Reunited in Tokyo
Stuart and I emailed each other after that, but unlike the tennis match rally of correspondence with Klaus, we only briefly updated on quotidian of life every other week or so. I didn’t sense much interest in his writings, but at some point, he closed the message with, “Have a lovely day, sweetheart.” And I frantically googled what connotation the word might have – could it imply he is attracted to me? At least he is fond of me?
My relocation hadn’t been finalized as we entered June, and I was feeling anxious. When Stuart hadn’t written to me for a month, I was ready to let go of all expectations. However, he did contact me in early July, informing me of his visit to Japan in a few weeks. It was an annual business trip for him and other European brand managers to meet with R&D teams. He said he’d arrive on Sunday morning and asked me if I wanted to do something together. I broke into a jig.
Stuart stayed in the same hotel as Mr. N and Klaus stayed when they were in Japan. Stress hormone was running wild from excitement as I waited for him in the lobby. He found me sitting on the big sofa and sat next to me after the European greeting. He pulled out a CD in a case and said, “this is for you.” It was a collection of albums by his favorite bands—Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, The Killers, Kasabian, Kings of Leon, Razorlight, etc. This elaborate gift heightened my expectation that he might like me back.