Excerpt: Foreign Leaves

It was the end of the summer season, as cold winds bit through heavy coats and twisted scarves in endless dances, and dried leaves fell like rain, rustling against each other as they raced on the wind to reach their destination, having finally been set free for the end of their lives. It was saddening, to have only achieved freedom in those last few hours, but perhaps better to have had it than never tasted the sweet experience at all.

That was how she liked to think of it, at least. Optimism that the once-living things went out with a bang, rather than simply withering and waiting on the ground for her boots to come down upon them and release that exquisite little crunch. She couldn’t deny that it was one of her favorite parts of this time of year, fully making up for the chill in her bones. She even occasionally went out of her way to step on fallen leaves that looked like they would have the perfect crunch, and more than once she’d barreled right into someone walking on the same path. She’d gotten very proficient in quick apologies paired with sincere expressions. It would be a good skill to have in the coming months.

Untying the belt around the waist of her coat, the buttons were quickly undone so the coat could fall open, letting the biting cold air cool her overheated body. It never failed that the city’s public transportation would make great use of its heating systems, resulting in the entire train smelling of sweaty bodies pressed too closely together in limited space. She always felt like a bird released from a cage after her thirty minute ride.

Crunch. She smiled at the sound and the bounce returned to her step as her cheeks reddened from the frosty air.

Hefting her satchel higher on her shoulder, she hurried past the neighbors out taking down decorations, the witches and cobwebs from the previous day’s Halloween activities now being traded for pilgrims and turkeys, or, gods forbid, Christmas trees. It had always been her firm belief that each holiday should be given its fair share of time for celebration and she was irked when every year the Halloween displays seemed to lose more and more shelf space in stores to the Christmas ones that came out earlier and earlier. The jolly man in red got enough good PR without having to conquer the other end of the year holidays.

She hurried not because she didn’t like her neighbors – there were a few she even rather adored – but because there would only be more questions and teary goodbyes. She had three days left before the move and needed every second to finish getting things ready. She’d already wasted enough time with all the going away parties thrown by co-workers, friends, and family, which had been her reason for heading into the city proper that morning. Now the sun was setting and she was just arriving home, armed with a bag full of packing tape and giant Sharpies, as well as an edible treat for the wonderful fiancé who had been doing all the work that day. Perhaps a box of his favorite chocolate covered coffee beans would soothe his packing frustrations and keep her from feeling the wrath of Jon while being forced to tape up boxes for hours. Well, she’d probably still have to take boxes, but the wrath would be significantly less, at least.

Her lawn was in desperate need of being mowed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done it, but she imagined that it wouldn’t get done in the next three days either and she’d have to bribe her brother into driving out with his little mower after they’d left. He probably wouldn’t be too thrilled at the idea, but little sister leaving the country had to qualify her for a few extra perks. The lack of decorations had been a source of depression all week, though; Halloween was one of her favorite holidays, and she’d had to settle for simply dressing the part, since decorations were best boxed up and stored in her parents’ basement until they were settled and had a bit of extra money to cover the shipping costs.

The sign on the front door made her laugh as she fumbled with her keys, finally finding the right one and entering the quiet house. 'Don’t forget to take off your shoes!' It was her own handwriting, a happy reminder of the custom they’d been practicing for the past month to help prepare Jon for the culture shock; he’d never been to Japan, and they figured it was best not to suffer any big social no-no’s during the first weeks there. They didn’t want to end up being thought of as typical Americans, after all – that tended to be a bad thing in foreign countries.

“Tadaima~,” she called as she stepped into the little entry hall, toeing off her shoes and sliding into the slippers waiting there for her. Jon’s shoes were still there and his own slippers missing, so he had to be somewhere in the house. Yet there was no reply to her call of return. She frowned a little and moved into the living room, navigating around the towers of boxes to set her bags on the low table in front of the couch. “Jon? Are you home?”

Still no reply. She hoped he hadn’t been buried until an avalanche of boxes… and suddenly she was worried about just that possibility. Her cautious steps took her to the kitchen doorway and she peered inside. “…Jon?” Where the hell was—

“Okaeri,” came the whisper in her ear as warm arms snaked around her waist and pulled her close. She felt a nose nuzzle behind her ear before soft lips pressed against the spot. Ah, Jon. Ever the affectionate one.

Turning to slip her arms around his neck, she smiled up at the man who was a good four inches taller than her. “Your accent’s getting pretty good,” she told him truthfully, paying him the compliment that was due. He’d been working hard. “Must be all those hours holed up with Takeshi.” She narrowed her eyes at him playfully and tilted her head. “Is there something I should know?”

Jon took a deep breath and was suddenly all mock seriousness, his eyes sparkling with suppressed laughter as he spoke. “Sam, I’m sorry. I just can’t hide it anymore. Takeshi and I are deeply and madly in love and we’ve decided to elope. He’s upstairs now, hiding in my suitcase.” She could tell he was trying very hard not to crack up on the spot. Just the thought of their very small Asian friend crammed into one of their suitcases was enough to force Sam herself into a fit of giggles.