　　　Having Raymond carry her soft drink, Lisa came to Takano-san’s table, and took a seat, sandwiching me between him and herself.

　　　“Well, what should we talk about first, Takano-san?” Lisa grinned teasingly. “You surely are ready to answer any question I’ll make, aren’t you?”

　　　“I don’t know.” He retuned his uncertain smile to Lisa.

　　　“Let me see... For a start...” She stared at him for a long moment, and went on. “I’d like to know where you got such splendid suntan. ..Not in Japan, I suppose?”

　　　“Of course, not. Then, guess where, Lisa.”

　　　“I’m the one who asks questions. Not you, Takano-san.”

　　　“All right. ..In Cebú.”

　　　“Cebú? Really?” Lisa exaggerated her surprise. She did not say, however, that he should not have traveled to such a place without informing her of his intention beforehand. Instead, she made her second question to him, with her face being filled with huge curiosity. “May I ask you why the heck you were in such a remote place? ..Not just for sightseeing, I guess. Or was it?”

　　　“It will take a long time, Lisa, to explain why, if I once started it.”

　　　“I don’t care no matter how long it takes, Takano-san. Even if you can’t finish your whole story today, I still can hear the rest of it tomorrow. ..But, then, let me change my question to you like this: ‘Where in Cebú did you get such suntan?’”

　　　“Thank goodness. That’s a much easier question to answer, Lisa. I got this suntan at Tambli Beach Resort Hotel in the small island of Mactan, right next to Cebú’s main island. I enjoyed sunbathing there for a few days.”

　　　“I see.” Lisa nodded deeply to herself. “My next question, however, may not be that easy to answer, Takano-san.” She grinned mysteriously. “With whom?”

　　　　　　　　　　-----

　　　That was totally an unexpected question to me. ..‘Takano-san was somewhere with someone whom we don’t know?’

　　　Well, Lisa must have been trying to keep enjoying her witty conversation with him, I believed. She must have had no true suspicion like that.

　　　Nevertheless, my mind was unsettled.

　　　Takano-san looked taken aback by such a question, much more than I was. He could not reply anything to Lisa momentarily.

　　　“Wow, did you see his hesitation, Trina?” Lisa said gleefully, pointing her index finger at Takano-san’s face. “He wasn’t alone! Oh, my goodness.”

　　　“Sandali lamang (Just a moment), Lisa!” Takano-san’s face was flushed. “I was alone there. ..All alone. Nobody was with me. Well, I said moments ago that I had enjoyed sunbathing there, but... Yes, I actually did it, but, to tell you the truth, Lisa, it wasn’t like ‘I enjoyed’ at all. Instead...”

　　　“Honto kana (Is he telling us the truth)?” Having turned her face from Takano-san to me, Lisa made an inflated suspicious look. “What do you think, Trina?”

　　　I could not respond to Lisa. All I could was to ask Takano-san, imitating Lisa’s tone, “Honto kana (Are you telling us the truth)?”

　　　He answered to Lisa, “Honto datte (I’m telling you the truth). I swear.”

　　　　　　　　　　-----

　　　“Irasshai mase!” There came Edgardo’s shout again.

　　　Almost reflectingly, Lisa jumped up from her seat. Takano-san extended his hand toward his cigarette pack on the table. I grabbed my own disposable gas lighter being placed in front of me, vaguely realizing Takano-san and I were going to be left alone again, at least, for a while.

　　　Lisa hesitated, standing. Noticing her hesitation, Takano-san returned his pack of cigarettes onto the table, and looked up at her. Lisa bent to him, gathered breath, and told him in a hurry. “I’m going to leave for Japan in a few days, Takano-san.”

　　　With no time, Takano-san’s face became clouded. “Really? ..That soon?”

　　　“I’ll be back here later to talk about that.” Lisa patted him on the shoulder a couple of times.

　　　Looking at Lisa’s back, Takano-san said. “Another Sakura girl is leaving for Japan.”

