluke."

"Dream on. I won that game fair and square. And I can't. Much as I'd love another opportunity to wipe your face in the dirt."

"How come? Afraid I'll beat you and you'll have to face the truth?"

"Nah, that's not it. I've got dinner plans with Jane and her parents."

"Oh yeah?" Will asked innocently, thinking that the dinner was between him, Jane, her parents, and them alone.

"Yeah. Every other Friday Jane and Elaine go home to their parents' house for dinner. It's kind of a family tradition and one of those - be there or be square -things."

"I see," Will said, and indeed he was afraid of what he was beginning to see.

"I don't think Jane or Elaine is crazy about having to go over there every other week, but they'd never admit it," Charlie continued, unaware of the preoccupation that had stolen over his friend's face. "I mean, they grumble about it enough but I've never heard them talk about actually putting their foot down and telling their parents no. Family's very important to them, and truth be told I think they're a little scared of their mother. In any event, the Bai's like for me to go whenever I can - Jane's mom loves me - so, since I'm not on call this weekend, I'm joining them for dinner."

"Oh."

"Elaine didn't mention it?" He asked, his head finally lifting up from his lunch. Because he hadn't been looking, Charlie had no idea how each of his words had affected Will.

"No." She'd only mentioned that she had plans for Friday night, when he'd asked whether she was free. She hadn't seen fit to clarify what those plans were. Will wondered why that was.

"Hm. Odd."

"Yeah. Odd."

"Oh well, Elaine probably forgot or assumed you'd know about it, or something like that. I wouldn't think anything of it," he added for his friend's benefit.

"You're probably right," Will said, pretending like he wasn't bothered by the fact that Elaine hadn't mentioned she was going to dinner at her parents' house Friday night. Except Will didn't feel that way at all.

It wasn't that he wanted Elaine to provide him with an accounting of her daily activities, or even that he expected her to spend her every spare minute with him. He simply found it curious, well, perhaps a little more than curious, that she hadn't told him about her dinners with her family. Surely, something like that wasn't such a "big deal" that she couldn't share that part of her life with him. It wasn't as if wouldn't have understood last night if she'd told him she couldn't go out with him Friday night because she had to have dinner at her parents' house. Therefore, he found it interesting that she had consciously chosen to not tell him about it.

Why?

Something niggled at the back of his head. He remembered that Elaine had been about to ask him something important last night when they were washing dishes together - he knew it'd been important because of the way she'd stumbled and hesitated over the question. But, ultimately, she'd foregone the question and pretended as if she hadn't wanted to say or ask anything after all. Though he'd been suspicious then, he was even more suspicious now.

He wondered if she'd been about to invite him to dinner, and if so why she ended up changing her mind. He remembered the way she'd stood in his kitchen and said, "It's nothing. Really."

Will opened his mouth and started to ask Charlie for more detailed information, but then his beeper went off. "Darn." His beeper did always have the worst timing. He pulled it out of is holster and scanned the screen quickly. "I've got to go. There's an emergency upstairs."

"Where duty calls."

"I guess I'll see you later then." Will rubbed his stomach nervously as he spoke. His conversation with Charlie over lunch had left him with a few things to think about. Things that made him as quivery as his jell-o.

"Yup." Charlie looked up from his lunch. "Hey, are you going to eat your jell-o?"

Will looked down at his tray, rolled his eyes, and handed it over. "Knock yourself out."

Across town, a different, but related conversation was taking place. "So, you almost asked Will to your parents' house but then chickened out, huh?"

Elaine was working at the wheel, throwing what would eventually be a baluster, a vase that was slender above and bulging below. She had her tongue stuck between her teeth, as she was wont to do whenever she was trying to concentrate on her work. Trying was certainly the operative word today as she was having a difficult time concentrating what with Madeline hovering about trying to pester her for gossip and information.

In an attempt to avoid the conversation she knew her friend wanted to drag her into, she asked, "Shouldn't you be out front? Looking out for the customers."

Madeline wasn't fooled for a minute, but quickly looked over her shoulder anyway. "Lydia's got it covered. Besides," she wrinkled her nose, "you know I hate socializing with customers, and avoid it whenever I can."

"But shouldn't you be supervising or something?"

"Weren't you the one who was only yesterday commenting about how impressed you were with her people skills and attention to detail behind the cash register?"

"Maybe," Elaine hedged.

"I think I can spare a couple of minutes from looking over her shoulder constantly."

"I'm not going to be able to get rid of you, am I?"

Madeline pulled up a stool and sat next to Elaine. "I'm almost disappointed that you even had to ask."

"Sorry. Silly me. All right," she sighed, but continued to work. "I'll talk.

"Oh, good. It would've been more fun to bash you over the head until you confessed all, but this is so much easier. So what happened?"

"I don't really know, truthfully. I think I was taken over by a temporary bout of insanity or something."

"Must've been something if you were suddenly tempted to bring him home for your parents' inspection," Madeline agreed. "That's pretty serious."

"And premature, don't you think?"

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

"I hate when you go all psychiatrist on me like that." Madeline merely grinned back at her. She hadn't minored in psychology in college for nothing.

"Okay," Elaine took a deep breath. "I think I thought that things were going so well that it'd be a good thing to bring him home and introduce him to my parents. I mean, I know I say a lot of things about my parents and my mom drives me nuts a lot, but when it comes down to it - they're my parents. And I love them and what they think means a lot to me."

"Okay." So far Madeline was following her friend.

"I would really love to know what my parents think about Will, but I don't think they're ready for him. In fact, I know they're not ready to meet him."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because my mom called while I was out last night and apparently gave my sister the third degree."

"I see." Madeline knew her friend's parents well enough, and she could well imagine the questions Fanny Bai would have asked: Was he Chinese? If not, was he at least Asian? How old was he? What did he do? How much did he make? Where did he live? Where was he from? Where had he gone to school? What did his parents do? Did he have any siblings? And, if so, where had they gone to school, and what did they do? And so on.

"Yeah. My point exactly. And you can bet that last night was only the tip of the iceberg. I'll be getting the full force tonight at dinner." That would consist of questions regarding how they met and whether she really thought there could be a future with someone who wasn't of the same race as her. Of course her mother would never ask such a question outright; instead, she'd make insinuations and ask the questions subtly. Elaine had always thought that her mother could have been a master interrogator in a former life.

"I don't know if I'm ready to face her and her questions."

"I'm sure you'll be fine."

"I wish I had your confidence."

"What do you have to be unconfident about? You answer what questions you can honestly, and anything that requires more you side step. You're good at that. I mean, haven't you become a master at avoiding her nosier questions by now?"

"Yes, but she wears you down eventually."

"And by then you'll be ready to go to battle."

"I suppose," Elaine answered half-heartedly.

"Don't fret, Elaine. You're just unsure of what to do right now because you're still getting to know Will, and you don't know how things will turn out. Once you determine whether he's worth fighting for, you'll know how to handle your mother."

"You're right, Madeline. I just don't want to deal with her in the meantime though!" The phone calls, the questions, the probing, the pestering. She wished she could wave a wand and have it all disappear.

"By the way, how did your mom find out about Will so quickly anyway?"

"Ah." Elaine snorted and rolled her eyes. "An excellent question. I'll tell you how. Billy was calling me non-stop, even after I told him I wasn't interested and nothing was ever going to happen between us, so I finally told him I was seeing someone else. Fortunately, I had just met Will that afternoon. But, not surprisingly, Billy ran home, with his tail between his legs probably, and told his mother, because he tells his mother everything. And then his mother immediately ran for the telephone and told my mother, who then called me but ended up talking to Jane since I wasn't home. I bet she preferred that anyway. You know how the grapevine works - whenever it is available, you never go directly to the source. In any event, Jane confirmed about Will. Which is fine. I knew my parents would find out about him eventually. Argh. I'm just not ready for all the badgering that will inevitably be involved."

"I'm sorry." Madeline frowned sympathetically. "How are things going with Will otherwise?"

"Good." Elaine couldn't help but brighten at the thought of Will, though she would've died before admitting her smile looked like the shining sun. "He makes me happy."

"Things seem as though they're headed down the path of seriousness already."

Elaine thought about that. "Yeah, I suppose they are."

"I like seeing you this way, Elaine. It's a good look on you."

