Chapter Seventeen:
An Illicit Affair:
Wonder Mart
Saturday,
I received an interesting
phone call last night from my parents - interesting because it was both of them
on the phone at the same time. It was the first instance my father had ever
spoken to me without my mother’s prodding and I don’t think I need to tell you
the reason for it. I can only assume that either Principal Kamishiro or The
Buzzard (Vice Principal Kentaro) had called my parents to tell them the
‘wonderful’ news about my suspension. I had planned to tell them about it on my
own terms and in my own way, but as usual, the administration had taken matters
into their own hands and had now made things even worse.
I didn’t know what was worse
– listening to my mother’s sobs on the phone or dealing with my father’s irate
tirade. He couldn’t believe I had gotten myself suspended and although I tried
to get in a word to explain my actions, nothing I said could help my case. At
the end of the night, my mother was insisting I come back home, while my father
yelled from another phone in the house (since they were both talking at the
same time) that I should remain in my apartment and I shouldn’t even think of
getting into any more trouble or he’d have my hide. I figured it would be best
to follow my father’s advice. If I was to become a model citizen, I’d have to
swallow my pride and work hard at maintaining a low profile.
I went to bed with a pounding
headache, turning off my phone and cell phone, knowing full well that my
friends would want to call me to find out what had really happened. I feel bad
for keeping them in the dark about it, but remembering Kamishiro’s threat made
me reconsider any thought of spilling out my guts to them. What really hurts is
that Duo will never know. I can’t afford to get him in trouble because of this.
I can already picture him storming into school on Monday morning and having a
‘word’ or two with the Principal. I know he’s going to get suspended as well or
even worse expelled. After all, the boy does have a problem controlling his
temper when extremely upset.
I had all of yesterday to act
as if nothing was wrong, wearing a smile and going about my duties knowing I
would not see the school grounds for four long months. Duo had tried to get me
to talk but I had insisted on changing the subject much to his frustration. He
had to attend basketball practice after school and that was a good thing. I
needed the time to think and the break from my friends was just a welcome
reprieve from the constant attention.
“You look like you’re having
a tummy upset.”
I lift my head to stare at
Jeff, who’s shuffled his way out to the
“What’s the problem?” he asks
slowly as he toys with a packet of grape jelly. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I begin to shake my head
slowly but then figure that it couldn’t hurt to talk to a relative stranger
about my problems. Jeff might be an eccentric guy but he was a good one and
didn’t like to cause any trouble.
“I got suspended from school,”
I say quietly, twirling the strings of noodles around the plastic fork. “Funny,
huh? I’m the President of the Student Council and I get myself suspended for
four months.”
The next thing I know, I’m
telling Jeff everything – from
Kamui’s antics to dealing with the bodyguards to my plan about the banner and
having to listen to Teruo’s threats over the phone. By the time I’m through, I
feel as if a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders. So even if Jeff
doesn’t say anything helpful, at least I can feel good knowing I’ve used him as
a vent forum. It really does feel good to be honest.
“So? What do you think?” I
ask, glancing at him and wondering why he still hasn’t said anything. I watch
as he polishes off the rest of his sandwich, takes a huge gulp of his orange
juice and then finally lifts his head to give me a small smile.
“I think you need to follow
me to a convention.”
I blink in disbelief. “What?”
He nods and then begins to
tackle the packet of cookies. “I said you need to follow me to a convention to
get your mind off everything. You’re stressed out, man. You need a break.”
I roll my eyes and shake my
head. I know I shouldn’t have told Jeff anything. How was he to understand the
depths of my despair? “Forget it…”
“Seriously, man,” he says
with a firm but earnest look in his eyes. There are chocolate chip crumbs
around his mouth and I fight the urge to tell him to wipe it off. “There’s a
small one being held tonight at the Atrium. It starts at
“Great,” I mumble, not really
interested.
