A Friend Visits, aka Bringing Characters to Life

[der meister 3,248]

               Having finally been able to meet Toronto Legion defenseman Ryuji Sakamoto's friend, Ann Takamaki, I can see why he's so taken with her. I have heard many stories of this young lady, dating back to the time Sakamoto and I spent together in Mexico City, Mexico. "My friend from back home, Ann," Sakamoto would say, reintroducing the concept of this young woman with each new anecdote. The only person he talks about nearly as much is Ren Amamiya, who came to visit when we were stationed in Istanbul.

 

               We met Ms. Takamaki at Toronto International Airport, following a rather hectic travel situation and a particularly anxious Sakamoto. It was unclear from Sakamoto's stories as to whether or not he and Ann were a couple, or simply really good friends, though I always got the impression Sakamoto had a crush on the young lady.

 

               Due to security restrictions, we had to meet Ms. Takamaki in the baggage collection area. "C'mon c'mon c'mon!" Sakamoto was growling under his breath, pacing nervously, waiting for her to appear, keeping his eye on the escalator. Five minutes passed. Then ten. I began to wonder if I should buy Sakamoto some food to keep his hands busy when he finally exclaimed, "There she is!" He left in a flash, showing off his old track star speed as he ran toward the escalator. I was still uncertain which of the dozen or some women around his age to which he was referring, but my confusion was cleared quickly when one of the women's mouths went wide in a grin.

 

               "Ryuji!"

 

               She was a rather fetching girl, certainly not of a purely Japanese heritage. She wore her blonde hair in a pair of long, loose pigtails, which danced in front of a maroon hooded sweatshirt. Now that I've seen the girl, I recall Sakamoto telling me that she was half-Swedish and had been something of an exchange student in Tokyo. Or maybe she lived there on her own? My recollection of the conversation was fuzzy. I watched patiently as the two of them embraced, arms wrapping around each other tightly at the bottom of the escalator, oblivious to those around them. It did not escape my notice that the embrace was an enthusiastic hug, but there was no kissing, and again I wondered if this was simply a strong friendship, or if young Sakamoto was hoping for more from it. Judging by his behavior in the past few weeks, he certainly acts like a man in love.

 

               Eventually they extricated themselves from each other and cleared the path from in front of the escalator, moving toward me. I found myself suddenly very self-conscious, like a chaperone at a school dance who just caught some rather untoward activity beneath a table [editor's note: one of my favorite memories of high school involved a particularly daring 30 seconds below a table at my then-girlfriend's junior prom]. Sakamoto made awkward introductions before leading the way toward the exit, leaving me to follow as if on a leash.

 

               I kept my distance from them as we boarded the subway that would bring us near to the apartment we shared, and it suddenly occurred to me that we had not discussed any kind of sleeping arrangements. I decided that, should the need arise, I would vacate my own bed for the youthful Takamaki and sleep in the recliner in the living room.

 

               "That guy over there with the blond hair looks familiar," I heard someone near me say. "I feel like I've seen him on TV or something."

 

               Eager to keep Sakamoto's identity relatively secret for as long as possible, I replied to the stranger. "I've certainly never seen him before. Though there was a man outside the restaurant in the airport who looked similar."

              

               The stranger seemed to accept my deception and does not comment again, at least for a minute or so until Sakamoto exclaimed, "I'm telling you Ann, playing for the Toronto Legion is such a cool experience! It's all the fame I wanted when we were the Phan-" Sakamoto grunted, eyes going with indignation. A sheepish expression quickly painted his face, and I wonder what he was about to say before Ann Takamaki silence him with a pointed elbow.

 

               "That's right!" the stranger said. "That's the new guy on the Legion, Roogee or something like that! Hey, Roogee! My son is a huge fan! Can you sign something for him?"

 

               Within moments, the train was filled with people looking in Sakamoto's direction, a nervous-looking Ann suddenly sliding behind his shoulder to peer out at the oncoming crowd. I shook my head, bemused by Sakamoto's complete lack of subtlety.

 

               "My son said you can't shoot worth a crap," the stranger said idly, digging through her bag for some slip of paper and a pen for Sakamoto to sign, "but that you work as hard as anyone on the team. He likes you blue collar type of players. Personally, I like that Atreides fellow. Strapping, handsome lad, and he's exciting to watch. I think he's got 21 goals now?"

              

               Indeed, the Toronto Legion's leading scorer has eclipsed the 20-goal mark for the eighth consecutive season. He will be hard-pressed to reach last season's gaudy total of 61, but Paul Atreides continues to produce despite being nearly at the end of his guaranteed Hall of Fame career. Heading into this season, the diminutive center had played just over 500 games and had well over 600 points, with almost 300 of those points being goals. Never a particularly physical player, he nevertheless built a career on being Mr. Clutch, mostly for the Moscow Menace, before moving to Toronto and having a career year with 61 goals and 59 assists for a staggering 120 points. It's no wonder the Legion's fanbase took such a quick liking to him. Idly, I wondered how many fans Sakamoto himself has, excitedly cheering on his sacrifices to block shots, to do the unsung work to make goals from people like Atreides mean that much more in the standings.

 

               The hubbub around Sakamoto's presence eventually died down enough that he was able to make his way toward me, Ms. Takamaki staying close behind. "Ann's used to busy subways from back home," Sakamoto explained, "but this was something else, man!" A few minutes later and we departed the subway, accompanied by a quick cheer of "Let's go Legion!"

              

               The Toronto Legion are looking to stay in the North American Conference's playoff picture, currently in an absolute dogfight while they jockey for position with the D.C. Dragons, the Chicago Phoenix, and the Seattle Bears, while fighting to stay ahead of the Calgary Wranglers. At the time of this piece, only the New York Americans, Los Angeles Stars, and Vancouver Wolves look like early eliminations from post-season contention.

 

Subway stations can be very busy places...

 

 

Note: Claiming for the week of 7/25 and 8/1

[der meister 3,248]

2nd week claim