“You owe this to us,” her foster mother demanded as Elizabeth packed her life into a backpack. She was never adopted by the Ono family but always reminded of how much she owed them.

The fostered her when she was just a baby and by the age of five she was already their live in housekeeper. Elizabeth had nothing and the only ray of sunshine in her life was school.

Now she was standing in the middle of her room with both Mr. and Mrs. Ono blocking the way out. Demanding that she pay them back for the little they have done for her.

“What do I have to do?” Elizabeth finally asked. She figured whatever the task was it was better to get it done and not to owe them anything.

“The Lotus hotel room 125. Get the key, go to the room and leave the door open. A man will join you after a while. Then your debt to us will be repaid. The agony of the expense you were to us will be paid.” Mr. Ono droned on. Elizabeth was a clever girl and knew exactly what she would be giving up at the hotel but if it mean freedom, it was going to be a small price to pay.

“Okay, what time should I be there?” Elizabeth asked taking a deep breath.

“9:00pm the reservation will be under Takamure,” Mrs. Ono explained.

9:00pm Lotus Hotel room 125

Elizabeth just sat in the room in the chair next to the window. The door opened as she was instructed. She keep looking at the time and looking at the door. She wished to just get it over with already. Elizabeth wanted to Sever the tie with the Ono family at any cost.

The door opened and shut in one loud foul swoop. It was dark and she could her the person tripping over themselves. ‘ great he’s drunk’ Elizabeth thought to herself. ‘Should I say something,’ she thought to herself as she turned on the desk lamp.

“Who are you?” The man asked. He didn’t look she had imagined. He was young maybe about her age. He had black hair a handsome face. His ears where adorable also. He looked at her and stumbled closer.

“I’m Eli...” she started to introduce herself when he cut her off by resting his pointer finger on her lips. He rested his other hand on her face. It was warm to the touch.

“Shhh let me just **** **** to you,” he picked her up and took her to the bed.

“I like the color of your skin. It reminds me of toast bread. I like toast?” He kisses her exposed shoulder.

Elizabeth didn’t say a word she just lay there as he wondered over her body. Secretly she was happy that he was nice. Even though the situation was less than ideal.

“Don’t cry,” he said gently in her ear. Mentally preparing them both for what would happen next.

The following morning the sun climbed in the window. The deep was done, Elizabeth was in pain but free. She stretched out and looked at the man next to her. His hair disheveled and his chest covered in small scratches. Elizabeth was ashamed she hadn’t mean to dig her nails into him like that but the pain was intense.

“I’m sorry,” she kissed his lips of her own valuation and got dressed.

“I’m leaving,” Elizabeth said to Mr. Ono and Mrs. Ono as she made her way to the door. She didn’t even look back she just kept on walking until she reached the end of the street. At the end of the street she ran to the train station. It was the best train ride ever. It meant she would never have to back. She going to start her own life.

Yamada Estate

“Do you want to tell me about this before your mother comes in here like a maniac,” he put the picture down on the dinning room table.

“Mom set me up on date with Sora again, she drugged me and I ‘wondered’ into the wrong room. This must be the girl I slept with,” he took a sip of his tea and tapped the picture. It was him and a brown skinned girl with a very prominent birthmark on her back. He couldn’t see her face in the photo and he couldn’t remember much about that night.

“Yoshio Yamada what is the meaning of this!” His mom tossed a handful of pictures at his face. It was the same image over and over.

“Why are you angry mother this is what you planned?” He moved the pictures away from his breakfast and continued eating. Never once looking at his mother.

She began the matchmaking process when he was ten, with Sora Sato of the Sato group. She was a fussy girl with long black hair and pale skin. Yoshio didn’t like pale skin on a woman but his mother found it necessary. His father didn’t care who he married as long as he was happy. He always found it strange because his father was part of an arraigned marriage.

“So you’re blaming me!” She smacked the chopsticks out of his hands. The feel on the floor and rolled under the table.

“Had it been Sora in this picture I’m sure there would no problem, I’m going to work.” Yoshio said picking up one of the pictures of the table.

“I’ll hold on to this one,” he smiled putting the picture in his inside coat pocket.

“I’ll go with you,” his dad said finishing his cup of tea.

“Yoshio! You have to take Sora to the opera on Sunday!” She yelled after him but he didn’t even answer.

Five months later

City A hospital

“When was the last time you had your period?” The doctor asked Elizabeth. She held her chin and scratched thinking hard about how long it had been. Her life was just starting to take place. She had just gotten a last name for the first time in her life, she felt human. Her three part time jobs paid for her little one bedroom apartment. She had fainted and her boss demanded she get a check up before she came back to work.

“ five months ago,” Elizabeth finally answered.

“Five months ago,” Elizabeth finally answered.

“When was the last time you were intimate with someone?” The doctor asked writing something down on his note pad.

“Five months ago was the first and the last time I was intimate with anyone,” Elizabeth said feeling proud of herself.

“You’re pregnant,” the doctor just blurred out without even looking up from his note pad.

“That’s not possible, you see I’ve always had irregular periods. It being missing in action for a few months is not that uncommon. “ Elizabeth explained.

“Fine I’ll run a few test, to see if we can explain why you fainted today.” Doctor looked up, his eyes piercing into Elizabeth. She had to look away.

“Okay, will it take a long time?” Elizabeth asked not making eye contact.

“It shouldn’t take very long, I’ll also start you on IV drip which will also help you feel better.” The doctor said and a nurse came into the room. She had bright smile under her mask.

“Come with me,” The nurse said, Elizabeth followed not saying a word. She was worried what if the doctor was right and she was pregnant. She remembered the night she slept with that man.

