Cajun Justice(71)

The world took on a different form. The sky seemed a brighter blue, the grass beneath his feet softer, the air fresher, and the flowers smelled sweeter. And more importantly, Cain’s connection with Umiko was deeper, and his fondness for her continued to grow. The two made sure to sit across from each other during the retreat’s breakfast.

“No wonder everyone is so thin and fit in Japan,” Cain commented to Umiko.

“Because of our diet?”

“Diet is certainly an appropriate word to use here. This has gotta be a first for me—grilled fish on a bed of lettuce for breakfast!”

“What do you normally eat for breakfast?”

“I enjoy cooking, so if I have time, I make a vegetable omelet with bacon. Or, if I’m feeling homesick, I’ll fry beignets.”

“Mm, that sounds delicious. I’ve only seen beignets on television.”

“Oh, they are.” He smiled mischievously. “But don’t take my word for it. I’ll cook for you sometime and you can be the judge.”

“Okay,” Umiko replied. “I will be the judge. But I must warn you: I’m very fair.”

As they were grabbing their belongings in preparation for jumping on the bus and heading back to Yokohama, the monks wandered through the gathering to return the cell phones. Cain grabbed his and looked into the monk’s eyes. They were the same eyes he’d peered into the day before, when he had awakened on the floor.

Cain rested his arms by his side and very slowly bowed. “Domo arigato gozaimasu.”

The monk returned the bow.

“I will never forget you,” Cain said. “You’ve given me something I haven’t had in a very long time: forgiveness.”

“The great Buddha reminds us,” the monk said, “that to have anger is like holding a hot piece of coal to throw at another person. But whoever is holding the hot coal is the one who gets burned. Leave the coal here with nature.”

“I have,” Cain replied, and bowed again.

“Hai,” the monk said as he nodded his head. “Go in peace.”

Cain bowed again and then took his seat on the bus and powered on his phone. The Zen temple grounds were far from the city, so his phone searched for a cell tower. When the bus was on the main road, Cain’s phone chimed and he saw that he’d gotten a voicemail from Bonnie.

“Oh, this is fantastic news,” he said to Umiko. “My sister called. This means she most likely wants to bury the hatchet.”

“Bury the what?”

“The hatchet. You know: like an ax. It’s an expression. Maybe she wants to make up for the fight we had at the Angel Cloud. Even if she doesn’t, I’ll smooth things over with her. This retreat has been life-changing for me. It’s given me a new take on life. And the fact that Bonnie is calling is just lagniappe.”

“Lagniappe?”

Cain laughed. “That’s a Louisiana word for something extra—like icing on the cake. I’ll make lunch plans so we can all get together next weekend.”

“That will be nice. I look forward to meeting her.”

“It’ll be great. We’ll go out to that famous city you’re always talking so fondly about. Kama…Kama…”

“Kura,” Umiko said.

“Kamakura! That’s it,” Cain said.

Umiko’s smile took up her whole face.

Cain’s voicemail finally connected. “You have one message,” the automated voice announced. “Saturday, 9:57 p.m.” Cain put a finger in his opposite ear so he could hear the message. “Cain, why aren’t you answering?” Bonnie’s voice sounded worried. “I think I’m being followed. It’s dark, so I’m not sure, but I think it might be one of those guys you fought at the Angel Cloud. He’s got a limp. Call me back as soon as you get this. I’m almost home now.”

Cain turned to Umiko. “Something’s wrong!”

“What?” Umiko said, surprised.

Cain redialed Bonnie’s number several times. The calls went straight to her voicemail.

“Umi, please call this number and see if you can get through.” He waited impatiently as Umiko powered up her phone and dialed Bonnie’s number.

“It’s a Japanese recording. It says the voicemail is full.”

“Bonnie’s in trouble. Tell the driver to go faster.”

Umiko stood to address the driver. “Sumimasen,” she said with a short bow.

The bus driver raised his voice to be heard over the hum of the engine and said something back to her in hurried Japanese.

Umiko quickly sat back down, and all her friends looked at her. “He asked me to please not stand while the bus is in motion.”

“Good grief,” Cain scoffed while shaking his head. “I’m going to call Tanaka-san. He should be able to shoot over to Bonnie’s apartment and wait there until I get there.”

“How is the retreat?” Tanaka asked when he answered the phone. “Did they make you climb Mount Fuji?”

“Are you in Tokyo?” Cain was speaking quickly. “Could you get to Bonnie’s apartment as soon as possible?”

“I’m at my aero club—not too far away. What’s wrong?”

“I think Bonnie is in trouble. She left me a voicemail. She said one of the guys from the bar the other night was following her.”