Tokyo Fiancee Page #2

---

Yes.

Automatic colored water.

Very fun.

To slim your face.

lt's the same like this.

Careful, it's my mother's.

This is my room.

Stendhal?

Stendhal is...

delicious?

Yes, that's the word. Bravo.

What's that?

My parents me gave a little tog.

My parents

gave me a little dog.

Yes.

l don't know...

Great collection of films.

Yes,

they're yakuza films.

All of them?

Yes, all of them.

And what's a yakuza film?

Rinri, please turn it off.

Sorry.

Let's do an activity-based lesson.

Yes.

-We could go for a walk.

-Yes.

-Where?

-Show me Tokyo.

Tokyo very big!

A spot.

A spot?

Show me a spot in Tokyo that you like.

ls it here?

Here.

Okay.

l like the...

How do you say?

Point of view.

Why do we formal "vous"?

Why do we use "vous"?

Because l'm your teacher.

May l ask you something?

Yes.

ls your father a yakuza?

No.

You want to see exhibition?

There's nothing here.

Yes there is!

lt's beautiful.

ls it a joke?

l don't know.

Rinri, show me more things that l don't see.

Tokyo.

Are you sure?

The view is impressive.

Your French is improving.

Thank you, mistress.

May l pick you up Thursday?

For a lesson?

Yes, a lesson.

And to show more Japan things.

And to show you more Japanese things.

My literary career was less successful

than my meteoric assimilation

into Japanese life.

l just needed patience.

Patience, patience in the blue air,

each atom of silence is

the chance of a ripe fruit.

Then came a period when French classes

morphed into a guided tour of Tokyo.

Rinri's Tokyo,

always somewhat baffling.

Here is old stadium.

Ever bring a girlfriend here?

l have no girlfriend.

l don't have a girlfriend.

l'm sorry.

Stop apologizing.

You're here to learn.

What's he doing?

Singing practice.

He sings over the trains.

Yes, so he does not disturb.

What do you want?

To speak French.

Yes, but later? l mean, in life.

-And you?

-Me?

l want to be a writer.

-Not Japanese?

-l am Japanese.

And you? Use a sentence.

l want my death to disturb

as little as possible.

He led me into a night-time Japan

that was stranger still.

More troubling, too.

l never knew what he thought.

He never commented.

He just showed me.

l loved it.

-Do you want to go home?

-No.

Simply water them a bit. These,

once a week, not too much.

That one's very fragile. Be careful.

You can remove dead leaves

if you see any. Okay?

lt's easy, there's almost nothing to do.

-Yes, l understand.

-Okay.

-Make yourself at home.

-Thanks.

-Don't forget my plants.

-No.

-Promise?

-l won't.

Bye!

Christine,

the Quebecer, right.

She's in Montreal for a month.

l'm looking after her place.

l can finally give lessons at home.

How's the apartment?

Not bad.

You'll see at Monday's class.

Monday far. Can l come tonight?

Yes.

l'll bring supper.

Are you moving in?

No, it's to cook.

Cook?

Do you like Swiss fondue?

Swiss fondue?

This way?

This process imitates perfectly

cheese strings, right?

Absolutely. lt's a tour de force.

Great, for plastic cheese.

No.

Tell me something, Rinri.

You're using "tu"?

Over a fondue like this, yes.

l'm sorry.

Stop apologizing all the time.

l'm...Sorry.

Wine?

Why?

What are you doing? lt's burning hot!

l'm playing.

Take it off. lt sticks!

Yes, that's what's fun.

Look, it's fun. Beautiful.

No!

lt really is plastic cheese.

Well,

alright.

Rinri?

Belgian custom requires the man

to leave before dawn.

The sun rose long ago.

l'm sorry.

Does Belgian custom allow us

to see each other again?

Yes, it does.

Tomorrow?

After my Japanese class.

"l've dreamed of it so long"

"A Japanese man has come along"

"l'm 20, and so is he.

Oh, oh! His name's Rinri"

"When in Tokyo l arrived"

"l was a caterpillar, but l did decide"

"l'd be a butterfly in the skies above.

lt's Japan that l love"

"All else is a drag, l love the Japanese flag"

"l love Japan, the sushi, the tatami"

"l love Japan. Spare me your scorn,"

"it's here l was born"

The next weeks

were spent between Japanese class

and my Japanese lover.

"My Japanese lover."

ln fact, there's no French word

for what l felt for Rinri.

The Japanese word "koi" came closest.

"Koi" can be translated

as both "carp" and "liking".

l totally dislike carp,

but l had a liking for Rinri.

His company was to my liking.

l was always happy with him,

but also without him.

Rinri's progress in French was astounding,

though the actual lessons had stopped.

But he took me ever further afield

to show me even more Japan things.

Where to?

You'll see.

What is it?

You'll see.

What are we waiting for?

You'll see.

ls it a drop-off?

A shakedown?

ls it for your dad?

Look, there's one!

What is it?

A dekotora.

-A deco-what?

-Dekotora.

You don't often get to see them.

There's another!

They're awesome!

You!

Now you!

You're so handsome.

Japanese women are prettier.

That's not true.

l'm glad you have bad taste.

l'm sorry.

Stop apologizing.

Tell me about Japanese girls.

Why?

l'm interested.

Japanese girls always worry if they're pretty.

Western girls too.

Why do you say that?

Because it's true.

ln their defense,

it can't be easy to be a woman in Japan.

lt's hard to be a man in Japan too.

You know nothing of Japan.

Rinri, what's wrong?

Amlie, how are my plants?

Your plants?

Ecstatic!

l'm glad. How's life in Tokyo?

Fine. l...

You're OK? Getting used to Japanese customs?

l don't always understand it all.

Amlie! Did you really think you ever will?

Yeah, you're right.

Do you plan to stay in Japan?

l'm not sure, maybe.

Something you should know.

Japanese men, Western women is a no-go.

Really?

ls that a law of nature?

Stop it. lt's my experience.

The other way, fine.

You see lots of gaijin with Japanese women.

But for guys here, we're too independent.

l think we frighten them.

Know what l mean?

Thanks for the tip.

You're welcome.

B*tch!

Leaving the bar, l lost Rinri

in the Shinjuku throng.

l don't know why, l suddenly felt unhappy.

Abandoned.

Ridiculous.

l wasn't going to prove Yasmine right.

Things weren't working. Not one bit.

Well, things weren't that bad.

Amlie?

l love you.

Keep going, it's beautiful.

Rinri?

Sure you're not a yakuza?

l don't care, really.

But are you sure?

l'm certain you have a tattoo.

l don't have a tattoo.

Out of arms' way.

lt's an untranslatable pun.

l'm part of a secret society.

What kind of society?

A secret one.

-A sect?

-No!

l'll tell you about it one day, but not now.

Why not now?

Because

it's a secret.

Amazing Rinri!

Unfortunately, Christine came back.

She even wanted her apartment back,

the nerve!

-Hello, Amlie.

-Hello, Rinri.

How is your state of health?

Excellent, and yours?

Excellent. ln that case,

would you like to see me?

My parents are away.

-Alright, why not?

-l need more French lessons.

Come on!

Don't move!

Don't move.

You're beautiful, so beautiful.

You never take pictures.

You're not very Japanese.

l'm a samurai.

Samurai never take pictures.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes