The Japanese Lover

Alma and Lenny’s friendship develops with brief trips and excursions, but they eventually settle on resting and watching TV or listening to music. Irina fears that Lenny is reducing her importance in Alma’s life, and Seth fears the same. Irina cares for Lenny’s dog, Sophia, who is a rescue from Romania, which is near Irina’s native Moldova. Alma confesses to Lenny that she has continued an affair with Ichi since 1955, but they have never revealed it to anyone, including Ichi’s wife and children. Though the racism that prevented them from being together in the decades prior is gone, Alma is glad that they never had to deal with domestic issues like marriage and children. Lenny tells Alma that he has an inoperable brain tumor, and he is thinking of seeking medical aid in dying before it starts to reduce his quality of life. Cathy understands the necessity of medical aid in dying, and Alma is supportive of Lenny’s desire. Alma fears death, and she commends Lenny for his bravery. Lenny asks Alma to be with him when the time comes.

The chapter ends with a letter from Ichi to Alma dated October 22, 2002. Ichi laments that Alma is sad about aging, saying that she is as beautiful now as she was in 1955. Ichi thinks that life is constantly evolving, and aging simply brings people closer to death, while love and friendship do not fade.

As Irina and Seth continue to piece together Alma’s life, Alma finds it helpful to remember events and periods in great detail, appreciating Irina’s help in cataloging her memories. They discover photographic portraits of Alma taken by Nathaniel in the 1970s and 1980s, which spark interest in the art community, and a gallery sets up a show of Alma’s portraits. Alma attends the gallery out of obligation with Irina and Seth, and Irina notes how the portraits, some nude, make her uncomfortable, clashing with the Alma she knows. Alma begins to experience health issues, forcing her and Irina to leave a movie mid-show. Cathy recommends a cardiologist, but Alma delays making an appointment. Irina starts to notice how Alma is aging, seeming to lose weight and become more cautious in her movements. Alma insists that Irina make sure she does not stay in bed, noting that older people who stay in bed rarely get up again. Alma decides to close her studio, which disrupts her assistant Kirsten’s life, but Alma no longer has the strength to run her business. Alma talks more often about death with Irina, and she notes that she did not love Nathaniel as much as he deserved. Irina says that Nathaniel probably felt the same way. Alma acknowledges that marrying her cousin was seen as incestuous, and she feels that the love she and Nathaniel shared likely was incest.

Ron Wilkins, an FBI agent, arrives at Lark House looking for Irina. Irina is surprised to see him, and she notes that she has not seen him in three years. Wilkins calls her Elisabeta, but Irina reminds him that she changed her name to Irina Bazili after a traumatic event. Wilkins recommends therapy, but Irina says she cannot afford it. Wilkins tells Irina that a new law has opened the possibility of being compensated for the traumatic event she suffered, but Irina tells Wilkins that she wants to put her victimhood in the past and move on. After Wilkins leaves, Cathy invites Irina for tea and asks her who Wilkins is. She tells Irina that pain can be shared, and Irina eventually acquiesces.

In 1997, Radmila, Irina’s mother, insisted that Irina move to Texas to avoid human trafficking in Moldova. Irina travels to Texas alone, but she brings a picture of her grandparents that brings her comfort for years to come. In Texas, Irina notes that Radmila and her husband, Jim Robyns, smell of alcohol. Jim is an electrician, and he alternates between sobriety when he has work and severe intoxication when he does not have work. Radmila joins Jim when he is intoxicated, but she can rarely keep his pace. Irina learns English at school and from television, eliminating her accent after only a year in the United States. Irina recalls Jim telling her that he has “his rules,” which Radmila pretends not to know until Wilkins arrives two years later.

Irina arranges for Alma to lead a Letting Go Group among the Lark House residents to give away possessions, but Alma disappears, leaving a note with instructions to care for her cat, Neko, for a few days. Irina and Seth are concerned that Alma might have an attack like she did at the movies, but Irina insists that they not violate Alma’s privacy. Seth tells Irina that Larry remembers meeting Ichi, whom Larry claims has special powers and an aura. The two speculate that Ichi and Alma began their affair in 1955, but that they separated when Alma married Nathaniel. Seth notes that neither Larry nor Nathaniel were likely to know about the affair, and, even if they did, they would not admit it.

The chapter is punctuated by a letter from Ichi to Alma dated March 3, 2004. In the letter, Ichi notes that he gave the Fukuda sword to his son, Mike. He remembers retrieving the sword at Isaac’s suggestion in 1962 when Alma was out of town with Nathaniel. Ichi wonders if Isaac knew about Ichi and Alma’s relationship.

Seth drinks too much alcohol, and he asks if he can spend the night at Irina’s home. She brings him to her apartment, which is dilapidated and dirty, and he comments that she is poorer than he expected. She helps him to bed, noting the bell above her bed that her neighbor can pull to wake her up if she has a nightmare. Seth tries to talk about sex, but Irina cuts him off. Seth falls asleep, and Irina struggles to sleep next to him.

The next day, Irina is sick, and Seth is gone. After taking Neko to the veterinarian, Seth tells Irina that he wants her to move into his apartment. Irina refuses, and Seth tells her that he has been in love with her for three years, not understanding why she is reluctant to give him a chance. She agrees to see his apartment, where she decides to take a bath. Irina falls asleep on Seth’s couch, and she wakes up sick the next day. When Seth comes home from work, Irina decides to tell Seth about her past.

In 2000, Wilkins found explicit photos of a young girl nicknamed Alice while investigating child sexual abuse rings on the Internet. After finding a man in Montreal in possession of pictures of Alice, Wilkins traced the photos to Radmila and Jim Robyns’s home in Dallas. Robyns was out of town. Wilkins confronted Radmila with the truth of what Robyns had been doing to Irina, then called Elisabeta. Radmila hit Irina, and she was arrested for abusing her child. Robyns was arrested four years later in Jamaica and sentenced to 10 years in prison without parole. Irina tells Seth that Robyns only has three years left of that sentence, and she fears what he will do when he gets out. Seth assures Irina that he can protect her, but Irina clarifies that she is recognizable from the images Robyns spread on the Internet. Because she is still sometimes recognized, she has been forced to move from place to place even after Robyns’s arrest. Seth tells Irina that he can help her move forward in her life, and he suggests that they go to therapy to overcome Irina’s fear of physical intimacy.

During Alma and Ichimei’s affair in 1955, Alma assumes that she is sterile, but she eventually realizes that she is pregnant. Alma realizes that she cannot marry Ichimei because of their cultural, economic, and social positions. She discusses the issue with Nathaniel, asking him to accompany her to Tijuana for an abortion. Nathaniel reluctantly agrees, and they drive to Mexico. In Tijuana, Ramon, Alma’s contact, arrives late, asking for the cash immediately. After a long, silent drive, they arrive at a small family home, in which Ramon urges Alma to drink some tequila as an anesthetic. Alma is frightened, and Nathaniel decides to call off the abortion and marry Alma.

At home, Alma is ashamed of herself for succumbing to the pressures around marriage, pregnancy, and race. Though she wishes she could marry Ichimei, she cannot envision giving up the protections and privileges of her class. Alma meets with Ichimei frequently, and Ichi knows that something is wrong. When Alma explains the situation to Ichimei, she simply says that they can no longer be together, saying that she is going to London to continue her studies. Ichi accepts Alma’s explanation, but he predicts that they will meet again in better circumstances.

The chapter ends with a letter from Ichi to Alma dated July 11, 1969. Ichi laments spending 14 years apart from Alma, and he agrees that they cannot formally express their love through marriage. Ichi notes that he traveled to Japan, which has given him clarity on the subject. However, he proposes that they continue to love each other in secret to keep their love alive forever.

Alma and Nathaniel get married, though many friends and family question whether a marriage between cousins is incestuous. Isaac throws a reception and tries to communicate the change in relationship from cousins to spouses. Isaac and Lillian convince Alma and Nathaniel to go on a honeymoon, though neither Alma nor Nathaniel are interested. Alma tries feebly to seduce Nathaniel, and they resolve that their relationship is more like siblings than lovers, though Nathaniel says he is open to changing that over time. Nathaniel moves back to Sea Cliff. He and Alma sleep in different rooms and spend little time together. Lillian suspects that the marriage lacks passion, but Alma avoids her questions.

Ichimei hears about Alma and Nathaniel’s wedding, and he feels betrayed, sinking into a listless depression. Heideko and Megumi do not know about Ichi and Alma, but Heideko decides that a trip to Japan to scatter Takao’s ashes might help Ichi recover. In Japan, Ichimei lives like a monk, traveling to the 100 temples to scatter Takao’s ashes, and he overcomes his feelings of betrayal and sadness.

The chapter ends with a letter from Ichi to Alma dated August 2, 1994. Ichi explains to Alma how the trip to Japan taught him how to live more fluidly, taking long trips without planning and forgetting many of the places he has been. However, Ichi says he needs very little to survive, and he always remembers Alma.