SAZUKI
“What am I watching?” Adam frowns at the cell phone that I stick in his face.
“Look at her.”
“You brought me out here to boast about your new girlfriend?” He sounds annoyed.
I scowl.
He scowls harder and brings his coffee to his lips. “Spit it out, Sazuki.”
“I think she is the missing link.”
“Congratulations.”
“Do you see it?”
“She’s beautiful and she seems close to Niko.” He yawns. “Why do you need my opinion before you date someone anyway? It’s been years since your divorce. It’s about time you moved on.” He shakes his head and takes another big gulp of coffee.
I make a disapproving sound in my throat. “You misunderstand, Adam.”
“About what? Her age? As long as she’s legal, I don’t have a problem with it.”
“I’m not interested in dating her.”
Adam gives me a disbelieving stare. “So you don’t find her attractive?”
These Americans and their obsession with appearances.
“I am saying it is not the matter at hand.”
He squints. “So you do find her attractive?”
I pause, choosing my words carefully. “Not the point.”
“Hm.” He leans back in his chair and stretches like a hibernating bear. “Why are you showing me a video of a college student teaching Niko to play piano?”
“Because of this.” I play the video again, pausing at the part where Dejonae places the headphones on my daughter’s stomach.
The sleep clears from Adam’s eyes and he sits straight up in the chair. Mouth falling open, he whistles. “Did she just…”
“Use vibrations of the chest to improve Niko’s timing? Yes.” I tap my fingers on the café’s smooth mahogany table, unable to restrain the nervous energy. “She modified her headphones to concentrate rhythmic energy. Somehow, the device was able to become a link between the music and the body.”
“That’s genius.” He shakes his head. The wheels are turning rapidly in his brilliant mind. “How did she come up with that?”
“I believe this is the key we have been looking for.”
He picks up the phone and starts the video over. This time, he studies it intently.
“Where did you find her?”
“In an alley.” I pause. “But I first met her at the Belle’s Beauty gala.”
The phone almost drops out of his hands. “She’s the girl who played your piano without asking?”
I nod.
“Will she want to work with you? I heard you laid into her pretty hard.”
Rather than answer, I pick up the cup of tea that’s still steaming and sip it. The matcha flavor hits my tongue, a mild version of the drink I enjoyed back in Japan.
Adam slides his elbow over the table and lowers his voice. “Be honest. Do you think you can get her to work with us?”
“I am certain of it.”
He quirks a brow. “How certain?”
My eyes dart away from his. “About fifty percent.”
“Not great odds.”
“If all else fails, we can work around her. Reverse-engineer the idea.”
“If she modified those headphones on her own, with no resources or access to our technology, imagine what she can do if she joins our team.” Adam narrows his eyes. “Don’t let your issue with her get in the way of business, Sazuki. There’s a bigger picture here.”
“I am aware,” I growl. I have worked like a madman to get the foundation this far. I will not stand in the way of our mission.
His lips curl up in a smirk. “So you have a plan to convince the girl?”
“Ask nicely.” I drum my fingers on the table again.
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“Ask… less nicely.” My tone is dry.
His smile gets bigger. “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when that conversation happens.”
“Yes, well, knowing you, you’d build that fly and send the surveillance footage back to your horse farm.”
He chuckles because he knows it is true.
Looking at him, one would never be able to tell that Adam is worth billions. Though he can afford to line his garage with Porches and Lamborghinis, Adam drives a pickup truck handed down by his grandfather. Today, he is dressed in a T-shirt with a hole in the sleeve and dusty boots.
“If all else fails, you can use your daughter to convince her,” Adam says, pointing to the video where Niko is staring up at Dejonae in awe. “They seem to have a connection.”
I frown. Niko is the reason I breathe, the reason I’ve left everything I know and love to live in a country that is not my own.
I would do anything for her.
But I refuse to use her for business.
“There is no need for that. Miss Williams will be mine. One way or another,” I promise.
He peers at the video again. “I bet she’ll give you a run for your money.”
“I will take that bet.”
“At five.”
“Thousand?”
“Three more zeroes.”
I chuckle. “You have money to waste?”
“I’d like to donate it to a worthy cause. Your foundation never looked for investors.”
I steeple my hands. “We do not need outside money.”
My personal accounts are enough to keep the foundation alive. In addition, the foundation is capable of creating its own revenue. I have everything in order.