Yamada Group

Yoshio sat in his office looking at the picture of the woman’s birthmark in the photo. He had tried and tried over the last five months to remember her face but he just couldn’t. Investigation the matter had proven difficult the only thing he had to go on was the photo and the birthmark. She was just a random person in the night. He took a deep breath in and leaned back in his chair.

“What’s heavy on your mind?” His father stood at the front of his desk.

“You didn’t knock,” Yoshio scolded his father.

“I did a bunch of times, where did you go?” His dad asked sitting down. His son’s mind had been wondering far away from work and home.

“Just thinking,” Yoshio said putting the picture back in his desk drawer.

“You were thinking about that girl again. She touched your heart that quickly?” His father asked. Yoshio didn’t say anything he just got up and went to the large glass window in his office. He looked out at the city and down at the passing cars. He knew she was out there somewhere but the odds of finding her were astronomical. But he couldn’t shake the night they spent together from his mind. She was imprinted and he couldn’t fade her away.

“Dad can I ask you something?” Yoshio finally spoke. He didn’t turn around to face his father.

“You can always ask me anything,” he father answered. Yoshio was his only son. They had lived in California for a period of time for work, his mom had remained in Japan due to her distaste of America. Yoshio loved every moment of it and even made some good friends. As his dad he had also learned something’s living in a country where everyone was free to share their emotions freely. Living there for ten years had brought him and Yoshio closer together.

“ Is it possible to love someone you don’t know?” Yoshio rested his hand on the glass. He could feel the heat from the hot summer day.

Yoshio’s dad didn’t answer right away. He sat back in the chair and thought over the question.

“The people you love start out as people you don’t know,” His father finally answered. Yoshio turned around to look at his father.

“Did you love mom when you first saw her?” The question caught his father of guard. He cleared his throat but couldn’t answer the question. He just looked at Yoshio trying figure out how to tell his son that he has never loved his mother.

“We have an understanding.” His dad said and got up from his chair.

“That’s not the same as love,” Yoshio said turning to look at his father.

“It’s not but it’s better than nothing.” His dad tan his fingers through his hair with an awkward laugh.

“How did you mean mom?” Yoshio asked.

“Before my parents died they wanted to me marry your mom to solidify my new position among the nobility. I just honored their last request. Your mom liked my money status so that kept her around. You’re the best thing I’ve gotten out of this,” His father finally broke down and told his son everything. He didn’t put a brave face on it anymore. He was sure that everyone could see that his wife didn’t care for and it was just his money and status keeping her around. He wondered if she ever loved him.

“I’m sorry father I didn’t mean to ask a question on such a subject.” Yoshio walked over to his father.

“ I don’t want secrets or misunderstandings between us. You are by far the best thing that has happened to me,” he looked at his son.

“I understand,” Yoshio hugged his father something he hadn’t done since he was a teenager.

“We have a meeting with the Takada group at 10am.” His father wiped her stray tear from his eye and headed for the door.

“Okay, I’ll be ready.” Yoshio smiled and sat back down at his desk.

Four months and two weeks later

City A hospital Maternity ward.

“Ms. Moore?” A woman wearing a suit and carrying a handful of paperwork came into the room. Elizabeth had just given birth and was spending sometime with the baby. By the time she found out she was pregnant it was to late to do something about it. So the doctor recommended giving the baby away.

“Yes, Im Ms. Moore,” Elizabeth announced to the woman. The other five women in the ward looked at her and looked away as the woman made her way to the corner of the room. Elizabeth had the baby in her arms he was wrapped snuggly in a purple blanket. They had ran out of white ones and the nurse had found this for him.

“I’m here to take the baby and have you sign these papers to give up parental rights,” the woman explained and pulled the dinning tray close and placed the papers on it. Before giving birth Elizabeth was sure she was going to give the baby away. Once he was born she looked at his little eyes, nose, ears, and most of all she looked at his skin. She knew he wouldn’t be adopted.

“I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to keep him.” Elizabeth told the woman looked down at the him. He cuddled closer to her as though he knew she would keep him and he could finally relax.

“What can you do for him? You can hardly take care of yourself, just look at where you are now. In a public ward giving birth surrounded by other woman who have just done the same. Where are you going to take him to the slum you live in. Just give him to me.” The social worker reached for the baby and Elizabeth pushed her hand away.

“I’m a product of this system of adoption and I won’t let him end up like me. I can’t give him wealth but a I can give him a chance to be loved,” Elizabeth expressed as the other women in the ward looked.

Elizabeth thought of her childhood of the beating, the starvations, and the neglect. She was rejected at home. Rejected at school. She was never loved. She wouldn’t let that happen to her baby. She held on to him and didn’t let the social worker take him from her. She could her the other women in the ward begging to speak. She was sure they were on the social workers side until she listen to what they were saying.

“Let her keep her baby!” The other women in the ward started shouting at the social worker.

“She doesn’t want to give him!” Another woman shouted.

“Yeah get out of her!” Another screamed and a nurse finally peaked her head into the ward to check on the commotion.

“What’s going on in here?” The nurse asked standing in the doorway.

“She wants to take her baby away!” The women screamed and the nurse looked at the social worker and looked at Elizabeth shielding her baby.

“If she wants to keep her baby you have no right to take it away. You get out of here,” the nurse announced to cheers from the other women. Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked at the nurse; she was sure she was there to help the social worker but in the end she helped her.

“Fine but you will regret this,” the social worker said gathering her papers and stormed out of the ward pushing passed the nurse.

“Get some rest and stop the commotion you women just get birth,” the nurse scolded the woman and closed the door behind her.

“You’ll be alright.” One of the woman offered as Elizabeth held her baby close to her. She rocked him back and forth gently. He was so little she was afraid of squeezing him too tightly.

“What are you going to name him?” One of the woman got up and walked over to Elizabeth. She hadn’t thought of a name for the last few months she had been thinking about adoption.