“The voice actor for Seiji -
Takeshi Morimoto - is going to show up,” he says with a knowing look and I have
to grip my fork at the news. Takeshi Morimoto is only the god! of anime VAs! He’s the voice of some of my favorite
characters…okay, only for Seiji who just happens to be the Number One pilot in Gundam Forever.
Ooh, but Jeff’s good. He just
knows the right buttons to push.
But, I continue to feign disinterest.
“So what?”
Jeff grins and licks away the
crumbs from his fingers. “So, he’s going to be signing autographs and taking
pictures with the fans. Just think about it. It’s a one time opportunity to
meet him and it should take your mind off your suspension… at least for a few
hours. It’s going to be fun.”
Fun should
be the last thing on my mind, but looking at my evening – which was going to be
filled with hours of staring at my computer screen and doing nothing – and also
remembering that Duo and Wufei would be spending the afternoon after the
basketball game being at some meeting together…I figure it won’t hurt to spend
an hour at least with Takeshi Morimoto. He’s my idol for Pete’s sake.
“So…you coming?” Jeff asked.
“Sure,” I reply with a small
smile. “I’ll be there.”
__
I stack up the last of the
boxes and wipe my hands down my pants as Mr. Hart walks in to inspect the
progress made with the latest shipment of store supplies. He ticks off several
things on his notepad and smiles at us.
“Good job, Yuy, Shearer and
Masaki. Tomorrow, I expect these out on the floor when you come in, got it?”
“Yes, sir,” we all say in
unison. However, noticing that Hart’s about to leave us again, I walk up to him
quickly.
“May I have a word with you,
sir?” I ask as politely as I can while hoping he’d have the time to hear me
out. If he hears that I’ve been suspended, he might remove me from the job. He
has a strict policy regarding education and his workers. He expects his teenage
employees to at least be in school and since I’m not going to be attending any
in the next four months, I think it’s best I let him know now.
“What’s the matter, Yuy?” He
finally asks as we walk away from the others. I have fifteen minutes to
quitting time, so I have to make this quick. I can tell from the slight edge in
his voice that he’s concerned about me asking for a raise. I can already
picture the lecture I’d get if I was to ask him that. Times are hard – the
store isn’t making as much money as they’d like and so on and so forth. But
that isn’t why I’m here.
“I would like to request for
more hours, sir.” Seeing his bemused look, I continue quickly. “In case no one
can make it to work during the weekday, I’d be more than happy to take their
place.”
“Why this all of a sudden?”
There’s a wary look in his eyes now and I can feel my heart thumping even
faster. Perhaps I should have shut my mouth and not said anything but the
chances of him hearing the news from someone else is high and I have to let him
know the truth now.
“I got suspended from school,
sir,” I say quietly, wincing as I notice him visibly flinch. “It’s no fault of
mine, I swear it. But just…circumstances happened that were just beyond my
control. Please sir, don’t fire me. I’ll work twice as hard and…”
“You know my policy about
such things, Yuy,” Hart begins to say and I can feel my hopes dashing faster
than a wild horse. “How in the world did this happen?”
“I wish I knew sir, but
please, don’t send me away. I’ll study at home until my suspension is over. You
know I’ve worked well with you all this time and it shouldn’t stop now.”
“Yuy…”
“Please sir, I’m begging you.
I need this job!”
I ignore the glances that
come my way from the co-workers as they make their way past us. My gaze is
trained on the bespectacled man before me and I hope and pray that he gives me
a chance or I think I’ll really lose it.
Finally, he sighs and rubs a
hand across his forehead. “Give me some time to think about this, okay, son?
When you come in tomorrow, I’ll give you my answer.” He gives me a small smile
and pats my shoulder gently before making his way out of the room. I almost sag
to the floor in relief but seeing Jeff’s smiling visage has me breaking into a
grin as well.
At least I can pat myself at
having finally won a small battle.
__
My Apartment
“…I mean it was like on and
on and on and on and on. It just wouldn’t stop!”
I chuckle softly as I kick
the fridge door closed with a foot before making my way back to the counter to
open the rest of the grocery bags. Duo’s talking to me over the phone and as
you can guess it’s all about the game and the meeting. The team had won and he
complained about Jason being anal about leading them to victory.
“And then it’s like ‘Will all
the young people please step up to the podium’ and I make no move to go since
I’m not a member or anything but damn if Wufei doesn’t drag my ass up there and
then makes me stand in front of all those geezers. It was traumatizing!”
“I’m sure it was,” I say with
a snicker, shoving two boxes of cereal into the pantry.
“Dude, it wasn’t funny,” he
grumbles and I can hear the sound of forks and spoons clattering in the
background.
“What are you doing?” I ask
in curiosity, glancing at the clock and knowing I don’t have much time to take a
shower and get ready for tonight’s convention. Just what did one wear to a
convention anyway?
“Washing dishes,” Duo says
around another grumble. “Mom made fettuccini and asked Wufei to stay for
dinner.”
Something
hard stabs through my chest, causing a sharp flare of pain. I remember how cold Eleanor had been on the night she
returned with the meal from Morimoto’s and now…she was so willing to invite
Wufei to stay over. Duo must have heard me sigh, because he says quietly.
“I’m sorry, Heero…I know…”
“There’s nothing to apologize
for,” I interrupt quickly, eyeing the cans of tomato sauce. “I guess she
assumes Wufei is non-threatening to her son’s sexuality and besides, I’m over
it.”
He laughs softly but I can
tell it’s forced. “Anyway, Wufei declined the offer.”
That makes me feel a bit
better.
“…dating someone.”
“Hmm?”
“I said I think my mom’s now
seeing someone.” Another resounding crash of plates in the background. Is Duo
trying to break them?
“What makes you say that?” I
ask, not really paying much attention as I walk to my closet to eye the clothes
in there. I could just wear a pair of jeans and a shirt. It’s just a convention
that’s all but glancing at my treasured poster of Pilot 01, hanging within my
closet wall; I take a deep breath and reach for something much better than a
simple jeans outfit.
“She’s been acting funny
these days,” Duo was saying. “Like she spaces out sometimes when she’s talking
and I notice she’s been wearing even sexier lingerie.”
“Duo?!” I gasp in shock,
although the sudden image of Eleanor dressed in nothing but a racy number fills
my mind. “What are you doing looking at your mother’s underwear?!”
“Dude, we use the same
laundry room! I’m not that sick!”
Smirking, I pull out a pair
of khaki pants. “You sound jealous though.”
“Jealous? Why would I be
jealous of some guy I don’t even know?” He snorts and there’s more crashing in
the background. Oh yeah, Duo’s definitely not happy. “And you know what…I think
he’s leaving his smell all over the place.”
“Huh?”
“There’s this smell…this
strong cologne that I swear I’ve smelled somewhere before. It’s all over the
sofa and stuff.”
“So when does your mom bring
the guy home?”
“Probably when I’m in school
in the mornings. What do you think?”
“I think you’re probably
blowing things out of proportion. I mean what if it’s a girlfriend of your
mother’s, hmm? Ever think about that?”
“I’ve seen my mother’s
girlfriends, Heero and none of them wear men’s cologne. Sheesh.” He slams
something else in the background and I can faintly hear Eleanor’s roar of ‘Stop
doing that, Duo!’ and then Duo’s response of ‘Sorry, mom!’ before he comes back
on the line with me. “I’m telling you, Heero. She’s got herself a new guy and
she won’t talk to me about it. I find that strange.”
“Maybe she just doesn’t want
to worry you about it.”
“Bull shit. She’s hiding him
from me, that’s what.”
I have to laugh again at the
undeniable tone of jealousy in Duo’s words. I can’t honestly say I blame him
for feeling that way. His mother has been out of his life for so long and
having to share her with someone else is not something he’s looking forward to.
“So what are your plans for
tonight?”
I’m a bit shocked to find a
lie hovering on my lips, but figuring it’s no use making it up, I try to sound
as bored and uninterested as I can. “Jeff invited me to a convention at the
Atrium tonight…Takeshi Morimoto’s gonna be there.”
“
I have to hold the phone away
from my ear or Duo would have rendered me deaf in that instant.
“Dude! Oh man, dude!” He
whimpers. “You are so damn lucky! You’ve GOT to get an autograph…no…TWO
autographs. Tell him to make one out to Duo Maxwell – his biggest fan, got it?”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” I
reply but Duo’s already rattling on.
“I mean it, Heero! I swear if
you don’t get me an autograph or take a picture, I’m going to haunt you in your
dreams and make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.”
I laugh and begin to peel out
of my clothes. “I promise to do so, Duo. Picture and autograph. Check.”
We talk for a few more minutes
before I let him go, still high on the thought of me actually meeting the
famous voice actor and completely forgetting about his beef with the mystery
man dating his mother.
However, I feel so much
better now and I sincerely look forward to an enjoyable evening with no
thoughts or worries about school and its issues.
__
The Atrium
It is packed full of people –
predominantly of the male sex although there are several girls and children
running around in the chaos. Various tents (some quite large) line the great
hall and even Jeff is having a hard time finding his way to the pavilion. He
and a group of his friends are going to be selling posters, graphic novels and
of course sponsoring the appearance of Takeshi tonight. I almost lose sight of
him twice but finally I spy the elusive section. There is no doubt that amongst
all the other vendors in the large hall, Jeff’s ‘Gundam Forever’ Tribute is the
attention grabber. With two oversized mecchas ‘guarding’ the entrance and
enough neon lights to render one blind, it really is a sight to behold. I was
always under the impression that I was a big fan of the show but tonight, I’m
totally outclassed by the professionals.
“Over here, Heero,” Jeff
calls out to me as he motions for me to follow. He lifts the heavy red flap and
ushers me in where I suddenly find myself in any boy or man’s ideal fantasy world.
There are several huge models of Gundams stationed at the four corners of the
tent. Several game stations have been set up and already fans have taken
positions and are playing to their hearts content. There’s a huge screen TV
where episode 34 is currently being shown – a small crowd of spectators are
glued to the set, some chanting the popular sayings or singing along with the
theme song. A small stage had been set up and about fifty chairs are currently
being arranged for the guests who are bound to show up. There are two chairs on
the stage and I can feel my heartbeat quickening in excitement as I know
without a doubt that Takeshi would be sitting on one of them very soon.
I hold onto the strap of my
bag, wandering over to a display table filled with miniature Gundam models.
Lifting the Gundam 008XC – one of the hardest to construct, its proud owner
beams at me from behind the table.
“Took me 13 hours to
complete,” he says and I can see why. The detail is impeccable – from the
boosters to the energy sabers…hell even the self-detonation switch is in place.
“Fantastic,” I agree with a
nod. “Maybe I should…”
“What do you mean the Zen
army marched into the colony in AC 21?! It was in AC 22, I have it right here
in the guidebook!”
“It’s AC 22, you dumbass!
Everyone knows that!”
“No, no, the triple boosters
don’t blow up like that…see…they are powered by solar energy and can only
function when…”
“Ah, their uniforms…there’s a
slight misconception there. Lord Keilan formed the army just to copy the
others…”
“No, I didn’t like her
character. She was too whiny…”
“They should have killed them
in Episode 44 but noooo, they just had to leave them alone…”
The conversation swells
around me since it seems like everyone’s talking about the show but me. I wish
I could join in one, but they all seem so much more advanced than I am. I have
the feeling I’ll make a fool out of myself I remain here a minute longer…
“Here, have a drink.” I start
in surprise as Jeff hands me a large cup of orange soda. He slurps noisily on
his and then grins. “Having fun yet?”
“Yeah…” I nod in all honesty.