“Money is still money, Sazuki. No sense turning your nose at it because it’s coming from a country boy.”
“It is not the money that makes me hesitate. It is the conditions that come with it. If you want to help, you can cut the strings.”
“Scared?” Adam challenges.
I scoff. “I will acquire her cooperation in three days.”
“I’m taking that deal.”
We shake on it.
The door bursts open while we each lift our mugs. Adam straightens immediately, as if his body can sense his assistant’s approach.
“Hide me,” he whispers.
I shake my head.
We both glance away when Nova nears us. I’ve learned not to look her directly in the eyes when she is enraged. This way, I steer clear of most of the fire.
“You have a meeting in ten minutes,” Nova says softly. Like sobo, my grandmother, she is quiet. Rarely ever raises her voice. Yet her flaring nostrils and the tense set of her lips communicates her wrath.
Adam slips out of the chair, arms raised. “I can explain.”
“Oh?” Nova slaps a hand on her hip. Long braids slide over one shoulder as she stares frankly up at him. Her skin is dark, which makes the white of her eyes stand out even more. “Please do explain.”
“Sazuki called me out of the house for an emergency meeting.” Adam points.
I half-levitate out of my chair.
Such betrayal.
While Nova turns burning brown eyes on me, Adam steps behind his assistant and clasps both hands together pleadingly.
I grit my teeth and admit, “It is true. I did call him…”
“Mr. Sazuki,” Nova gives me a prim smile, “I’ve been working with Adam for over six years. You don’t have to cover for him.”
I dip my chin. “Very well then. I won’t.”
Adam’s eyes widen and he flings me an annoyed look.
I shrug and sip my tea, ready to enjoy the show.
Nova swivels on her heels. I have never seen her in anything flat, despite the fact that she is on her feet for hours thanks to Adam’s hectic schedule.
“You were supposed to be in a suit and tie for our meeting with the Rodney investors. I told you repeatedly not to forget.”
“I didn’t forget.” He shakes his head.
The tea is cold.
I lift my hand to order another.
Nova barrels toward Adam. Her head barely meets his shoulder, but one would not guess this by the way he shuffles back.
“Did you stay up all night working on that new invention when I explicitly reminded you to be in bed by nine-thirty?”
“Nova, my brain works on its own time,” he explains. “Once I get an idea, I have to tinker with it—”
“Until four a.m.?” she hisses.
Fear flits into his eyes, but he hides it well and puffs out his chest. “If I choose to work on a project until four a.m. I can do as I damn please.”
A waitress arrives and sets a cup of tea in front of me. I thank her with a nod, lift it and sip all without taking my eyes off the two in front of me.
“Is that so?” Giving Adam a scalding look, Nova fishes in the pocket of her dark red pantsuit, pulls out a cell phone and slams it on the table.
Adam’s face drops immediately.
“I’ve failed my duties as your assistant,” Nova says. “You no longer respect me or my opinions. Since it’s clear you don’t need me, I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Nova, don’t be like that.” Adam reaches for her.
Nova holds up her hand curtly and, with a frosty glare, yanks a lanyard from around her neck.
It gets caught in her braids.
She turns to me. “Mr. Sazuki?”
“Ah, yes.” I set my tea down and gently pry the tail of the lanyard out of her coarse plaits.
Adam purses his lips. “Sazuki, don’t entertain her.”
Nova swipes the lanyard from my palm and smacks it on the table. “I’ll hand in my official notice this evening. You are free to attend the Rodney meeting or spit in the face of the investors. I don’t give a damn.”
I retrieve my tea and blow on top of it. Quite tasty.
Adam grabs Nova’s hand before she can storm away. While her face is to the door, a small smile flickers across her lips.
Adam does not see it. Though I believe that even if he did, he would not have understood it.
The push and pull between Adam and his assistant is a mystery to me. I would blame it on the looseness of American culture but, from what I have seen, westerners tend to be much more upfront in their romantic pursuits.
Adam and Nova have chosen the route of playing cat and mouse. I wonder if either of them will ever tire of the game.
“Put this back on.” Adam turns Nova by the shoulders and slips the lanyard over her head.
She grabs his wrist. “What time should you be asleep before a big meeting?”
“Nine thirty,” he answers dutifully.
“If this happens again…” She threatens.
“I’ll get your severance package ready.”
She scowls at him.
His lips twitch. “It won’t happen again.”
