2.23 Ready or Not

Adachi's office was a dishearteningly modest, painfully drab affair. Two dowdy middle-aged women stood behind a cheap reception counter, shuffling in silence through documents. A dirty window in the rear looked out on a sunless parking garage.

I apologized for coming unannounced, then explained my situation in brief and asked if I might be able to see Adachi.

One of the women told me that Sensei was out at the moment, but would return shortly. I took a seat on a squat little vinyl sofa that was pushed into a corner between a sad little Benjamin tree and a clunky old copy machine that stank of toner.

On the wall above the copier was a clock with a convex glass cover that hadn't been cleaned in ages. A thick layer of dust cloaked the upper half of it like a fur collar. The time didn't look quite right either. A quick look at my cell phone and I saw that I had even less time than I had thought before I needed to get back to work.

I should have cancelled my evening lessons.

Just as I was starting to think it might be a better idea to consult another lawyer, a man hurried in through the front door. Gaunt and disheveled, he looked more like a hopelessly absent-minded professor than a legal shark. Noticing me, his eyes bulged. He gave me a nervous nod then maneuvered around my legs to get into the office. Chatting a moment with the secretaries, he then made a beeline for a room in the back and closed the door.

One of the secretaries served me a cup of green tea and said that Sensei would be with me in a moment. As I sipped the tea, it was all I could do to keep from bolting out the door. There was another lawyer, a Mr. Koga, whose practice was a short walk away. According to the List of Attorneys, he not only had experiences with narcotics cases but also spoke fluent English.

But what if this Koga isn't in? I'd lose another fifteen to thirty minutes. No, better stay put.

And stay put I did--precious minutes ticking away like diamonds being smashed into smithereens--until Adachi finally emerged from the back room. Running his fingers through his pomaded hair, he nodded to the secretaries. The resignation in his face couldn’t have been clearer.

“Sensei is ready to see you.”

Ready or not, I’m coming.

© Aonghas Crowe, 2010. All rights reserved. No unauthorized duplication of any kind.

注意：この作品はフィクションです。登場人物、団体等、実在のモノとは一切関係ありません。

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

No. 6 is now available on Kindle.