Aiko. Tales of Full Contact. Part 1 4. Superman

4.

Superman.


He was studying to be a doctor and looked like Christopher Reeves.  Exactly like him. Half- Japanese, half- American.  Always visited his family in Chicago. 

I saw him at a college party. I liked him immediately and kept looking.

- Hi

- Hi

- You know who you look like? You look like Christopher Reeves.

- Yeah no kidding..

- Yeah I like you. Sit. Sit next to me please.

- Okay. I'll sit with you. You studying here? What are you studying?

- No, no talking. Kiss please

- …  Kiss you?

- Yes. Here please on a cheek.


…He kissed me.


- So now. I kiss you. 


I kissed him!


- Now you kiss me on the other cheek. And then on the lips.


We started dating. He was sweet. Any time he went away he brought presents. He would drop by my college and give me chocolate kisses. I told him I liked those. But then I started travelling a lot and couldn't be a real girlfriend.

We didn't see each other for a long time.  I didn’t feel I loved him. He called. He said he loved me. I was working for my father. It was important. I knew it wouldn't work out.

Years later I saw him in Japan at a house party.  He was with his girlfriend. A doctor too. I kept looking at him. I felt that I really loved him now.

He came over:

- Hi

- Hello. No kisses?

- Well I..


And he kissed me on a cheek. 


- Now. The other one.

- I really loved you and I wanted to be with you and you never really gave me a chance and ..

- Do you still love me? I feel like I love you now. I feel it now. Is it too late?

- Well I..


His girlfriend appeared near him and he introduced us. And I felt like crying because I loved him so much now. But the tears weren’t coming out. And my friends asked me how I felt and I told them I loved him now. And they asked if I felt like crying. And I said yes and they told me to go to the bathroom then and cry.  And there I went but tears weren’t coming out. I tried and tried. And spent like half an hour there but there were no tears. When I came out my friends asked me if I cried and I said sorry… no tears. And they sent me back again.

- Go! You need to cry.

I went back. Nothing.

Later I saw him by himself. He came over. We went to talk.. We ended up in the bathroom and he asked me why I was so cruel before and I couldn't explain. The only thing I felt was that I loved him so much.

- So you feel that you love me now?

- Yes I do. Please, let's kiss.

He looked away and then locked the door and we kissed.. lips on lips. Then we heard his girlfriend knocking and calling his name and he opened the door.

- What happened? What are you doing there?

- Nothing we talked. We had to talk.

- You talked? Why is her hair all messed up?

- Oh, my hair? Is it? 


And I looked in the mirror:

- Because we kissed.


Her eyes widened. She looked at him. She looked at me. She asked for an explanation. He said nothing.

- Did you really kiss?


Sorry. Just once. We kissed only once. We were talking all this time. Nothing really happened. We only kissed. That’s it. And I left...

Left them standing there looking at each other.

I told my friends I was going home and on the way to my car she came after me.


- So you think that you can do whatever you want …? You know it is hard to be a rebuttal.

… What do you mean?

- It is hard to be the girlfriend after he was with you. Now you come back acting like you are the girlfriend.

- Sorry. It will never happen again. Sorry. I’m leaving. You see?


I got in the car and saw him near my window.  I saw her standing away from us and I told him that it was good she was with him. I could never do as she did. She cared for him. It was good he had such woman.

She cared for him so it was good. 


- But you told me that you loved me!


I could never be like her.


- You know that I still love you?


I did know that but it was better that way:

- It was nice to see you again. See you later.


I drove away. I tried so hard for them but still - no tears ..

                - -

Seven years later I was walking past a kids center in one of the malls in Japan. Something bumped my leg hard. It hurt. I cried out. I turned and saw a little boy with a carriage.

- Sorry did I hurt you?


- .. No.. I... it doesn't hurt.. But I just bought these.. shoes..

- Daddy daddy, I just hit that girl!


I looked up. My superman was standing there.


- Oh look .. It’s you… what a surprise!

- Yeah and your kids..?

- Yeah...

We looked at each other. Eyes to eyes.


- And their mother? Is she somewhere? Around?

- We got divorced...

- Oh how come?

- Oh you know... she is in New York and she is with another …doctor.

- So you are Aiko, ah?

- Yeah, … how do YOU know?

- My mother told me you were a witch and now I see that it was my mom who is the witch.

- … You can't say that. She is your mother!

- Daddy daddy! Can she be our mother now?

- I don't now ... would you?

- No. Maybe if you asked me a little earlier. Not now. No. Now I can't  ... You have this stomach now. You don't look the same as the last time.  Maybe if you looked like that time..


He looked at his belly.


I looked at my shoes. The boy had hit them hard, leaving a scuff and the heels made a sharp clicking sound on the mall tile now – one, two, three.

Away

from

me.


Six. Seven. Eight


See

you

later.