From Osaka to Tokyo
Adventures of a French girl when she traveled to Japan

By Pierre Coda  Continued from previous page:  Starting to work in Japan

I had a message from Yasue when I got home.  Yasue offered to have lunch with me if I was not doing anything.  He was planning to paint all day and would also like me to have a look at his work.  I did not have to go to work the next day but LaCroix had indicated that I was free to call him if I had any questions from the meeting last night.  Yumiko was going to be working all day anyway so she immediately suggested that I should see Yasue.  In fact she started teasing me telling me that it was a date and not just lunch.  Yasue is single, she told me, and she has heard from friends that he was a great lover in bed.  

Lunch was at a vegetarian restaurant since that is something that Yasue loved and wanted me to try it too.  Yasue shared stories of his childhood while he was growing up and then the fun that he had as a college student.  After every little story, he would ask me about my life and that way we got to know each other better.  I still felt a little bit reserved in front of him and asked him very few questions.  But I did feel much closer to him as I heard stories about his past and his perspectives on life.

I decided to come back to the gallery with Yasue after he asked if I would like to just hang out with him for a short while more.  Of course, I did not have any plans for the afternoon and other than just being in a mall, I would not know what to do anyway.  Yasue wanted to paint while I watched so that I could provide some inspiration to her, he said.  I was not sure how I could inspire him but I could notice that Yasue was quite energized after I sat down on a chair so that he could see me while he painted.  His hands moved fast and from time to time his eyes closed as he constructed images in his mind.  

During one of these moments, he came close to me and helped me sit with my legs crossed and head raised.  He then adjusted the hair on my face so that it completely covered one side of my face.  He asked me to stay motionless for a few moments so that he could capture the beauty of the moment.  I was feeling quite special being a source of inspiration to a painter and in a mirror I could see my image.  May be I am a model, I thought.  

Yasue came back to me and made me stand up this time.  As I tried to step back to get away from the stool, I tripped over and fell down.  He came running to my help one more time and held me in his arms as I tried to adjust my shirt.  He held me close in his arms and I could feel his heart beating.  For a few moments, I just listened to the thumping sound and enjoyed the peace of the moment.  Yasue stroked my head and gave a small kiss on my hair as he played with it.  I did not want this moment to end.

I was a little bit shaken when I left Yasue's gallery.  I had liked what had happened between Yasue and I but it was not something that I had prepared myself for.  My experiences were limited and my boyfriends enjoyed my company more for my intellectual and artistic abilities rather than my visual appeal.  Yasue had been extremely gentle and it was clear that everything was spontaneous.  I was sure that nothing had been planned in his mind either, except that he had some feelings for me and he wanted to feel the romance in my presence.  When Yumiko asked me later in the day how my date went, I talked about everything except the details of what exactly happened towards the end.

LaCroix invited me to join him for dinner when I called him to tell him that I was preparing to leave for home so that I could pack to move to Tokyo.  He said that he would love to spend some more time talking to me before I was gone for two weeks.  I had no choice but to accept even though I was not sure how I should handle this.  I believed that it was something important and I should make an effort to know my team members, and of course the boss, much better.  LaCroix suggested Taillevent-Robuchon, a French restaurant in Ebisu.  Yumiko indicated to me that I was in for a big surprise and a mind-blowing experience.  This was one of the most exclusive places in Tokyo and I better be ready for a good time.  

The restaurant was in the middle of a complex of tall buildings in the upscale Ebisu area.  The restaurant building was extremely unusual since it seemed that someone had lifted an old French chateau and just planted it in Tokyo.  Everything inside the restaurant looked as if it belonged in France and once inside it was hard to imagine that I was in Tokyo and not Paris.  LaCroix was as cordial and cultured as always.  He asked detailed questions about my family and I.  I was enjoying this special treatment, something that I had definitely not expected, especially during this trip. This was almost a miracle.  "If this is what I am experiencing even before starting to work, what would it be like to work full time," I thought.  

I was starting to feel pretty good by the time dessert was served.  The conversation over French wine had gone a lot longer.  I was feeling quiet relaxed and even feelings were starting to build inside me.  The candle-lights and the romantic voice of LaCroix were making me feel desires that I had not felt until this day.  For a moment, I just wanted to go right to LaCroix and give him a deep kiss.  It was hard for me to contain myself as I could feel my muscles tighten and eyes almost shut.  

LaCroix escorted me outside the restaurant and offered to drive me to Yumiko’s apartment or at least to the train station.  I settled into the passenger seat and as LaCroix stepped in from the other side, he asked me how I felt.  I responded, "I feel so good that I want to kiss you."   While LaCroix may have expected this to happen considering his romantic conversations, he was not prepared for such an open invitation.  Of course, he obliged and we both kissed deeply for several minutes.  When a car was ready to take our parking spot, LaCroix pulled out and started driving.  He dropped me at the entrance to the apartment and said that he would look forward to my return to Tokyo in two weeks.

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Yumiko was sad to hear from me that I had decided not to go to Tokyo after all.  She was also kind enough to speak to LaCroix on my behalf since I did not want to speak to him.  I guess there is no place like home or should I say Osaka!  

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