"What look?"

"You know.

"No, I don't know. If I did, I wouldn't have asked."

"That first flushes of love look - where you come in every morning wearing that secret smile, and you're happy all the time, and you get that feverish look in your eyes every time Will's name comes up in conversation."

"Maybe we're moving too quickly," Elaine said, suddenly filled with self-doubt. It was one thing to feel as Madeline described, it was another to have someone point it out to her. It made her admit that was exactly how she felt. "We've only been out on a handful of dates. What do you think?"

"Why on earth would you ask a question like that? I think it's great! It's about time you met someone."

Elaine was saved from answering when a cell phone went off. "Is that yours or mine?"

Madeline dug into the pockets of her apron, pulled out her cell phone, and said, "Yours."

"Drats. I hope it's not my mother. Could you check for me? My cell phone is on the desk."

Madeline read the screen on Elaine's cell phone. "It says Charlotte-Work."

"Ooh, hold it up to my ear." Since her hands were dirty and she was in the middle of a piece, Elaine couldn't stop what she was doing. But didn't she want to miss her friend's phone call either. She'd been expecting it.

"Hello, Charlotte?"

There was the sound of rustling paper before Elaine heard, "Elaine, hi!"

"I've been waiting for your phone call," Elaine admonished. "You said you were going to call last night."

"I know. I'm sorry. I've been tied up at work, trying to clear my desk off so I can leave for San Francisco with a clear conscience."

Elaine heard more noises that sounded suspiciously like papers and files being moved around. "I take it it's not going so well?"

"No," Charlotte huffed. Even as she spoke she was reading over paperwork and affixing her signature wherever it was required before placing the files in her outbox. "I swear it's like slaying the Hydra's head. As soon as I eliminate one file, two more grow in its place. I haven't left work before ten this week; isn't that crazy? I just go home and crash since I'm back here by six. I know I said I'd call you last night, and I would've except that I don't even remember driving home last night. That's how bad it's gotten."

"I'm sorry. You are still coming though?"

"Yes, that's why I'm calling this afternoon. With any luck I'll be there tomorrow."

"So soon!" Elaine exclaimed, happy to know that she would finally get to see her best friend from childhood again.

"Yes. Oh, Elaine? Hold on for a minute." Elaine heard Charlotte giving several instructions to her secretary before coming back on the line. "Okay, back. Sorry about that. What was I saying?"

"You were saying you'd be here tomorrow."

"Oh, right. I've given up, Elaine. I don't care what my desk looks like by the time I leave tonight anymore. I'm out of here no matter what. I haven't had a vacation in . . . well, let's just say it's been a long time, so long I don't even remember the last time I took a day off. I just booked my flight for tomorrow morning."

"That's great! Email me your flight information. I'll come pick you up at the airport tomorrow."

"Thanks, Elaine. I was hoping you'd say that. Look, I've got to run, but I'll email you the information and see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye, Charlotte." She nodded at Madeline who promptly removed the phone from Elaine's ear and snapped it shut.

"I guess I'm working tomorrow then, huh."

Elaine winced at the reminder. "Sorry. I know it was supposed to be my turn this week."

"It's okay." Madeline gave a theatrical, long-suffering sigh.

"You're the best."

Madeline laughed. "Sure, suck up now, after you've gotten what you want."

"Despite what you like to think about yourself, Madeline, you really are a soft touch."

Madeline shuddered at the description as she returned to the front of the store to assist Lydia with the sales.

Will grabbed a bottle of beer from his refrigerator by its neck and then plopped himself on his couch. Tapping his right foot on the coffee table, he took a swig. Then, he put his beer down so he could stretch out his arms and roll his neck. It'd been a long and busy day at work, a revolving door of patients, but that wasn't what had him so exhausted.

It was Elaine.

Try as he might, he couldn't forget how she'd stood his kitchen last night fumbling for words when she'd been on the verge of saying something, and then changed her mind. He'd known then that something was up, but he was even more convinced now that he'd talked to Charlie. He wasn't sure how it was that he knew, but it was a gut feeling that he had, and Will had learned a long time ago never to ignore his gut reactions.

