The Dragon Tree (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

After the race, Eva emerged from the locker room to find Aidan in the parking lot with her parents. Her father Salvadore was daydreaming, kicking at the pavement with the toe of his penny loafer. But her mother Rosa was hanging on Aidan’s every word.

“And then the guy said something really bad about girls at Alpine, and that was just the last straw. I had to get him out of the crowd so no kids would hear that filth coming out of his mouth.”

Aidan was a smooth talker. Before the race, he had given Eva a pep talk that was cheesy beyond belief, but he had somehow made it sound like the Gettysburg Address. Not only was he a four-sport star for Alpine who knew more than a little about winning, he was also a
born
winner. His father Douglas Humphries built Humphries Fresh Frozen Fish from the ground up and basically owned Alpine. Aidan could have had any girl in town he wanted– or any other town for twenty miles – but he chose Eva.

Aidan finally noticed Eva beside him and threw a possessive arm across her shoulders. “I was just bragging about my heroism,” he said with a smile.

              “So I heard.”

Eva slipped out from under Aidan’s heavy arm and sidled up to her father, wresting his attention away from the gravel he’d been kicking aimlessly.

“You had that race
won
, honey,” said Salvadore as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. “Better to save your energy for the Invitational, though. That’s the big one.”

             
Rosa deftly steered the conversation back to Aidan. “How are your parents, Aidan? Is your mother excited for your big brother’s wedding?”

             
“Oh she’s way beyond excited. She’s in full panic mode. My Dad told her it was a mistake to have the ceremony
and
reception at the house, but she wouldn’t listen. I’ll see you and Mr. Diaz at the wedding, won’t I? And Eva’s sisters?”

             
Rosa nodded enthusiastically. “Your parents’ house is such a marvel, I wouldn’t miss a chance to sight-see for anything. Even if there wasn’t a wedding!”

             
Without saying a word, Salvadore started wandering in the general direction of his SUV. Rosa waved a hurried goodbye to Aidan and fell into step behind him. Eva offered Aidan a smile and moved to follow her parents, but Aidan snagged her wrist and hauled her back.

             
“You all right? After earlier, I mean.”

             
“I’m fine. I’m not the one you beat up,” said Eva with a frown.

             
“I’m telling you, the kid was a menace. Classic Hudson
classlessness
. Somebody had to deal with him.”

             
Eva pulled her wrist out of Aidan’s grasp and spun to follow her parents. He took a few quick steps after her.

             
“Are we going out Friday? You’re at least coming to the wedding on Sunday, right? My mom is re-doing the RSVPs to make sure we have enough scallops… Eva?”

             
Eva stopped and drew a deep breath. “I’ve got loads of homework, so no for Friday or Saturday.”

             
“Why does it feel like I’m being punished?” Aidan asked.

“You’re not being punished. I’ll see you in school and I’ll see you Sunday.”

              Aidan’s toothy grin returned. “Okay, good. I’ll see you then.”

             
Eva picked up her pace to catch up with her parents. Salvadore already had the engine running. He waved at the twins through the windshield, trying futilely to get them to stop running around in circles and climb in the SUV.

             
Rosa turned around in her seat to look at Eva. “He’s such a nice boy, that Aidan. And such a good family.”

             
Eva nodded and looked out the window at Aidan climbing into his BMW. He waved goodbye one last time. She raised her hand to wave back, but felt a stinging pain in her wrist where he had grabbed it.

Rosa waved for her.

***

             
Billy spent about an hour sitting in the lobby of the Alpine medical clinic. He pressed tissue after tissue to the cuts on his cheek and eyebrow before a nurse finally ushered him into an examination room. He spent another twenty minutes lying on an uncomfortable bed, flipping through a women’s magazine, before an Asian woman in a powder blue uniform entered his room with a clipboard in hand.

“You’re a doctor?” Billy asked, oblivious to the offense in her eyes at his brazen question. She was slim, in her mid-forties. Her dark hair was cut pixie short but her eyes were large and very feminine. “I never had a woman doctor before.”

“It’s not the 1950’s. There are countless female doctors. As it happens, I’m a nurse practitioner. You can call me Nurse Reiko,” she said. Her English was perfect, but her voice retained a subtle accent. She stooped to take a closer look at Billy’s face and used rubber gloves to open his cuts.

“Aghh, you’re making it worse!”

“I have to see how deep they are,” she scolded.

“Just for kicks? That’s a weird job you got, where you pick at people’s wounds and they pay you for it.”

“Am I getting paid for this? I was told you have no health insurance.” Reiko continued to probe Billy’s face. She reached for a tube of antiseptic cream and applied it to her gloved finger, then to the cut on Billy’s cheek. “Only the cut on your eyebrow requires stitches, and only a few.”
              “Maybe we should have a real doctor take a look, huh?”

She shook her head. “I can’t tell if you’re unintelligent or just impolite. Either way, I can see why someone punched you.”

Billy’s eyes went wide. “Are you allowed to talk to me like that?”

Reiko shrugged and pulled out an array of needles. “This will take about five minutes, and it will hurt. Shall I have Jackie up front call your parents to come pick you up?”

“No! Don’t call anybody.”

Reiko eyed Billy for a long beat, a hint of concern in her eye, and fed thread through her needle.

***

Hiroki arrived at the medical clinic where his mother was working her usual late shift. It was raining, so Hiroki huddled under an umbrella as he jogged across the parking lot with a plastic grocery bag in hand.

And then Hiroki saw… the boy from the fight!

