Mike adjusted his tie. "Not a clue." He turned to Michelle. "Here, straighten this."
Michelle evened his knot. The two were getting ready to be taken out for dinner for their second anniversary. It was a plan concocted by Mike's brother and Michelle's sister.
Mike looked in the mirror. "Your sister didn't say anything either?"
"Just that it was a big surprise."
Mike moved to his wife. "Is it going to change our lives?"
Michelle reached for her purse. "I hope not too drastically. But with Tim and Bev you never know."
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"He-wro, weh- cum to Tokyo Rose," the petite Japanese hostess greeted them. "Please to remove shoes."
Mike and Michelle looked at each other as the three couples slid out of their footwear. "I hope this isn't a geisha house," Mike whispered in his wife's ear as they followed the hostess.
They soon found themselves at a table where in traditional Japanese style they were required to sit on the floor atop thin, satin covered pillows. Mike helped Michelle to her knees before sitting beside her.
"Isn't this authentic?" Bev said excitedly as she rested on the cushion.
The hostess departed after providing one page menus. Mike and Michelle glanced over the menu and shrugged not remotely recognizing any of the offerings.
"I became familiar with Japanese food when we were in Hawaii," Tim told them. "If it's okay I'll order for the table."
"Just don't order anything that is still looking at me," Michelle requested familiar with one Japanese custom of eating whole live fish.
A few minutes later Tim gave the order to the waitress.
"How did you swing getting today off?" Fran asked Mike.
"I traded with Oleson. I'll work for him on his birthday next week."
Soon fancy fruit adorned drinks were set in front of them.
Fran nudged her husband. "Tim, toast your brother."
"Just because I'm an English teacher she thinks I'm good with words," Tim joked. "Jeff, your the poet..."
"No thanks. I'll make the toast when it's my brother."
Reluctantly, Tim raised his glass, "Mike, Michelle, here's wishing you many more years together... And that they are healthy and happy ones."
Everyone clinked glasses.
There was the usual small talk until the appetizers arrived.
"What is it?" Mike asked.
"Sushi with wasabi," his brother told him.
"I repeat what is it?"
"It's rolls of raw fish, rice and seaweed with Japanese horseradish," Tim explained.
Before anyone could bite into the food a cry came from a nearby table. "Owwwwww!!!"
All heads turned. A woman seated two tables over was now yelling at what appeared to be her husband. "I knew this would happen. You and your stupid ideas. My legs are knotted. I'll be stuck here forever!"
Her husband tried to assist her but she would not budge. "You chose this place on purpose to see this happen to me!" she continued her tirade.
Mike rose from the floor. "I'm going to call the station."
"Why don't you and Jeff just help her?" Bev suggested.
"Are you kidding. She could claim we hurt her and sue us. I'm going to find a phone."
Ten minutes later John Gage and Roy DeSoto arrived at the restaurant. The woman had been yelling the whole time.
"Ma'am, we're here to help you," Roy said stooping beside her. "Can you move your legs at all?"
"Does it look like I can move my legs?" she screeched. "And it's all HIS fault!" She pointed to her husband who was somewhere between being concerned and pretending not to know her.
John Gage stooped and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"How dare you touch me!" she interjected.
John's hand came off of her. "Ma'am, we need to move you back so we can help you get up."
"Do it without touching me."
"That's not going to be possible," Roy told her.
"Okay," she relented not wanting to remain on the floor all night.
Carefully, John and Roy slid her back from the table and eased her into a shaky standing position. They supported her until the feeling returned to her legs. Her husband shook hands with them and thanked them before guiding her away. Attention was then turned to the Stoker party.
"Well, that ought to go down as one of the stranger ones," Roy said.
"And you got us right in the middle of dinner too," John added. "I'm starving." He reached over and helped himself to a delicate roll from Mike's plate and popped the entire thing into his mouth. Instantly tears came to his eyes as he gagged and spit the offending food back to the plate. "What is that stuff?"
"Sushi," Mike told him, "with Japanese horseradish."
Gage was now drinking from Michelle's water glass. "You need a fire extinguisher to eat that."
"Happy Anniversary," Roy told them as he started to steer Johnny to the door.
"By the way," Johnny was saying, "I think they forgot to cook your food."
The three couples returned to the floor around their table. Mike moved aside his appetizer plate.
Soon another small Japanese woman approached the table. She had a drum that had a floral design on the head. "Would you like to hear the music of the flower drum?"
The group nodded and she began to tap lightly on the drum, singing "*A hundred million miracles... A hundred million miracles... A hundred million miracles are hap'ning every day." She stopped tapping and recited. "The miracle of fire... It keeps us warm. It..."
"FIRE!!!" someone screamed from the kitchen. Billows of smoke wafted through the swinging door.
"It keeps me in business," Mike said as he rose. "Get everyone out of here," he told his family.
Five minutes later Station 51 arrived to find the patrons of Tokyo Rose milling around the parking lot. Within minutes of that the fire in the kitchen was out.
Hank Stanley approached Mike and Michelle. "Stoker, that was just an ordinary grease fire. Couldn't you have handled it?"
"Hey, Cap, I'm off duty. What if something went wrong?"
"Gotcha. Happy Anniversary," he added before climbing into the engine.
The flower drum lady passed by rapping faintly and reciting, "The miracle of fire fighting..."
@@@@@@@@@
"Sorry about this evening," Tim told Mike and Michelle. He was in the entry way of their house. "I was trying to do something really special for you."
"It's okay," Michelle said. "It had to be." She and Mike gave each other a knowing look. "Thank you anyway." She gave her brother-in-law a kiss before retreating.
"I really am sorry," Tim said again when he and Mike were alone.
"Don't worry about it. It was memorable." They both laughed.
"Mike..." Tim began.
"What?"
"You remember when Fran had me make that toast?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I didn't really say exactly what I wanted to."
"I know how that is. You were on the spot. It didn't come out the way you would have liked."
"Not just that. You know when you got married I was worried that things would change between US. That maybe we wouldn't be as close anymore."
Mike was contemplating him.
"Well, what I really wanted to tell you is that you didn't let that happen. I mean you had a wife but you still found time to be my brother." He paused to swallow the emotion rising in his throat. "I never stopped knowing how much you loved me. I only hope that I've done as good a job now that I'm married."
Mike spoke past the lump forming in his throat. "You've done fine."
Then there they stood. Two brothers who ordinarily were very comfortable greeting each other with affection seeming to not know what to do. They were frozen in the tension of the moment. Finally, Tim said, "Fran's waiting. I should go."
Mike nodded then said softly, "Come here." He raised his arms to embrace his brother. "Thanks again," Mike said as he held him.
Michelle reentered to see them end the hug and give each other a kiss before Tim disappeared out the door. "You coming to bed?" she asked.
Mike closed the door. "Yeah." He put an arm around her shoulder. "You know we have incredible siblings."
"I know. But do you think they'll let us pick the restaurant next time?"
They laughed together. "Happy Anniversary," Mike told her.
"Happy Anniversary."
THE END