　　　“You’ll miss her greatly, won’t you, Takano-san?”

　　　“Yeah. ..More than twenty girls have already gone to Japan since I first came by this saloon, Trina. And every time, I did miss the girl, but this time...”

　　　　　　　　　-----

　　　After long silence, Takano-san again picked up his cigarette pack.

　　　Lighting up his cigarette with my lighter, still held in my hand, I asked him. “Why did you go to Cebú without telling it to anybody?”

　　　“Well, now I think I should have...”

　　　Not waiting for his next words, I said. “Lisa was one of them, of course, but particularly Melba... Anoko totemo shinpai shite... Kawaisou deshitayo, hontouni (She was worried deeply... I couldn’t see her without pity, indeed).”

　　　That was what I had believed I would have to tell him for Melba. However, the tone of my voice may have contained more emotion than I had intended to give in it for Melba.

　　　“I’ve been feeling sorry for that.” Takano-san responded, turning his eyes to where Melba was. “Had I known beforehand that my trip to Cebú would last this long, I would have dropped in here before leaving for the island.”

　　　“Whatever, Takano-san,” said I, “please, don’t make her worry about you from now on. Promise me.”

　　　“I do.”

　　　I nodded deeply to him, while being careful not to allow my feeling of relief to appear on my face.

　　　　　　　　　-----

　　　I got back to what Lisa had left behind. “Anyway, Takano-san, you were in Cebú Island and its neighboring small island, Mactan. But, since you left Manila so suddenly, I guess, you didn’t visit those islands only to look up Magellan’s Marker or to pay your respect to Lapu-Lapu Monument, did you?”

　　　“Well, I paid my great respect to Chief Lapu-Lapu’s statue in fact, but, you’re right, Tina, that wasn’t the purpose of my trip.”

　　　“Then, what was it, Takano-san? If you don’t mind...”

　　　“No. I mean... Well, now that you asked me the question, Trina, I’ve become inclined to start talking about my trip to the islands from the beginning, or about why I haven’t shown up here for more than two weeks.”

　　　“Pleaese, go on.”

　　　“Really? ..It’s going to be a long story as I told Lisa some moments ago.”

　　　“As Lisa said some moments ago, ‘I don’t care no matter how long it takes, Takano-san.’ ..Well, she isn’t listening to your story, but I can convey it to her later on, at a more convenient time.”

　　　“I see. ..It started in this way, Trina, coincidentally, on the night I met you here for the first time.” Takano-san began his talk slowly. “As soon as I arrived back at my hotel and stepped into its lobby, Tim -one of the hotel’s bellboys and a very good friend of mine now- who happened to be behind the check-in counter then, rushed out toward me as if he had long been waiting for me there. And he told me I had received a message from Japan. ..Tim looked to be in very good humor although it was after midnight, although he might already be tired with his duty. So, why was he so? ..I think that’s because he knew I had had no such communication before as some phone calls from Japan, even though I had been staying at the hotel for a few months already. I guess, he might’ve been concerned about me somewhere in his mind, perhaps, or even suspecting I might have no family member or friend in Japan who really care about me. Then, here came a phone call. He got relieved by that, I suppose. ..I’m very grateful to him for his concern on me like that, Trina.

　　　“And the message was from one of my very good friends, a former high school classmate, Yabe. ..In the message, the friend of mine had asked me to call him back the next day. And then, my busy two weeks started.”

　　　Takano-san paused, and rubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray, spending an unusually long time.

　　　“Sige na (Continue).”

　　　“I’m afraid this story might neither be funny nor please you at all ,Trina.”

　　　“I want to hear your story whatever it is, Takano-san.” I responded determinedly.

　　　　　　　　　　-----

　　　Another group of customers was in the saloon. To offer all of her customers good service equally, Lisa was moving from one table to another even more swiftly.

　　　Melba was still with the three middle-aged men.