A small French city. A park near Tokyo. The Czech countryside. London at night. Lost loves and found loves. Fear and courage. Reflections. Rejections. Reconciliations. Romance.
These interconnected stories follow the adventures of Brian, Ondrej, Yuji, Jason, and others as they navigate the tumultuous path of life and love.
EXCERPT FROM "Shin-Kiba Park"
The train that pulled in immediately after Yuji’s departed was even more crowded. Brian pushed his way from the door to the farthest corner on the left side, where it seemed he’d at least not be fighting with those trying to get on and off. He leaned against the wall, awkwardly positioning his feet to avoid stepping on shopping bags a woman had inconsiderately spread on the floor around her.
Above the door there was a system map in small type. Brian squinted as he tried to decipher it, but it just wasn’t possible to read from this distance. Though he dreaded it, for fear he’d be drawing attention to himself, he slid his backpack off his shoulder and pulled his tourist map from the front pocket. A man next to him turned and stared, not so much annoyed as shocked that anyone would be trying to carry on any activity in such constrained circumstances.
Brian found the area Yuji had pointed out. Though Shin-Kiba Station was listed, the area surrounding it was cut off at the edge, so there was no indication of what might be there. Could this be where Yuji lived? Was that what he was trying to communicate to Brian? If Brian were to follow his instinct, he would get off at the next stop and take a train back to Ginza. But then, wasn’t it instinct that had made him go to the travel bureau in Tours and buy a one-way ticket to Tokyo?
He unzipped the front pocket of his backpack and dropped the map inside. The man didn’t turn this time. Regardless, Brian tugged cautiously at the zipper to make as little noise as possible. Before he had zipped it completely, he caught sight of the tattered envelope he’d carried for weeks. His name was written on it, in red ink, in Ondřej’s stylish writing with that oversized “B” that always characterized a letter or note or card from Ondřej. Brian had stuffed all of his communications from Ondřej into his backpack before he’d left Tours. The envelope contained a picture, which Brian slid out. It was one of only a few pictures where Brian thought he looked good. He considered this one the best, because of how happy he looked, how relaxed and surprisingly handsome. He also liked the way that he and Ondřej were leaning so close together at the outdoor café table, their heads touching, Ondřej smiling just as brightly as Brian was.
Brian quickly slid the picture back into the envelope and tugged at the zipper again. It happened this way each time he looked at this picture -- the initial elation followed by dread as his brain filled with conflicting thoughts and images and he questioned again and again what exactly he was doing here.
He looked at his distorted reflection in the train window. It bore no resemblance to the image in the photo.
Deep down Brian knew his meeting Yuji was just a chance, random encounter. He’d merely sought shelter from the rain earlier that morning, ducking into the department store in Ginza. The humidity made him perspire, and a breeze had blown his hair all over. He hadn’t felt particularly attractive. It didn’t help that gay Japanese men didn’t seem comfortable with foreigners, gaijin. That’s why when Yuji looked him in the eyes, with that intensity he’d seen so few times, Brian followed him. It’s why he now sat on a train entering Shin-Kiba Station, a place not mentioned in his guide book, an area that seemed so far removed from the vibe of Tokyo that he had the uneasy feeling he didn’t belong here. It seemed a place for residents only. He was clearly intruding.
After the train stopped, and he stepped off, he hung back against the far wall of the station, waiting for the crowd to thin out. He was growing tired of the crowds. He’d been awash in people for the last several days. Had Yuji really been trying to indicate they should meet here? Maybe he was around the station, waiting.
Though late on a November afternoon, the air was surprisingly warm, with an occasional breeze producing a slight chill. And despite the car exhaust drifting up from the street level below, Brian stood there breathing deeply, waiting a few minutes before venturing out of the station into unexplored territory. To whatever Shin-Kiba Park was supposed to hold for him. “A place for ... us,” Yuji had said.
But whatever that meant, Brian felt he shouldn’t be here. Though the question remained: where exactly should he be?