“Good.” Nova arches an eyebrow. “Let’s go. You’re going to be late as is.”
I catch Adam’s eye and lift my tea in salute. He sighs heavily, looking both amused and resigned to his fate.
The man’s inventions have become billion-dollar products. Right time. Right place. Right industry. It has been said that he keeps falling into money. But Nova is the one who manages that wealth, running his company like a well-oiled machine while he tinkers in his lab.
On some days, she acts more like his business partner than his assistant.
Other days still, she acts more like a wife than an assistant.
And, strangely enough, there are times when Adam seems to forget which she is as well.
“Sorry to cut your meeting short, Sazuki.” Nova nods at me. “We have somewhere to be.”
“Of course.”
Adam gathers his baseball hat and smashes it backwards on his head. He looks like he belongs on a dusty road with a dog and a pickup truck rather than in a board meeting.
“Remember our deal, Sazuki,” he says, placing a hundred on the table.
I nod.
“Oh,” Nova turns back, “I saw Akira outside. Looked like she wanted to go in, but couldn’t make herself do it.” Nova arches an eyebrow. “Might want to see what that’s about.”
I look through the window and notice a black SUV parked outside. A woman is sitting in the driver’s seat.
Akira.
She comes from a line of distant relatives who have been serving my family for generations.
How long has she been waiting there?
The bells above the door jangle, signaling that Nova and Adam have left. I slide out of my chair to follow them when my phone rings.
Ashanti.
A familiar mixture of guilt and weariness collide in my chest.
With a deep sigh, I answer the call.
As usual, I say nothing.
It takes only a few seconds before my ex-wife speaks. “Hi.” Her voice is bright and smooth. Perfect for a singer.
“I was not expecting a call.”
“Yeah, I just… figured I should check in.” Ashanti clears her throat. “How are you?”
“Well.” I leave it there.
“Niko told me she had an exciting day yesterday.”
“Did she?”
“Yeah. She mentioned that she made a new friend. Someone who helped her with her piano lessons.”
My lips tighten.
I wait.
“Niko really seemed to like her new friend,” Ashanti adds.
I sigh heavily. What is she trying to figure out?
“Are you… dating her?”
There it is.
I feign ignorance. “Dating who?”
“Day-jon… Day… what was her name again?”
It’s Dee-jonae. Not Day-jonae.
I keep that thought to myself.
Another passage of silence flows between us.
“We agreed that we would inform each other when we started seeing other people seriously.”
Is this a scolding? “That agreement still stands.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me about her?”
I close my eyes and rub my temple. “There is nothing to tell.”
“So you’re not…”
“No.” I frown. “Why does this concern you?”
“For Niko’s sake, of course.” She laughs nervously. “Our daughter’s a very special little girl. I don’t want her making new friends only to lose them without warning.”
“I am raising Niko to be a strong, discerning person. She will not break so easily.”
There’s a shuffling on the other side of the line. “This is different. You should have seen her gushing, Ryo. I’ve never seen our daughter that excited about another woman before. It… it kind of made me jealous.”
“You will always be Niko’s mother.”
“What if that’s not enough? I’m always away lately. It feels like she’s growing up without me.”
“Niko is finally old enough to attend school without an interpreter and live her life with confidence. You should be free to do the same. Besides, we are taking good care of her.”
I glance up and see that Akira has left the car. She is now standing outside it, staring at me through the café’s glass window.
“I need to go.” I am about to put the phone away when I hear Ashanti’s voice.
“Ryo?”
I grit my teeth and place the phone back to my ear. “Yes?”
“You… you would tell me if anything is happening between you and that girl, right?”
“I will honor our agreement.”
She sighs in relief.
I end the call and stuff the cell phone in my pocket. Leaving another hundred dollar bill on the table because I will not be outdone by Adam of all people, I leave the café and cross to the parking lot.
Akira straightens her stance when I draw near. Her dark hair is pulled back in a severe bun. Her black pantsuit clashes with her extremely pale skin. She’s quite tall, almost as tall as me, and her height along with her stunning face draws the eyes of many American men.
The moment I stop in front of her, Akira bows at the waist.
“I should not have lost Niko yesterday.” She keeps staring at my shoes.
“I received your letter of apology. And, like I told you yesterday, Niko managed to escape me many times.”
“I followed you to America on your mother’s request. My only job is to keep young Niko safe. I failed.”
