Mr. Aikawa's car reeked of cologne, the kind big business people would have. The car itself seemed to be the latest model. It was slick and quiet as it drove through the light traffic street. When they stopped at a red light, Mr. Aikawa fiddled with the radio until he found one that seemed to play jazz music. Mei was reminded of the band back in the coffee shop Isaac worked in or the last black and white spy thriller she watched as a kid.
"I remember this one!" Mei unwittingly said, sinking deeper into the seat feeling as though her efforts of engaging in conversation had failed drastically.
Even back then, Mei's visits were almost daily and Isaac's father was seldom home. She remembered how she and Isaac would raid his father's study room for interesting goodies. They would have to sneak past Aaron when doing so but they often found success in finding the coolest things to play within the room.
"Isaac and I, we used to play a lot in your study. We found some old cassette tapes and a walkman. We would listen to each song whenever Isaac wanted a break from painting. Sometimes even Aaron would join in and he–" Mei was interrupted by the car suddenly swerving from its initial leisurely course.
"S-sorry about that, Mei. I kind of spaced out there." She had discomfort written all over her face as Mr. Aikawa explained.
"Did we talk with Sasha and Isaac?" Mr. Aikawa asked Mei who decided it was best to stay silent up until that point.
"Y-yes! I mean, yes we did." Mei responded.
"And how much did they tell you?" Mr. Aikawa asked again, this time in a softer and gentler voice but a deep one nonetheless.
Mei recalled every topic she discussed earlier to Mr. Aikawa. He knew that Mei had started journalism through Ms. Aikawa's stories from Isaac and expected Mei's approach in recapping comparable to news reporters he watched at the nighttime news. But Mei's voice seemed to hint at genuine care and love. He had never been around home much when she and Isaac were children, so had little to know about Mei Ohara as a person.
"Sasha… She always spoke highly of you. I didn't notice until now but, thank you for being there for my family." Mr. Aikawa smiled to himself.
"Mr. Aikawa… Is there something bothering Isaac?" Mei asked.
"In truth, by the time you came along and he developed his love for drawing and painting, I was rarely around to see him. Work was too much but Sasha always showed me his works though, he would often draw one of the family and landscapes. Even if I wasn't there, I knew they had a great time together, until…" Mr. Aikawa trailed off, the expression on his face fading.
"Mr. Aikawa… I asked Ms. Aikawa and Isaac for their permission on a story about them but I'd like to get to know details about you as well." Mei explained, burying her fingers into the fabrics of the car seat. Mr. Aikawa gripped the steering wheel harder as they were once again stuck under a red light.
"I. wanted to ask… Mr. Aikawa… Why did you leave your family?" Mei asked.
The car grew silent. Mei relaxed back into her seat as she could no longer see Mr. Aikawa's face through the rearview mirror. She felt disgusted at herself for asking the question because of her relations with the family but her being a journalist and promising to deliver the best story she could, she had to ask. What followed was pure silence for the entire trip. Mei had let the question simmer and waited intently for a response that never came.
They eventually reach Mei's place. They stop at the front gates and Mei waited for a few seconds, in case Mr. Aikawa would answer her. He placed his sleeve by the car window and turned his head away. Mei decided to let it go for the meantime and exit the vehicle.
"Aaron." Mr. Aikawa said as Mei exited the car.
"Ask Isaac about Aaron." Mei nodded in response. She closed the door and the car drove away. The rain had seemed to stop a while ago but patches of water were all around the streets.
"Huh, it's clean for once," Mei said, looking at her surroundings.
Mei had her story, all she needed to do was put in the work and make it the best one she promised it would be. But this was different for her. It involved people she cared for, people she considered family. One wrong word, wrong tone, or false info could lead to a great many things happening. She was determined like with any one of her stories, but what came with it now was the feeling of happiness and fear. Happy that Isaac was back in her life, but fear of the details still being kept from her.
~~~
"Okay Syd, tell me again why are we going to Isaac's place for our Saturday date?" Rikki asked.
"BECAUSE Mei had to go finish her story with his mom. And she said that Isaac stopped visiting her for some time now so we're going to check up on him." Sydney said as she dragged Rikki by the ear towards Isaac's place.
They arrived at a building composed of layers of studio-type apartments. There were only four rooms per floor and each room was very well separated. The place was only a short walk from Mei's but the neighborhood seemed leagues worse than the one they came from.
"Uhm… Are you sure this is the type of place a painter would do their work in? It seems… horrible." Rikki said, pointing to the cats fighting for bits of food in the trash.
"Well this was the address Mei gave us so…" Sydney was cut off by a loud banging noise that came from the third floor of the building.
"Yeah, we for sure got the wrong address, Syd. Let's go back to the car." Rikki's desperate attempt to leave was beaten by Sydney's curiosity. The two went up to the third floor and saw that the noise came from a room with the name 'Aikawa' on the front door. Rikki knocked on the door three times while calling for Isaac. The door creaked open after the third knock.
"You know if it was night time I'd be halfway across the block right now screaming my ass off." Rikki sarcastically added as Sydney pushed him into the room. They were greeted by a dark narrow hallway with the sink on the right filled with unclean dishes. The only signs of life were the shoes that were still wet from last night's rain and the noise they heard earlier.
"Geez, look at the living room. Why are all his clothes just scattered around? Isn't this a bit cliché?" Rikki said as he opened the lights and maneuvered across the messy room to what he assumed was the bedroom. He opened the door and switched on the lights, to his surprise it was cleaner than the room before it, almost as if it had not been touched at all. Rikki noticed that dust started to settle on top of desks and even the bed itself.
"Rikki! Rikki came here!" Sydney whispered loudly from the living room.
"I think there's someone in that room." Sydney pointed to the corner where a room had its door slightly ajar. The light from the living room grew weaker by the second and all that guided the two was the tiny strand of light coming from the room of interest.
"We both know it's Isaac in there, right?" Rikki asked Sydney who was already by the door.
Just then, groans and frustrated voices came from the room. The two looked at each other and nodded, then proceeded to enter the room at the same time. What welcomed them was almost like a horror film. The walls were plastered with all kinds of paint but mostly had paintings depicting different people and places hung on them. The floor was covered with old newspapers that seemed old and the other wet as the smallest movement ripped them apart. At the center of the room was a canvas and its contents were indescribable. Opposite the canvas was a white fabric chair that seemed dated. It had a few spots with paint on it but it can be seen as the cleanest thing in the room. And sitting on it was Isaac, tired and out of breath.
"Isaac! What happened here?" Rikki rushed to his side and asked.
"Can't… Think… Too… Careless…" Isaac muttered, barely awake.
Sydney walked over in front of Isaac and leaned towards him, "Well we got no time for that! Get your ass in the bath because we're going on a trip mister!" Her angry expression turned into an innocent smile. Isaac was suddenly brought back to life with that, much to Rikki's amusement.
"Oh Rikki, make sure to pick up the trash around here. I'll get his bath ready then you and I are gonna do some cleaning up." Sydney said before leaving the room. Rikki responds with a pout and Isaac points at him laughing.
"Dude, for real, you reek," Rikki added.