Roses and Regrets

Roses and Regrets

Chapter 1

Elizabeth Carter pushed her glasses up on her nose. She leaned against the wall trying to look a little less conspicuous. Not for the first time since getting off the plane did she feel like Gulliver in the land of the Lilliputians. At five ten, she towered over most of the people who were too polite to comment on it. She had forgotten how short Japanese people tended to be. Even though her mother was only five three, Beth didn't really relate it to her people as a whole.

She had gotten her height from her father. He had been an American businessman who fell in love and asked his 'lotus blossom' to marry him and move to Texas. She had agreed and now Beth was staring at the other side of her heritage with apprehension.

The airport looked a lot like the one at home. Beth shook her head. It wasn't home now. After her father's death, her mother couldn't stand to be in the States anymore. Her mother had broken the news just days ago that they would be returning to her mother's land of birth. So now she stood in the middle of Narita International Airport on the outskirts of Tokyo waiting for her bags.

Her mother had sent her ahead while she took care of the sale of the house and shipping their belongings. The sign lit up that the bags from her flight were arriving in the claim area. She pulled her small overnight bag off the conveyor and watched for her larger bag.

A hand appeared on her shoulder and she turned to see her uncle. She launched into his arms. "Yukimura san!" He hugged her tightly. "It is good to see you, Beth. I wish it were under better circumstances." She managed a small smile. He had not changed much over the years, but then she had observed that the Japanese people aged more gracefully than many others.

It had been two months since the funeral. Her mother's sister and her family had not been able to attend. "Where are my aunt and cousin?" "They are running the shop today. I wanted to be the one to pick you up." She hugged him again and then made a lunge for her other bag as it went by. He reached past her to grab it and wordlessly picked up her other one as well.

He put her bags in the trunk and unlocked the door for her. She had not been here in several years, but she remembered it was a long drive. She had kept up correspondence with her cousin, but the letters and emails had been infrequent. "Mom says that Keiko and that idiot she used to hang around with are engaged." Her uncle laughed. "You'll learn to like Yusuke. He grows on you."

Beth crossed her arms and looked at the passing scenery. She doubted anything would 'grow on her'. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to be at home, with her friends, her job, her mom, her …father.

Tears she thought she had conquered threatened to spill from her hazel eyes. She raked a hand carelessly through her long light brown hair. It refused to do anything but hang. It's weight was such that it wouldn't curl, and it slipped free of any restraint she tried to tame it with. She had thought many times about cutting it, but her father had always loved it, so she let it grow. He would always pet her hair whenever she needed comfort. There was no one to pet her hair now, when she needed the comfort the most.

So many things reminded her of her father. She rolled down the window to get some air. The car was suddenly too cramped. Her uncle squeezed her hand. "It will be alright, Beth. You'll get through this." She nodded, still too close to tears to trust herself to speak.

It was dark by the time they reached the shop. The Yukimuras lived above it. Her uncle pulled up in front and got out to get her bags. The shop was closed but the lights were on. Her aunt and Keiko came running out to greet her. They had been waiting for them. She was folded into her aunt's arms and Keiko joined her mother in the hug.

She looked at Keiko as her aunt put food on the table in front of her. The girl was pretty, but a good eight inches shorter than Beth. She remembered being closer in height to her the last time she'd been here. But then they had only been ten years old. It was amazing what changes could occur in ten years.

Keiko had long brown hair, a little darker than Beth's and big brown eyes unobstructed by glasses. She had the kind of eyes that a man could drown in. The kind that could plead and beg without a word being said. And some love struck idiot would give her anything she asked for. Beth pushed her glasses up on her nose.

Beth sat down on the bed and took in her surroundings. This would be her room until her mother settled the estate and joined her here. It wasn't too big, it wasn't too small. She giggled. The sound echoed in the room. She forced back the image of Goldilocks that had taken root in her mind. She chalked it up to the time difference. She yawned and curled up on the bed. She didn't bother with her clothes. She just wanted to close her eyes for a minute.

Strange thoughts seemed to come from nowhere these days. There were days she thought she had lost her mind. And then there were the nightmares…

To be continued….