“There is a way you can make it up to me.”
She straightens, a determined look in her eyes. “I will do it.”
“This girl.” I show her my phone screen.
Akira squints to make out Dejonae’s face. “You are pursuing another foreign woman?”
“It is only for business.”
She looks relieved.
“What would you have me do?” Akira asks.
“I want to know everything about Miss Williams. Her family. Her educational background. Her financial situation. Can you do it?”
Akira hesitates and then she dips her head.
“I would like a report by tomorrow morning.”
“So quickly?”
“There is no time to waste.” I raise my chin. “I must have this woman in my clutches before three days.”
Akira drops off a folder at my residence at eleven p.m. that night.
There is a reason she is my mother’s most trusted friend and the one who oversees Niko’s safety.
“Do I want to know how you got your hands on this?” I ask, lifting the folder.
“You do not.”
I nod. “Was there anything shocking?”
“Sadly, no.”
I arch an eyebrow at her disappointed face.
“The American lives a quiet life. No prior arrests. No debt.” Akira sinks into the chair across from my desk.
“No debt?” That sounds uncommon for the average college student in the US. “How did she afford her education?”
“She chose a college in her state and received a scholarship from the music department. She also worked a part-time job at a café in the area.”
A music student. I scrub my chin. “What of her sister?”
I recall that Dejonae mentioned her sister was deaf.
Akira nods to the folder. I thumb to the back and locate another document. Attached to the summary sheet is a picture of a thick woman with dark skin and dreadlocks.
“The sister moves around a lot. She is rather free-spirited for someone who is deaf.”
“Why can a deaf person not be free-spirited?” I challenge her.
Akira glances away. “I spoke out of turn.”
A knock sounds at the door.
Niko enters wearing her jinbei, Japanese pajamas. The fabric is blue and cottony. Her arms dangle out of the wide sleeves.
“Do you need something?” I sign.
“I can’t sleep.”
I nod at Akira who quickly rises and takes her leave.
“Goodnight, Niko,” Akira signs.
Niko waves to her.
I hold my daughter’s hand and we see Akira out together. When she is gone, I drop to one knee and face Niko, my heart swelling with affection as I look into her sparkling eyes.
Lifting her hands, Niko runs her fingers over the air as if playing a piano.
“You should be in bed. You have school tomorrow.”
She pushes out her bottom lip.
I laugh and give in as I always do. “Five minutes.”
She holds up ten fingers.
“Seven minutes,” I argue.
Niko’s ten fingers wiggle in objection.
I arch an eyebrow. “Should I put you to bed immediately?”
She shakes her head and follows me to the grand piano in the center of our living room. Tonight, the moon is bright and it falls upon the piano, leaving a silver kiss atop the glossy surface.
I heft Niko into my arms and set her on my knee. Then, I take her hand and place it on the piano lid.
“Be careful,” I tell her.
She nods as if to say I know.
Settling my arms on either side of her, I place my fingers on the keys. Softly, I pick out the melody of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
Niko recognizes the pattern and grins, causing her eyes to fall into one happy line.
“Easy,” she signs.
I smile in response.
My daughter places her free hand on the keys and accompanies me. Together, we play in sync.
Her fingers dance over the chords with surprising dexterity. There is not a hint of hesitation or uncertainty in the way she approaches music. The notes are a comfort. A friend. She may not hear the way I do, but the way she experiences music is special.
Eventually, her eyes close and she plays without looking down at the keys.
I lift my hand, letting her take over the piece. Niko does not seem to notice that I have stopped.
I press a kiss to her forehead when the song ends. Waiting until she opens her eyes, I sign, “Time for bed.”
After carrying Niko into her bedroom, I set her on the bed and pull up the covers to her chest. She wiggles her toes beneath the blanket.
“Goodnight,” I sign.
Her hand shoots out of the blanket and latches onto the hem of my shirt. She tugs.
I look down at her, waiting.
“Will we see Deej again?” she signs.
I feel a sharp prick of concern. Like everyone in our family, Niko has a habit of keeping to herself. She rarely clings to one person. Even Akira, who has been watching over her since she was a baby, is treated with distance.
“Miss Williams is busy with her own life. She has no time to play with you,” I tell her.
Niko’s eyes flash with sadness. “But I like her.”
“In life,” I hesitate, “some people are only with you for a short time. Sometimes, you are not meant to be together always.”
