Chapter 7
I walked downstairs and was heading to the front desk to
tell Miwako what happened last night when I heard voices. I should probably
listen in, I thought.
“The strange sounds, and the pounding, and the screaming
at all hours of the night – waking up my family, scaring the children half to
death. If you ask me this ryokan needs to be closed down immediately!” shouted
one of the guests. She looked a lot like Helena from my case in Italy… must
have just been a coincidence.
“I’m very sorry,” said Miwako.
“Sorry
changes nothing! This is unacceptable! I want my money back, and I want a car
sent immediately to take us… anywhere else!” said the guest as she walked away.
Poor Miwako… I decided to go and talk to her.
“Oh, hello Nancy-san,” she greeted me politely.
“That guest seemed pretty upset,” I noted.
“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. Trust me. I see a lot
at this desk, and one thing never changes: travel is disorienting. It’s so easy to get upset when you’re far
away from home. That’s why we try to make things as comfortable as possible,”
she told me.
I got the feeling that trying to make Miwako feel better
would only make things worse…
“I tore one of the screens in my room, I’m really sorry,”
I told her.
“Do not worry, Nancy-san. This happens often. Very easy
to fix, just a little steam to soften the glue. I’ll have Rentaro take care of
it immediately.”
“Great, thanks,” I said, relieved, “ When I tore the
screen, I thought I saw somebody on my balcony.”
“Right, it’s nothing to worry about. The screens really
distort things sometimes. I’m sure it was just your imagination,” she said. She
sounded like she was trying to reassure herself more than me…
“Maybe your right.”
“I’m sure of it. There’s nothing to worry about.”
I decided that since I was there I would ask Miwako a few
questions.
“What has been scaring the guests away?”
“Oh, nothing. They’re not scared… it’s something else.
Can I help you with anything?”
“What is a ryokan?”
“A ryokan is almost exactly like a hotel or spa – but far
more traditional. This ryokan has been in my family for generations. Passed
down from mother to oldest daughter in order to preserve the tradition style,
the food, and the caretaking. Every little detail is as it would have been
generations ago,” She told me.
“How long has the ryokan been in your family?”
“A very long time, my grandmother says it has been passed
down since the early 1700’s.”
“So one day you’ll pass this place on to your daughter?
That must be very nice.”
“Well… I’m the younger daughter. My older sister Yumi
will be the one to take over the ryokan.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling kind of bad for mentioning it, it obviously made her sad.
“My grandmother is offering a few classes in traditional
arts. She’s in room 18 at the end of the hall.”
“I met Rentaro, who is he exactly?”
“Oh, Rentaro, he’s my boyfriend. He’s also handyman
around here.”
“Have you two been dating long?”
“I’m sorry, I really should get back to my paperwork. But
if you have any questions about the ryokan, please don’t hesitate to ask,” She
told me, apparently I had hit a nerve.
We both said goodbye and I left. I hadn’t gotten very
much from that conversation but I did learn a little bit about Yumi. I planned on
going to meet Yumi next. After hearing what she was like from Bess and George,
I couldn’t wait to meet her!
Since this weeks chapter was a mistake I thought I would finally throw this pic out there, even thought this chapter wasn't funny... *crickets*
No comments:
Post a Comment