"You want a job?" Yuzu sounds surprised when he swallow a mouthful of tamago-rice. He stir the rice again with his chopsticks, definitely looking forward for another taste.
"Yeah." I bit my lip from nervousness. "Any chance?" I look at him with hope.
Yuzu takes another bite and smile with satisfaction. "Mmm~" he makes the sound so confusingly that I doubt if he's thinking about my question or enjoying his meal.
"I thought you came for a vacation rather than working." Kanako cut in and wipes her mouth with a tissue paper after finishing her salad.
" I was actually, but I lost my luggage and now I only have a couple thousand yen right now..." I stare at my plate. Asking for a job is not shameful but I don't want them to think I'm a useless.
" why don't you ask for your parents' help?" Kanako asks me innocently.
I bite on my teeth hard, trying not to burst out the anger I have in me. Trying not to project my own feelings on innocent people.
"I don't like my parents' help. I want to be independent." I speak calmly, without any emotions. Yuzu look up at me when I finish saying the sentence.
"Well," Yuzu says, finally finished eating his yummy, delicious, gooey raw egg rice, " let's hear what you got. Education?" He sits forward to be close at Kanako and me. We are sitting at a small table in the buffet. Three of us.
"Graduated from high school." I push my eyebrows up, obviously. " yeah, and specialities?" Yuzu asks.
"Hmm, let's say I can speak four languages?" I answer with assurance. I believe at least I can work somewhere with this speciality.
The two of them gaped at me and Yuzu breaks the silence.
"Wow!" Yuzu cries out loudly that the man in next table turns to look at us. All three of us smile at him gently.
"Which four?" The two of them question me with a sudden change of volume.
To match their soft delicate voices, I lower mine as well.
"Japanese, English, French, and Mandarin." I whisper.
"Wow..." Yuzu says it weaker this time and drags the ow said at the end. "without a doubt, you will be hired in some places!" He smiles at me.
"Aurora, you said you graduated from high school this year. How about your college?" Kanako asks as if I'm some kind of super goddess who knows everything well.
"Um... " I hesitate to say my college's name. "Columbia... The one in New York..."
More than 5 minutes, I swear to god, five minutes, both of them are quiet. I sit nervously next to two of them and in front of plates that a waiter is trying to retrieve. I smile at the waiter to show my appreciation.
Finally, I decided to break the silence. " you know what?" I jump up from the chair, both of them are surprised to see me standing. "Forget about the college thing. I'm just Aurora." I smile first at Kanako and then at Yuzu.
Doubtfully, I see a trace of disappointment in Yuzu's face. I know Yuzu doesn't speak good English, but it's not a big shock after all. His gorgeous face now is even more beautiful with a touch of disappointment. Oh my, what makes him like this? But he changes his expression once I smile at him. He is back to the harming Yuzu. Black hair, naturally in style, stunning nose, sculpted lips, beaming eyes. He is everything a girl wants.
What disappointment does he have? He has nothing to be disappointed. I wonder why.
"Yeah, Kanako, Rora is Rora, and she is so talented." Yuzu speaks to Kanako. Kanako nods quickly and smiles at me. "You can definitely find a job." Kanako pats my shoulder when we are about to leave the buffet.
When we are heading back to the lobby to wait for the elevator, I am nervous if Yuzu and Kanako will leave me or stay away from me. We are just starting to kind of becoming friends, even though we only met for 14 hours. But Yuzu and Kanako are the first friends that do not make friend with me because of what I do but who I am. I want to make this almost-friendship relationship work!
When I am contemplating, Kanako's phone rang. She takes it out from her pocket. She answers it and nods a couple times. Suddenly, she widens her eyes so happily that makes both Yuzu and me so disoriented of what is going on. "It's alright. I got a person for you." She nods a couple more times. "We'll be there in 10 minutes."
She hang off the phone and screams excitedly. Kanako grabs my hand and said" I got a job for you! Aurora!"
***
"The stage director receives a message from our announcer for the ice show saying that she can't come to the ice show because she had an accident on the road here." Kanako explains as we scurry through the secret entrance of the stadium. "We need a person who can speak English and Japanese perfectly." Kanako looks back at me and winks. "That's you, my darling." She says it in a way that even I can feel her enthusiasm. Yuzu is striding with his amazing long legs in from of Kanako and me. I stare at the two people who are leading me to a better future. A freer future. A future that can belongs to me.
As soon as we arrive the backstage of the stadium, Kanako introduced me to the stage director. The stage director says that he really needs a person who can speak clearly and friendly, and not academically. "Are you sure she can?" He twists a book, the kind that drama script usually are written in, in his hand. He is intimidating. The director asks Kanako. "Yes. She can speak four languages by the way." Kanako pushes me urgently to the front of the director's face. "Bonjour, Monsieur. Common ça va?" I speak French in my beautiful smooth French accent. Without a doubt, he is surprised. "We want English, not French." He retorted. Of course, I can not lose this opportunity for a job. I switch from French to English this time. "Well, Mr. Stage director," I speak clearly like I'm trying to speak like crystals. "I grew up in the United States and I am about to enter Columbia University to major in linguistic, if you want to know..." Trying to hide his embarrassment, the director soon changes his topic. "Very well," he said "you're in." The stage director does not give me a time to catch my breath, instead he continues. "This is the script you will be reading today." He throws the book in his hands to me. "We will start rehearsing in 30 minutes. Read them through and learn the skaters' names." He stare at me once again and turn on his back and hurries away to join a staff of the stadium.
I let out a sigh of relief. The stare of intimacy is finally off me and I did it! I got my job! I turn to Yuzu and Kanako and shrieked with joy. To my surprise, Yuzu is the first one, instead of Kanako, to reach me. "Congratulations! Rora, well done!! I'm excited to work with you in the next couple days!" He puts his hands on my shoulder and squeeze gently. The tension of his hands massage into the deepest part of my muscle. He smiles sweetly at me and pat on my back.
"ちょとう(chotou....)。。。。ゆづ！" Kanako grabs Yuzu's hands off me. "I want to say Omedetou to Aurora as well!" Then she hugs me tightly and congratulate me for having a job.
Well, I guess it is not a real job, once the announcing lady is back from the hospital, I think I'll be replaced. It's ok, at least I can at least get some money.
"This way, Rora, let me introduce you to my friends." Yuzu leads me to the stadium. "Rora, I'm really excited to work with you!" Yuzu exclaims again with you.
I giggle. "Yuzu, I can correct your english if you want actually." I joke.
"Really?!" Yuzu raises his eyebrows with expectations. I never thought he will be this surprised.
"Yeah. Of course." I smile at him sweetly.
Then both of us feel a wave of envy back at us, again.
"ゆづ(Yuzu)！！！！オローラを返して(Give me back Aurora)！" Kanako beams at Yuzu's face and Yuzu step back from me to let Kanako get into the middle of Yuzu and I. We three just walk like this and head to the front stage to meet skaters.
