Rachael called everyone for an afternoon tea.

"just for a catch-up," she said, "since we all happen to be in town."

Sophia okayed it. she did not live in Tokyo anymore: she moved back two years ago. but she desperately needed a chance to escape from her husband, kid, and her mother, in a nice way. she suggested the venue- a posh restaurant on the 46th floor of a posh hotel, with marble fireplaces, Pampa Mariposa butterfly chairs, and her favorite ceiling-to-floor windows that looking over the harbor, one lush imperial garden, and gray tofu blocks, black dots of human beings.

Late that night, Sophia told her husband that she will fly to Tokyo for a meeting with the international partners.

"how long?"

forever. "the whole weekend, until Tue."

"okay. Tokyo... um... my mother wants that eye cream, and Lala really wants that pink ballerina backpack, it's a limited edition, and she is upset that Lisa shows it off."

"Which brand of the eye cream?"

"um, I don't know, the one she has always asked and you have always brought?"

"I don't remember, it has been two years"

suddenly an awkward silence seized them- they both remembered what brought her back then.

the thing called marriage.

and it saved them this time too- no need to feel apologetic- just got into bed and slept, until the alarm clock scream tomorrow in.

it was not until the next day at noon when her assistant booked the reservation for a table of three, that Sophia realized the really important question: why was Ily in Tokyo?