Wheels of Steel Book 4 (5 page)

Jason looked at Robin who nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine.” He replied and Robin gave his hand a slight squeeze of appreciation. She remembered a time when telling Jason that she needed to stop for a bathroom break would have granted her a withering look and a sharp chastisement. But that was pre-falling in love. She smiled as she remembered their arguments—and legendary makeups.

Jason and Mr. Edelson—J, talked incessantly about the upcoming events. There was to be a short conference this afternoon concerning the contract with Akita Tom Productions and the second album that was created when they recorded Soul Horizon. The recording had been so long that there was enough material for two albums—even three. Later in the week, after Akita’s brother arrived there would be a reading of the will. Also J mentioned that there was an impromptu tribute album being created as well as several pop up boiler rooms formed by Akita Tom protégés. Jason perked and he and J spent the next few minutes talking about them.

“Boiler Room?” Robin asked.

Jason nodded his head in excitement. “It’s like the Omicron parties only we call them boiler rooms. You set up your turntable and then each artist delivers a set that can go an hour or more. The set is streamed live to whoever couldn’t make it inside.”

“Yes,” J stated. “They are a very big thing in Tokyo and they have been going nightly since Akita’s death.”

Robin saw that J’s voice was even with very little fluctuation, but he looked away before continuing. “Artists have been mixing Wheels of Steel music for years. One of the hottest tunes is More Love with your beautiful voice on it, Robin.” J looked at Robin in appreciation. “In fact some of the more compelling mixes have your voice looped throughout the set.”

Robin looked at Jason in surprise. “People can do that? It’s not illegal?”

Jason grinned in excitement. “Not at all. They are just streamed live for people to share. But the most important thing is that someone is going to say, ‘who is that singing? What song is that sampled from?’ And then it comes back to Wheels of Steel and of course, you.” Jason looked at J for confirmation and the older man nodded in agreement.

“The popularity of the boiler rooms has certainly brought awareness to Jason and Wheels of Steel.”

Jason and Wheels of Steel. What a strange way of stating that, Robin thought.

Before long they stopped in Shinagawa, which Robin mistakenly thought was Tokyo. There were skyscrapers and little shops and restaurants, but J explained that Tokyo would be much bigger and grandiose than this. She finally understood when he likened it to Vegas and Robin’s mouth had just formed a small O.

The driver had them stop at a cute little shop with a hand panted sign featuring large Japanese characters alongside the American written words that stated simply ‘Ramen’.

J explained that it was a popular restaurant among the American’s as an introduction to authentic ramen—which he stated was much better than the stuff sold in little cellophane packets in the United States for half a dollar.

Robin wanted to say that she liked the stuff sold in the cellophane packs but decided that it might make her seem defensive.

Robin was wary of Mr. Edelson. While she didn’t dislike him, she would not soon forget that he had been okay with offering cocaine at a party with the underage members of Wheels of Steel. It was at that party that Jason had gotten so drunk that he had ended up swimming naked in a pool and making out with Amberly. There had been more than one catalyst for their break up but when she had found out about that little event it had been the end for her.

She supposed that she equated that painful period with Mr. Edelson and the fact that he was a man that would provide illegal drugs to an underage person suffering neurological disabilities.

They stayed at the restaurant only long enough to use the facilities and to purchase a carton of fresh ramen to go. While they drove the long route to Akita’s home the men talked about the industry and musicians that she had never heard of as if they were legends, Robin stared at the sights. Every once in a while Mr. Edelson would point out a sight or Jason would grip her hand and tell her some story that he remembered about his first trip to Japan. But mostly Robin silently marveled at the strange and familiar sights before her. And then they were in Karuizawa.

After nearly two hours they finally pulled to a stop in front of a modest house. Robin had expected that Akita would live in a mansion because he was a successful artist. But she was surprised to see that while the house was beautiful, it was not a mansion.

Karuizawa was a mountain town located in Negano. Robin knew that Japan’s population meant that it would be busy and congested but, as they grew further and further away from the big city, Robin was struck by the spaciousness and the amount of luscious greenery in the lovely small town.

The house was surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds, which consisted of sculpted trees and bushes. Although the structure was tall it was not anything like the huge house that Peter and Jason had purchased. It looked like a bungalow and would have fit well in any American forest, but it also had a traditional Japanese feel with its wide curved roof.

A cobblestone walkway led up to the house, curving through gardens of pretty wild flowers, rose bushes and small bonsai trees. A metal ramp was the only thing that appeared out of place and Robin knew that it had been added to accommodate Jason and Peter.

