Chapter 22

“Does Canberra shut down for a week at Easter?” Patrick asked.

“Probably, but I’m not sure. My dad would know. I owe them a call, anyway. What time is it?”

“A bit after ten.”

“They’ll be up, even if it’s Saturday.” It was a half hour before Rachel emerged from the bedroom where she’d been chatting.

“Everything’s closed from Wednesday the 12^th through Monday the 17^th. But a lot of the government offices are shut down for all of the two weeks,” she reported. “But the big news is that Al’s got a new girlfriend! And mum says it appears to be serious.”

“Well, he’s not told us anything. What did Michiko say?”

“Her name is Sayuri. She’s a Japanese student at the Macquarie Centre. They’ve not met her, yet.” [“The Centre promotes ‘Intercultural Language Learning’, in support of the current direction of language teaching in Australian schools...”]

“What does that mean?”

“Sayuri? Lily. Anyway, Al volunteered to mentor a new student ... he did that last year, too. Anyway, Sayuri apparently picked him because his profile said he was half-Japanese. And they’ve been together in some sense for over a month.”

“I guess he’s growing up ... or at least settling down. You should call him. See whether we can take them out for dinner. If everything’s closed, certainly the politicians won’t be active until the 26^th. Anzac Day is the 25^th They’ll be ‘attending their constituents’ concerns’ – that sort of thing.”

“I’ll call Al.”

“OK. I need to think through all this stuff.”

Yet later, Rachel said: “Al suggested the eighth. That’s a Saturday.”

“Fine. Eat in?”

“I don’t think so. I’m not clear on how Australianized Sayuri is. I thought we might go to Azuma in Chiffley. I’ll call for a booking.”

“Wonderful. Something else I don’t have to think about!”

The week passed quickly. Patrick paid another visit to the Tobin Centre on Tuesday.

Rachel had extended the dinner group, as a surprise for Patrick. When they arrived at Azuma, six were awaiting them: Gordy and Winnie, Henry and Sarah, and Al and Sayuri. “tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu, Patrick-san,” was her greeting.

“She said, ‘happy birthday’,” Rachel translated.

“Dōmo arigatō, Sayuri,” Patrick responded. “See, after more than 20 years I’ve acquired some Japanese!”

Everyone laughed as Patrick went around the table, shaking hands, giving his sister a kiss and bowing to Sayuri.

[The proper way to say “happy birthday“ in Japanese is “tanjoubi omedetou“ or “tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu,” but which of the two depends on to whom you are speaking. Sayuri is employing the more formal form.]

When they were all seated, Patrick remarked: “I’m really quite overwhelmed. Not only is this unexpected, but who would have believed this unruly group could keep a secret?”

Everyone laughed. “You got to give your Number One spouse all the credit,” Gordy responded.

“‘Number one spouse’? Who could manage more?”

“‘Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same.’ Oscar Wilde said,” Henry offered.

A waiter had been filling tine cups with sake. Rachel lifted hers and said: “Kampai!“ and drank it down. She was echoed around the table.

“I trust everyone knows my birthday isn’t for another week or so,” Patrick remarked.

“I remember it very well,” his father responded. “But you insisted on being born on Easter Sunday and that makes celebrations tough. Today, Lazarus in the Eastern Orthodox church, is the last suitable date until the Tuesday after Easter.”

“Lazarus?”

“According to John, Christ raised the dead Lazarus in Bethany on the Saturday before Palm Sunday. It’s, of course, the precursor of Christ’s reincarnation and rising a week later.”

“Another instance of myth duplication,” added Henry.

“Of course. That’s the way things work. In Japanese, Izanami is goddess of both creation and death,” Sayuri added.

A waiter placed bowls of soup on the table.

“I’ve taken the liberty of pre-ordering,” said Rachel. No one demurred.

“Am I the only one who’s not a mythomaniac?” Al inquired.

“I’m not either,” Sarah said. “It’s the curse of the younger sibling.”

“Are you OK, Winnie?” Patrick asked.

“Oh, yes. I’ve been thinking what an interesting family this is.”

“A very extended family,” Henry noted.

“And I’m yet less part of the family than you,” added Sayuri. “You have known Gordy-san for thirty years. I have known Al for somewhat more than that number of days.”

The conversation was varied and participatory through the meal, which was a superb formal feast. Rachel, it turned out, had arranged everything: Sarah’s and Henry’s flights from Adelaide, included.

“We flew in this morning and we’re flying back tomorrow!” Sarah said. “Henry missed no work and I missed no classes.”

“I was just exemplifying my name.”

“What’s that?” asked Winnie.

“‘Rachel’ means ‘ewe’ in Hebrew.”

“Well, I hope you’re not going to die in childbirth!” said Patrick.

“Me, too. But I suppose two sons would be OK.”

“By the way, when will I become a grandfather?”

“Within three years,” said Rachel; “Not soon!” said Sarah.

“Well, I’ll have settle for that.” Gordy looked about. “Is there a bit more of that plum wine? It was delicious.”

Winnie and Henry began a side chat about on-going and future shows in Adelaide and at the Gallery. Patrick asked about Sarah’s re-re-initiation into studies.

“I think I’m more settled into it now,” was her response. “Henry calms me down.”

The party broke up around 2200. Sarah and Henry were staying at the Stamford Plaza at the airport; Gordy offered to escort Winnie back to her condo; and Al and Sayuri remained with Patrick and Rachel.

“I hope we’ll see more of you,” Rachel said to Sayuri.

“That will depend on your brother.”

“Oh. I think much will depend upon you. Have you seen much of Sydney?”

“Not yet. I have spent most of my time in and near the university – I mean Macquarie, not one of the others.”

“What are you interested in?”

“Didn’t Al tell you? I want to work in cross-cultural studies.”

“Could you meet me downtown for lunch? I would like to take you to the Art Gallery.”