Charlie, in his infinite innocence, had provided him with the answers he'd been seeking ever since the night before. It all seemed to collide and make sense now that he knew that Elaine and her sister spent every other Friday night at their parents' house.

"Will, there's been something I've been wanting to ask you. I didn't know how to bring it up. I know we've only been out a few times - less than a handful, really. But . . . Never mind."

Will was ninety-nine percent sure that Elaine had been about to ask him to join her for dinner at her parents' house. But, somewhere between, "there's something I've been wanting to ask you," and "never mind," she'd lost her courage and changed her mind.

He wondered what that meant.

He picked up his beer and took another pull, all the while considering all the possible meanings.

Did her reticence mean that she didn't want him to meet her parents? If so, why didn't she want him to meet them? Was she embarrassed by their relationship? Did she feel it was something she needed to hide and keep as a secret? Or worse, was she having doubts about their relationship? Maybe she didn't think he needed to meet her parents because she didn't think they were going anywhere. He wasn't sure which was worse.

But he was desperate to know.

The questions had been plaguing him all afternoon. He'd had the devil of a time concentrating on his patients and on his work. He wanted to know how she felt about him. No, he needed to know how she felt.

And that scared him because he was forced to admit that, for the first time in his life, he'd finally met the woman who had the power to hurt him.

Will lifted his arm and held it pressed against his eyes. He didn't want to think about it anymore, but he was afraid not to. He had to know. Throwing caution to the wind, he set his beer back down and picked the phone up from its cradle as he stood and began to pace the room.

This is a bad idea, he told himself.

But, even as he was telling himself to put the phone back down, his fingers were flying over the keypad, her number already etched indelibly in his memory. The phone rang once. The phone rang twice. His heart pounded even more erratically as the phone rang a third time. Just when he thought the answering machine would kick on and he was about to lift the receiver from his ear, he was hearing her sweet voice.

"Hello?"

He was momentarily tongue-tied.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

He found his voice. "It's me."

"Oh. Hey."

Was that caution he'd heard in her voice? It certainly wasn't the enthusiastic greeting he'd been hoping for. "What are you doing?" he asked cautiously.

On the other end of the line, Elaine stood, hopping nervously from one foot to the other. Her free hand was fingering the fringe of the towel she had wrapped hastily around herself when she remembered her sister wasn't home to answer the phone. She'd just come out of the shower when the phone rang.

Elaine hadn't expected Will to call tonight and was thrown off guard. She reached up to pat the towel wrapped around her hair in place and said, "Nothing. How about you?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about you."

"Oh." Her breath hitched. She hadn't expected that answer. Or the fluttery feeling it would create in her chest.

"I wish I could see you tomorrow night," he said slowly and softly.

Something akin to guilt twisted in Elaine's heart. "I know. Me too."

"Really?" Will asked in feigned interest. "Are you sure you can't alter your plans? We could go to dinner, maybe catch a movie?" He asked the question even though he knew what her answer would be. But, he was hoping she'd give him a reason for her rebuff.

"I wish I could, Will. But I'm afraid I can't." She closed her eyes and hoped that would be enough.

Apparently it was. Or at least it appeared to be as he did not press her any further.

"Well, all right then. We'll try again for another night. I won't keep you. You're probably tired from a long day at work. Good-night, Elaine." He tampered down the disappointment, trying his hardest to keep it out of his voice.

"Good-night, Will. Um. I'll be thinking of you," she added shyly.

He sighed inwardly, and supposed it would have to do. "Same here."

"Bye." They clicked off at the same time. Will chucked his portable phone in the general direction of his couch, and heard it bounce off onto the floor. He didn't bother picking it up, but headed straight for his bedroom. Maybe he'd lift some weights to relieve some of the tension that had suddenly built up.

Back in Elaine's apartment though, she'd hung up the phone more gently, slowly stroking the back of the receiver with a finger. Her chin to her chest, she thought about how she'd hated what she'd done. She hadn't exactly lied to Will, but she still felt as though she had. And she knew why. It was because she hadn't been completely honest with him either.

By purposefully avoiding telling him what she was doing tomorrow night, she was intentionally closing him out. She wished she were a braver person, and that she felt she could completely open up to him.

Continued in Next Section