“I appreciate that you’ve come out here, Ice.” Misao brushes her red hair from her eyes.
For being sixty three she looks great and I don’t believe that her fiery hair will ever turn white, just as her fiery spirit will never dull.
“Hey, no problem.” I pull the thick spectacles from my face so as to clean them in my shirt.
Akito has been gone for a few weeks now and Misao’s doing really well coping with his death. I was surprised, in fact, to receive her telephone call inviting me to spend the weekend with her, though I imagine it must get pretty lonely having no one around.
The twins have moved on to Okinawa and visit her on rare occasion. Misao and I have found ourselves visiting more often these days as I have relinquished control of the boarding house to my granddaughter, Maya.
“I just feel silly that you had to drive into the city to pick me up.”
“Hey, no worries, bro!” She smiles, almost losing her dentures, and laughs. “Geez, Ice, look at us! Fake teeth, thick glasses, gray hair. What’s next?”
“Adult diapers, I suppose.”
Misao laughs hysterically, losing her bottom plate and quickly shoving it back into her mouth.
“I have a secret for you, Ice. I guess I can tell you now that you’re old,” she chuckles.
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” She pauses and stares at me for what seems like forever.
“Well? What is it?”
“Oh no, you have to tell me a secret too. That’s the only way I’ll do it!”
“Hmmm…” I smile, pondering for a moment. Do I even have any secrets from her? “Okay, Misao. Deal.”
“Oh my god, I am so embarrassed!” She blushes.
I take a drink of coffee and suddenly the woman reaches up, yanking her hair right off the top of her head! I spit the mouthful of liquid through open air.
“See?” She begins to laugh.
“Wow! Oh my god I never knew!”
“HA! Nobody’s known, not even my own kids! Only hubby knew! Is that great?”
“How long?” I ask as she situates the hairpiece back atop her head.
“Oh, ten years or so now.” She chuckles heartily. “I lost so much of it that I finally grew tired of hiding it under hats and using extensions. One day I decided just to go all the way with it.”
“That’s incredible!” I laugh with her.
“Okay, bud, your turn.”
“Hmmm…okay then…I do have one secret that you’ve never known.”
“Well then, let’s have it.” She leans forward in her seat.
“I…am really a woman!”
“Ice! You fucker! Come on!”
“Okay, okay! Here goes. Ice…” I pause briefly for suspense. “…is not my real name.”
“What? Really?”
“Yup.”
“No way!”
“No, it’s truth.”
“What’s you real name then, smarty?”
I whisper into her ear and she falls silent, turning bright white in color and grasping the table for balance.
“What?” she rasps.
“Granted, I haven’t been called that since my childhood…”
