I

Once I was ready, I sat down to watch TV waiting for Mary to knock. As is always the case in such matters, it seemed so long by the time Mary knocked around 730 PM. She looked very clean and relaxed herself, and I thought quite pretty in her dress. "I am glad that I ran into you. Ohno-sensei and Okasan are very kind to me but considering the age difference, I can only talk to them about so many things. I think with someone like you, I can talk as a peer. I hope you will be able to show me a part of Japan that Ohno-sensei cannot.” "And I hope you will do the same for me. I have been fascinated by American people and have always admired their open minds. Being with Japanese people all the time, I do not know how it is like to communicate honestly. I think we can reach a level of openness that allows us to appreciate each other better and hopefully create a lasting friendship," I said.

At this time of the year, the evenings are always lovely in Japan. The path along the lake was deserted except for a few couples and noisy teenagers. Mary was a better listener than I initially expected. I think it must have been her background as a researcher that she could ask a probing question and then pull back to soak in the response. What surprised me was how deep her knowledge of Japanese people was despite her scientific background. I did not take too long to discover,  though, that her knowledge was drawn primarily from reading about Japan and through friends. Naturally she had a lot of stereotypes that I took care to clarify. Since I was not getting many opportunities to ask, I would often stop in the middle of an explanation, and ask her what the situation in America was. 

I was enjoying the conversation and was surprised to note how smoothly our first ever discussion was going. She would speak slowly too so that I could understand and I admired her patience while listening to me. When we reached the end of the elevated pathway, Mary sat down on the bench overlooking the lake. It was just the two of us left in an isolated area of the lake. She leaned her back against the stone bench, and from what I could gather, was admiring a boat in the water. I stood behind her and simply looked at Mary who was absorbed in the beauty of the moment. I had often been here alone in the past and occasionally with Kyoko.

Today was different. The intensity with which she was admiring the scenery was remarkable and I scolded myself for being so shallow all my life. I thought of those days when I did not admire Kyoko’s artistic skills and I was not sure if I still did it. "Isn't this pretty?" I said. "I was going to say the same. What I like about Japan is that you guys can create beauty out of some of the simplest things. I often go to Japanese gardens in the US and spend whole afternoons reflecting on my life", she said and bent her head backwards to look at me.

I moved closer to her and raised my knee to support her neck. "Don't bend your neck so much. It will hurt later."  As she settled her neck, she closed her eyes. It must have been a minute or so that we both merely listened to the breeze. As the boat drifted towards the pier, the sounds died. I gently stroked her hair, which was still slightly wet at the roots. As I twiddled my fingers in her hair and massaged the scalp, she did not say anything. In fact I did not even see her opening her eyes. "Ken-san, thank you. It feels great. You are too kind. Thank you for bringing me here."  "Why don't you lie down on the bench? It will make it easy for me to reach the back of your head," I suggested. I moved to the edge of the bench and sat down to give her enough space on my thigh. In no time, Mary buried her head in my lap. I started at the bottom of the neck and slowly moved upwards. With one hand I pressed and with the other I rubbed. I had never formally learned to massage but my grandmother would often massage me when my body would get sore playing all day as a kid. I just repeated what she did and it was clear that it worked.  (Related:  Thai foot masssage)

Mary's breathing had calmed down as I could feel each breath of hers on my leg. She did not speak a word and neither did I. I could not imagine that a woman I did not know until a few hours ago was lying right here with her head buried in my lap - she looked so tired in that position and I felt a great sense of pleasure that I had become so close to her. I had been admiring the curve of her back but was too shy to touch her. "Do you want me to massage your back too?" I asked hesitatingly, afraid that she might be offended. Mary did not speak for a few seconds. I was almost about to tell myself that I had offended her but when I saw her sliding her head all the way to my left thigh, I knew she was ready. She rested her face on my thigh and brought her back closer to me so that my hands could now reach all the way to her waist.

Continued: Seduced by an American woman