“Like you and mom?” she gestures.
I pin my lips together because the divorce has always been a difficult one to express to her.
“Yes, like me and your mother,” I finally sign.
She frowns and then says aloud, “No.”
My eyes widen when I hear her speak. Niko only sounds out her words when she’s frustrated or upset.
My daughter pushes her hands into the mattress, sits up, and gestures, “Sobo says we make our own fate.” A wrinkle forms between her eyebrows. She signs forcefully, “I want to play with Deej again.”
I fold my arms over my chest.
My daughter stares me down, unwavering. It’s a surprising and uncharacteristic show of stubbornness. I can only blame it on her encounter with Miss Williams.
Niko met Dejonae once and she’s already a bad influence. She might turn my child into a rebel by the end of the month.
With a frown, I scold Niko, “End of discussion. Go to bed.”
She pouts.
“I will not tell you twice,” I add.
Niko makes a sound of frustration and flops backward.
I return to my home office and sink wearily into my chair.
The files that Akira brought for me lay scattered on the desk. I dig my fingers into the photograph at the top of the pile and lift it.
Dejonae Williams.
Dark skin. Dark eyes.
A beautiful… headache.
Why is the key to my foundation’s success trapped in her of all people? After the gala, I had hoped to never see her again. Yet our lives seem destined to become entangled.
“I will take what I need from her and she will disappear from both our lives,” I declare to the silence. “Things will not be complicated.”
Determined to stick with the plan, I draft an email.
To: Dejonae Williams
From: Ryotaro Sazuki
Subject: Job Opportunity At The Sazuki Music Foundation
Ms Williams,
First impressions aside, I was very impressed by your ability to convey the principles of timing to my daughter, Niko, during today’s lesson. I’d like to formally offer you a position at my foundation.
Despite your lackluster background and incomplete musical degree, we will be offering you an impressive salary as well as an opportunity for a generous bonus.
Also note that, in the future, you will be reporting directly to me. I trust that you will keep any differences of opinions to yourself as we work together.
Your expected starting date is tomorrow. You can report to HR and let them know your school schedule so we can work within it.
I trust that you will do the smart thing and agree to these generous terms.
Regards,
Ryotaro Sazuki
Director of The Sazuki Music Foundation
I send the email and force myself to go to bed.
The next morning, I’m woken to a ping on my phone.
I snatch the device from my dresser.
To: Ryotaro Sazuki
From: Dejonae Williams
Subject: Screw You
Mr Sazuki,
Since we’re talking about first impressions, the one you left the night of the gala was also less than impressive. I found you rude and condescending. After a second meeting, that opinion hasn’t changed.
I rub my eyes, certain that I am reading wrong.
I sent a polite and professional email. Why would Miss Williams respond so rudely?
I shove the phone face-down into the bed.
After a few deep, intentional breaths, I lift it again, prodded by a mixture of curiosity and annoyance.
I’m oh-so-grateful that my ‘lackluster background’ and ‘incomplete musical degree’ managed to squeak past your sky-high expectations for an employee. What a benevolent boss you are.
Please note that no amount of money you could ever shove at me would make me accept a job at your foundation. I wouldn’t work with you for a million dollars.
I let out an aggravated huff. The job market in the US is extremely competitive. To be offered such an impressive salary when she has not even completed her degree is unheard of.
There is more to the email.
I struggle to compose myself before finishing it.
Lastly, I do not plan to ever keep my opinions to myself. Just because I don’t agree with everything that comes out of your mouth does not mean that my opinions are invalid.
Your fear of hearing dissenting opinions is a mark of questionable character. I trust that you will reflect on yourself and what kind of employer you’re being to the people who have no choice but to suffer at your company.
Lastly, thank you for trusting me to do the ‘smart thing’ , which I’ve decided is to stay the hell away from you.
Regards,
Dejonae Williams
Director of Kiss My Black Behind
I re-read her last line.
Such insolence.
Such disrespect.
I have never in my life been spoken to that way, not in person and certainly not through an email.
Does she know who I am?
I bounce off the bed and pace my room.
Dejonae Williams is pure, unbridled defiance. But I have been able to tame far worse than she.
Grabbing my phone, I call Akira.
She answers on the first ring. “Ryotaro.”
“Miss Williams requires more convincing.” I look coldly through my bedroom window. “I would like to show her that no woman says no to me.”