             
Billy was shivering under the awning of the medical clinic, warily watching the rain. It looked like he was working up the courage to walk out into it… and keep walking.

Hiroki jogged up to Billy, trying not to look too excited. “It’s you,” he said.

“I know you?” Billy asked, eyeing Hiroki suspiciously.

“Yes, you know me. I mean, no. Not really,” Hiroki chuckled nervously. “I was at the race. I know
you
.”

“Did you know that men don’t use umbrellas?” said Billy with a sneer. He eyed Hiroki for a long beat, looking him up and down. “You look like an idiot under that thing.”

“And you look like you’re about to get wet. It’s a long walk back to… where are you from, anyway? Hudson?” asked Hiroki.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Billy demanded.

“Nothing! Just… wait here.”

“Wait here
why
?”

“Two minutes! Just wait,” said Hiroki. He bounded across the parking lot and disappeared inside the medical clinic.

Hiroki dripped rainwater all over the lobby carpet as he made his way to the counter. Jackie gave him a quick wave, then disappeared in back to fetch his mother. When Reiko emerged, she looked weary. But when her eyes landed on her son and the bag he had set on the counter, her weariness quickly faded. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she beamed.

“I got pastrami,” said Hiroki. “They didn’t have pimento loaf.”

“Pastrami’s fine,” Reiko laughed. Her eyes drifted past Hiroki to the lobby window where she could see Billy shivering under the awning.

Hiroki followed her eyes. “I’m going to give him a ride.”

“You know
that
boy?” Reiko asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

Hiroki thought about the question a beat too long. “Sure, I know him. He’s a… a friend.”

Reiko crossed her arms, not quite satisfied. “Don’t get home too late, Hiro.”

***

Hiroki drove a huge four-door Buick. It was not even close to a cool car, but it was his
first
car and his pride and joy. The day he turned sixteen, his grandfather handed him an envelope that was bulging strangely. Hiroki pretended he had no idea there were keys inside until they slid onto his palm.

Billy sat in the passenger seat. “So glad I get to meet you and your whole damn family all on the same night. What a treat for me.” He had rolled his window down despite the rain and was catching raindrops. He wagged his thumb toward the elderly gentleman sitting in the back seat. “Does this guy ever talk?”

It was Hiroki’s grandfather Hideo. He was over eighty, but he had a full head of blazing white hair and a mouth full of original teeth. He sat very still with his spotted hands folded in his lap, but there was sharpness in his eyes that belied the deep wrinkles around them.

“He doesn’t speak English.” Hiroki waved at his grandfather in the rearview mirror and spoke to him briefly in Japanese. Hideo nodded silently and looked out the rain-streaked window contentedly. “He just likes to get out of the house.”

“I’m assuming this is
his
car,” said Billy. “It’s the crappiest car I’ve seen in… forever.”

Hiroki rolled his eyes. “Do you have a car? Do you even have a
license
?”

Billy yawned. “I’m fifteen, bro.”

“When you’re sixteen and you’ve got a better car, then you can take shots at mine,” Hiroki said defensively.

“So what’s the scoop, dude? Why give me the great honor of riding in your crappy car? If you and Grandpa Creepy are taking me to some dirty abandoned warehouse to chop me up, can we swing by a fast food joint first? I deserve a last meal.”

“I don’t know why I’m giving you the honor of… Anyway, everybody at school is going to be talking about that fight. They’re only going to hear Aidan’s side of it, but I want to know what really—”

“That’s the asshole’s name? Aidan?” Billy started laughing, which made him wince. “I should have guessed. It was gonna be Aidan or Jayden or Cayden.”

“Why did you even come to the race? To cheer for runners from your school? Where were your friends? Why didn’t somebody help you when you were getting beat up?”

Billy waved his hand dismissively.

“Why did Aidan attack you?” asked Hiroki.

Billy rolled up his window, laced his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes. “Because I hooked up with his girlfriend.”

“No you
didn’t
,” Hiroki protested a little too forcefully. “You and Eva didn’t
hook up
. And besides, that was after.”

Billy opened one eye to study Hiroki, smirking. “When you cross the river, take a right on Lisbon. Toward Sunset View Park.” Billy closed his eye again. “Did I mention that your mom is hot?”

Hiroki’s jaw dropped.

“You must have noticed she’s hot. And I dig that accent of hers.”

“Don’t talk about my mother,” said Hiroki, his voice cracking.

“It’s a compliment. If I had to choose between that Hispanic girl from the track and the exotic
Nurse Reiko
, I honestly don’t know who I’d choose. Who would you choose? Forget she’s your mom for a minute and answer honest.”

Hiroki slammed on the brakes. “Get out.”

Still smirking, Billy glanced back at Hiroki’s grandfather to see if the old man might come to his defense. But Hideo merely waved goodbye. Billy flung open the passenger door. “It’s cool. I live in this neighborhood anyway.” He stepped out of the Buick but kept one hand on the open door and leaned down to smirk at Hiroki. “One last thing, before I forget… I like your girl jeans.”

Hiroki stepped on the gas and peeled out. The passenger door hung open for a moment, then swung closed on its own.

***

             
Later that night, Eva leaned against her bedroom door with her full weight. Her sisters had joined forces on the other side. “Stop pushing! You’ll break the door!”

             
“Yeah right!” said Anita. “Let us in!”

             
“Yeah, let us in!” echoed Myra.

             
“We just want to borrow some clothes!”

             
“Yeah, that’s all!”

             
“Just a couple of tops!”