“It’s loud…”
“Huh? What did you say?!”
“I said it’s loud!” Now I understand
why he has to speak in that booming voice of his. With all the noise and
conversations around us, it’s hard to be heard. “When’s Takeshi going to be
here?!”
“Oh, soon, soon! Why don’t
you have a seat in the front row before all the good ones get taken?!”
Nodding in agreement, I make
my way towards an empty chair, only to find myself flanked by two people
dressed in the Zen’s Force uniforms. A part of me feels disgusted with it
(since the Zen are the enemy) but I’ve got to admit that they look pretty good
in their costumes. They smile warmly at me and I salute in return…before
deciding to take a picture with them. I’m sure the guys especially Duo, is
going to have a fit when they see it. I’ve betrayed the side of Good.
Ten minutes later and the tent
is filled to capacity with eager fans. Someone begins to sing the theme song
and before long, over fifty voices form a rather nice melody as they all join
in. I keep my mouth shut, although the song continues to pound in my head
incessantly and I almost wish that Duo was here to accompany me. I’m sure his
voice would have been the loudest of them all.
Soon enough, Jeff walks onto
the stage and everyone begins to clap as he struggles with the microphone for a
few seconds. He begins by thanking everyone for showing up, but I’m beginning
to feel restless – along with fifty other people. We are all on pins and
needles and Jeff – being the sadist he is – continues to drone on and on about
the merchandise and all the cool stuff about Gundam Forever. Finally! And none
too soon, he announces the guest of honor for tonight. Before he’s even through
saying Takeshi’s name, we all rise to our feet, clapping and cheering for the
man who gives life to our beloved character Seiji (self-destructive) Katou.
In person, Takeshi is a
rather plain guy with short black hair and nerdy looking glasses. He looks
quite surprised to find so many people in the room just to see him but blushes
and continues to bow in gratitude. It’s until Jeff says a loud ‘Sit down already!’
do we finally stop. Hoping I’m not drooling all over myself as he begins to
speak in Seiji’s voice (it doesn’t help that a large blown up poster of the
pilot is behind him), I listen in rapt attention at his answers to all the
questions thrown at him. And man, were they a lot of questions asked. It seems
as if the fans can’t get enough of him but all too soon, Jeff and his cronies
begin to motion for everyone to move to the autograph section of the tent.
Thankful that I have a good
position in front, I’m among the first to stand before the older man.
“Thank you for coming,” he
says as he holds up a pen and gives me a perfunctory smile.
“Could you please sign this
for me?” I hold out the first book. “To Heero Yuy – My biggest fan…and this one
to Duo Maxwell – My Biggest Fan too.” I blush faintly in embarrassment as he
laughs good-naturedly at my request. But he does sign and even agrees to pose
for a few pictures with me. My evening couldn’t possibly get any better.
At the end of the
festivities, I am a rich man with several Gundam models, a guidebook and two
DVD box sets of the first two seasons of the show, in my possession. And let’s
not forget the priceless autographs and several pictures all saved up in my
digital camera. I can’t wait to get back home to show them to Duo. He’ll
totally flip with jealousy!
“Great night, huh? Told ya it
would be fun,” Jeff says with a wide grin as he walks up to me.
“It was,” I agree still
unable to stop smiling. “Maybe I’ll come next time and bring the guys with me.”
“You do that,” Jeff says with
a nod. “But this was pretty small like I said, you just wait until Anime Con in
a few months. Ooh man, now that’s going to be huge! I hear they’re inviting the
whole cast over there!”
“No way! I’m definitely
coming……I think…” The thought of missing school suddenly hits me like a ton of
bricks and I’m quickly sent back to earth from my euphoric state. Jeff, perhaps
sensing my sullen mood, nudges me closer and then shoves a bag in my hand.
“Here ya go. Just some extra
stuff you might like.”
I peek into the tote bag and
gasp in surprise. It contains more posters, CDs, pocky (of all flavors), two
plushies of Seiji and his Gundam, and some autographed pictures of Takeshi
standing before Seiji’s poster.
