Six o'clock consistently brought in an after-work crowd that was dying for a chance to let off some steam from the day with an ice cold beer, good company and something just as good to eat. Harman's, the well-known place among office workers, was usually crowded but always had room for some more patrons. It was also no secret that some of the men that frequented the place were looking for some entertainment of the flesh kind before heading home for the night. As illegal as it was, patrons knew when an older gentleman was escorting a very young lady out of the restaurant, it was anything but being gentlemanly.
One winter night around seven, a businessman in his thirties came in by himself to get something to drink. He sat at the bar and signaled the waitress.
"Welcome! What can I get for you?" the young woman asked, smiling widely at the man as he looked up at the menu on the board above him. After a moment of silence, he made a decision on his drink.
"Kirin Ichiban, please."
With a bow, she disappeared around the bend to assist another customer. The businessman looked down at his mobile phone and saw a new e-mail message from his supposed girlfriend. In actuality, they really just had sex and nothing more.
'Keiji, I'm going to be late tonight so don't wait up for me.'
He flipped the phone shut, deep in thought. Yuki was working more and more late hours, making him suspect that she was probably sleeping with someone else. In some strange way, Keiji was okay with that thought. It was about time he broke free from her money-grubbing hold; fake girls were definitely getting old with him. Curiosity grabbed a hold of him as he took a look around the casual eatery. People were sitting around eating and drinking more than their fill, for the most part business men and women. There was the usual scant number of foreigners looking at the menus with a bit more scrutiny than most, to which he smiled. They were quite amusing to watch, most foreigners, and while they usually meant well and tried their best, attempts at the language were usually a frustrating thing.
Keiji saw the waitress coming his way with an ice-cold glass and a bottle of Kirin Ichiban beer.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! Here you go," she said politely, pouring the drink in about three-quarters of the way. "Will you be eating dinner?"
Keiji nodded, pointing to the menu spread out beneath his beer. Colorful spreads of each meal on the menu were laid out to easily choose. "I'll have the okonomiyaki with shrimp. That's it."
"Okay!" Again, she raced off to the counter behind her and called out the order.
In the corner of his eye, he noticed something rarely seen walking into the restaurant and about to take a seat directly next to him at the bar. She was tall, no doubt a foreigner, but it was her flawless dark beauty that caught him by surprise. Her eyes were a bright hazel and hair as dark as his, although his was cropped much shorter. Keiji wasn't normally attracted to foreign women, white or black, but this one… there was something about her. She sat next to him and looked down at the menu, quickly deciding what she wanted well before the waitress made her way over.
"Hello!" the waitress greeted in English, assuming she couldn't speak the language. It was a common thing to see. "Would you like an English menu?"
Her eyes glanced up in amusement. Replying in perfect Japanese, she said, "I'm okay with the Japanese menu. Can I have the beef bowl please?"
The waitress wasn't flustered by the correction, instead continuing in Japanese with completing the order. "And would you like something to drink?"
Keiji noticed her glance over at his Kirin Ichiban and responded, "I'll have what he's having." At that the waitress disappeared once again.
Surprised by the open invitation for conversation, he chuckled lightly. "I guess we have that much in common."
Her eyes glistened, giving him the once-over glance. She was pleasantly surprised by his open candor, something unseen in the natives she'd encountered during her stay in the country. He was probably the same height as her from what she could tell, impeccably dressed in a navy two-piece suit that looked tailored especially for his average frame. It was probably the first time in weeks that any native approached her for conversation and in a way she was a little nervous.
"I guess so," she replied, smiling shyly at Keiji. "Just got off from work?"
"Yes. Today was very busy. I've been looking forward to this drink all day," he grinned, taking a deep quaff of his beer. "Ah, that's good!"
She chuckled at his easygoing attitude. Turning more fully toward him, she asked, "What do you do?"
"Sales manager at NTT DoCoMo," he responded automatically, taking another sip of his beer. The waitress suddenly appeared with her beer, pouring it into the glass. "How about you?"
Her eyebrows rose at the question. Taking a moment to drink a sip of the beer, she lowered her eyes hesitantly, unsure of his impending reaction.
"I'm teaching English at one of the schools nearby. It's not that bad, but today was very busy," she said softly. Keiji got the impression that she was almost embarrassed about what she was doing.
"You're not embarrassed about teaching English, are you?" he wondered aloud.
Her breath caught at his keen observation. Unable to deny it, she admitted, "Most Americans come here under those circumstances, don't they?"
Keiji couldn't refute her point as it was true, but there was no shame in it. "Perhaps so, but it is a job like any other."
They both quaffed deeply from their glasses. Uncomfortable silence settled between them, well after the waitress appeared with both of their meals. Halfway into his okonomiyaki, Keiji stopped to properly introduce himself, shamed by the fact they hadn't done so previously.
"It was so rude of me not to introduce myself before," he said. Holding out his hand, he continued, "Keiji Nomura is my name."
Willingly taking his hand and giving a pert shake, she introduced herself. "Tara Hollister. Nice to meet you, Keiji."
They continued to eat in silence. Tara could feel Keiji's eyes looking at her eat and as much as she strived to ignore it, she couldn't help the nervousness that quaked through her. He was a good looking man and didn't seem to be intimidated by her being a foreigner. That alone made her feel comfortable with him, but there was something more. His eyes reflected an interest she had never seen in another Japanese man's eyes before. Her heart raced at the possibilities; could Keiji be her first experience with a man here? Refusing to believe in the impossible, she continued to eat her beef and rice.