The door swung open and Belinda came bounding out followed by Peter who sped rapidly down the ramp. Robin saw that Belinda’s short hair was now a mixture of soft pink and then a vibrant fuschia at the roots. Amberly and Yagano followed behind them and Robin’s eyes locked onto the slender girl that she had recently sent out of Jason’s home—and now she and Jason were coming into her home.

That was irony for sure.

While Amberly’s face stayed impassive, Yagano—who liked being called Y held a welcoming smile on his face.

In the brief moment before being tackled by Belinda, Robin’s eyes scanned the image of the handsome Asian man. Yagano Kurahara was neither tall nor short, he had an average build but Robin could see that his arms were roped with muscles and that beneath a grey t-shirt that sported the image of an Asian musical group, he was athletically toned.

Y’s face was smooth and hairless but his sideburns were longer than usual. His sleek black hair was short and neat despite the presence of layers of thick waves and curls. Although his lids were distinctly slanted, they were wide and revealed eyes that looked like drops of dark chocolate. One arm was covered in tattoos that ran from his wrist to disappear beneath the short sleeve of his shirt, yet the other arm was naked of everything but a single black knotted slip of leather. Jeans and black suede slippers rounded out his look.

Robin’s attention moved from him and Amberly to Belinda when the bigger girl nearly squeezed the life out of her with a big bear hug.

“Are you staying here? Please do-“ She whispered into Robin’s ear.

Robin returned the hug and chuckled. “Yes we are. I’m not worried about her living here,” she replied knowing that Belinda was concerned about Amberly’s place of residency.

Belinda yipped happily and then moved to hug Jason. Peter had already greeted his friend with a fist bump and he fist bumped Robin as well. Amberly called out a brief hello.

“You two have to be tired. Come inside. Your bags are here and Y has already taken them to your room.”

Y and Jason shook hands enthusiastically leaving Robin and Amberly to look upon each other awkwardly.

“How was the trip?” Amberly asked politely.

“Long.” Robin glanced at Jason who was not paying them any attention. “So this is where you live.”

“Well Y and I were planning to get our own place but that won’t be until after … ” her voice trailed off.

“The funeral.” Robin supplied.

Amberly nodded her head. She looked at Robin as if waiting for something, but when it didn’t come she turned and joined the rest of the group. Robin did the same. She probably should have apologized but that would have meant that she had forgiven and forgotten—and she had done neither.

Robin knew that before she entered the house she would have to take off her shoes, but she didn’t realize how big of a production it would be.

“Watch how Y does it,” Jason had whispered. As his whispers was actually his normal talking voice, everyone looked at her and Y explained.

“Robin, turn your shoes to face out, so that when you leave they will be facing the correct direction.”

And what if those aren’t the shoes I want to wear when I’m leaving? Robin thought to herself but chose to keep the question to herself.

“This entryway is called the genkan. When you are wearing your
ie no kutsu
they should not touch this portion of the house to prevent dirt from outside being transferred into the house.”

“There are a lot of things to get used to in Japan.” Belinda said. “Like, you have to wear toilet shoes when you go to the toilet. The toilet shoes are considered the dirtiest thing on the face of the universe.”

Robin made a face. “Do I want to put them on my feet?”

Y chuckled. “They are clean but they breach a portion of the house which is most unsanitary so you must never wear your bathroom slippers when out of the toilet area.”

“Wait until she gets a load of a traditional Japanese toilet.” Belinda smirked. Robin gave her a quick look. She’d used the bathroom at the Ramen noodle restaurant and it had just been a regular toilet.

Oh shit, I hope I don’t have to squat over a hole or use an outhouse …

Once barefoot they went inside the house. Peter just smirked as he was in a wheelchair and got a pass. They entered into an area that felt like a wet room. There were cubby’s that held the indoor shoes and everyone grabbed a set, including Jason.

“You can choose your own cubby Robin and keep the same pair of slippers,” he said.

“Or if you are a guest you can just use one of the disposable pair that are wrapped in plastic.” Peter added.

Robin examined one of the disposable set of slippers and saw that they were too fine to throw out after each use. They looked like cotton and although white the stitching was yellow and red and they seemed more comfortable than the uwabaki that she had been given which where were white canvas with a strap across the top. She returned her personal uwabaki and opted for the softer slipper.

Robin saw Y smile slightly although no one else seemed to notice.

“Jason your Baclofen stuff is here too,” Amberly said. “You should get your levels checked as soon as possible.”

“My doctor is setting it up for me to work with a physician. He’s in Tokyo though …” Jason was thinking about how long the drive between the two cities were and he was just happy that he would only be here a week—two tops.

Amberly slid open a door made of rice paper against a carved wooden backdrop. Robin had thought that the screened entryway was a mural--it was that beautiful. Once Amberly opened it Robin could barely remember stepping forward. The house was exquisite. She’d been in beautiful houses of late—her mother’s and stepfathers, and of course Jason’s, but the style and uniqueness of this house put the others to shame.