“Jeff…this is…”
“Just share it with your
friends and besides, it’s just a thank you for showing up anyway. You didn’t
have to but you did…and I appreciate it.”
“Thanks man,” I say in pure gratitude as I
give him a sudden but quick hug. “For everything.”
He seems surprised at my display
of affection but hugs me in return. “No problem,” he replies as we step away
from each other. “I’ll see ya at work tomorrow, kay?” He gives me a small wave
and promptly gets lost in the crowd again and knowing that my night in this
heaven is finally over, I begin to make my way back home with my treasures.
P.S: I will refrain from
kissing my poster tonight………………I promise.
__
My Apartment
My dreams had been filled
with me being Seiji Katou’s side-kick. We were going to confront the Zen army
and the Gundam was having some problems with its ammunition. He wanted me to
self-detonate the meccha or even worse, to flee for my life. But I wasn’t going
to leave him to die. I was a loyal Royalist and I wanted to fight with
him…always. Funny how in my dream Seiji had looked eerily like Duo…
However, my dreams are
roughly shaken as the dull chime of the doorbell fills my ears. I blink slowly,
trying to will myself into consciousness. Remnants of battle scenes and burning
buildings still fog up my brain even as I stagger to my feet to make my way
towards the door. I stiffen at the loud sound and then wonder just who could be
calling me at this time of the night. Hoping it’s not Kamui again – although I
doubt it would be him – I open the door just a little to take a peek.
I’m not sure of what I hoped
to see but it definitely isn’t the sight of no one on my doorstep. I curse
loudly, assuming it’s some kind of a prank but as I make a move to close the
door, my gaze falls to the ground.
There’s a large yellow
envelope on the doormat and it’s simply addressed to ‘Heero Yuy’.
A bomb?
Oh yeah, right, Heero. A bomb would look that flat and
with no holes around it? Great thinking.
I open the door a little
wider and look down the corridor. There’s no one in sight and only the sound of
a dog barking in the distance disturbs the silence. Feeling the chill begin to
seep into my bones, I pick up the envelope and lock the door behind me just as
quickly.
I turn on the kitchen light
and place the envelope on the counter, staring at it as if hoping it would open
on its own and reveal its contents to me. I can’t for the life of me imagine
what it could contain, neither am I sure I even want to know.
But curiosity did kill the
cat, didn’t it? And if someone had actually taken the time to send this to me,
isn’t it right that I only investigate?
With hands that tremble
lightly, I take a deep breath and unseal it carefully. Even before slipping my
hand in, I can tell that they contain photographs. I pull them out slowly –
about six of them in all – and a small note falls out, which I catch quickly to
read.
/Dear Heero sempai. I took the advice Duo sempai gave
me the other day and decided to have my father tailed by a private detective.
It was a risky undertaking but I think I do have something that might
incriminate my father. After what happened yesterday, I think it’s only fair
that I spread the news to the tabloids and ruin his name forever. These
pictures were taken over the course of a few days. As you can see, my father is
clearly having an illicit affair with a woman in a high ranking government
position. I intend to send this to the Press first thing Monday morning but I
just thought you’d like to see them as well. Thank you again for everything,
sempai. I really owe you one./
With my heart thumping much
faster now, I begin to look through the photographs and there’s no doubt about
it. It’s Teruo senior all right. It’s also plain to see that he and the woman
in the picture are having a very ‘healthy’ relationship if you know what I mean.
There are candid shots of the two of them kissing – of his hand beneath her
skirt – of her legs around his waist – and good grief! She’s even half-naked in
one of them!
However, the pictures do not
give a good view of the woman in question until I come to the very last one. That is when the world stops spinning on
its axis and the oxygen is completely sucked out of the room.
For the lustful gaze staring
right at me belongs to none other than Eleanor Maxwell…my boyfriend’s beautiful
mother.
~End Period Seventeen~