She wondered if this was some type of optical illusion because it was huge. It was an open-air concept but not like a huge square room. Robin saw alcoves and private seating areas. It was decorated in both a traditional Japanese manner as well with Western style rugs and couches.

She saw the hint of more of those screens and knew that portions of the house could be closed off for privacy but they were all pulled back allowing for a wonderful flow.

J Edelson spread his hands wide. “Welcome Robin. Get refreshed and you and Jason can join us here. Then we will show you around the house. You will find that your rooms are very modern so don’t worry about anything. You have a Western bathroom in your room although there are the traditional Japanese style commodes in other areas of the house. Jason can explain how to use them.

“I am going to the office. Jason, when you get a chance I do need to talk to you and Peter about some business matters.”

“Don’t take too long,” Belinda grinned in excitement. “I want to take you out to the garden. You are going to shit.”

Peter swatted Belinda’s butt and she dropped down onto his lap and wrapped her arm around his neck.

“Give them time to get relaxed, B. Remember how much we slept when we got here?”

“True,” Belinda nodded. “That was some serious jet-lag.”

“Make yourself at home,” Y spoke. “Akita Tom would have offered you the same invitation.” Everyone became quiet and Jason smiled slightly and nodded.

“Yeah, Akita was so nice. It didn’t matter if you were a protégé or not. He treated everyone like they were important.”

“He was an amazing individual,” Peter said softly. “I’m going to miss him. I’m just happy that I got an opportunity to work with him even if it was just for a few months.”

Amberly slipped her hand into Y’s and Robin saw that the man had turned his head and was looking down at the wood floor. He then turned to look at his wife and smiled and Robin wondered how the mix-matched couple had fallen in love. Amberly was pretty in a willowy, fragile sort of way. Her dark hair fell in soft waves over her shoulder. Her big brown eyes were bright although they appeared guarded today, but Robin knew that they were normally happy and excited.

If she felt guarded because she didn’t know how to take Robin then that was her problem. Robin knew that she could make things easier for the girl but she wasn’t uncomfortable and had no inclination to ease the tension between them for the other girl’s benefit.

Robin and Jason’s room was comfortable although not huge. There was a Queen sized bed, a dresser with a mirror and an armchair. Other than some artwork the room looked no different than any room that one would find in a chalet or fine hotel in the States.

Robin dashed through the room to one of two closed doors. “I gotta use the bathroom.”

“Don’t forget to use the bathroom shoes,” Jason called after her.

Robin paused to look at him. “Are you for real?”

“Just try it Robin. We might as well follow the tradition.”

“Alright.” She opened the door to a bathroom that was as large as the bedroom. It was breathtaking. The room looked like it should have been a piece of art. The floor was dark wood but there were rugs that looked like woven mats. A corner Jacuzzi was nestled beneath a huge picture window, but there was a cover over it like you would find on an outdoor hot tub. A stand up shower was to the right of a spa vanity with double glass vessel sinks. The shower was like a room but it was encased in glass, which meant it would be an off-limit zone for Jason.

Robin slipped off the comfy slippers and stepped into her bathroom shoes—they actually had the word ‘Bathroom’ written across with a cute cherubic little girl blowing out rose petal kisses. Robin shook her head and smiled but decided that she would go along with the program.

Once her feet were properly adorned, Robin walked into the room not immediately seeing a toilet. There was a wooden wall on the opposite side of the shower and she opened the door only to find a small sauna.

Damn, was all that she could think. Akita Tom knew how to live in style. Eventually she saw another one of those artful screens and when she pulled it back she saw a toilet. Gratefully she saw that it was just a regular toilet but on the wall to the side was an electronic control center. Robin looked back and forth from the toilet to the controls.

“Jason! What the--?”

Jason appeared shortly. “Oh yeah, those. Well you can wash your butt—or your lady parts while you’re using the toilet-“

“Ugh! I heard about that. Where the water from the toilet sprays up on you-“

“No, it’s not like that. It’s not the toilet water, it’s a fountain.” Jason could see that Robin didn’t understand, so he explained how to work the controls and wanted her to sit down on the toilet while he walked her through it.”

“Uh … no.” Robin ushered him out of the room. She had some business to attend to that went beyond reliving herself and the cleansing function of the toilet although strange might come in handy.

When Robin returned to the bedroom she had a smile on her face.

“Jason, you should put one of those in your house.”

Using his cane he walked stiffly to her and pulled her against him.

“Would you like that Sweetheart? Would you like your own personal toilet? I can install anything you want in the house.”