In fact fascination with western romance had motivated me to improve my language skills. Kyoko had, however, not changed much over the years. I think she looked forward to being a wife and enjoying all the small things that Japanese wives often do. Unlike women of my mother's generation, she did not seem inclined to have children, which was not a big issue for me either.

Four years after our marriage, Kyoko decided to quit her job at the insurance company as many of her peers were getting married and having children. She had resumed her piano practice and started to offer piano lessons at home. This turned out to be a far more lucrative job for her. I think she was less stressed out and her hours were far more flexible now. As the word of her talent spread, she was often hired to perform at weddings and parties and these were assignments that paid extremely well. Within a matter of months, she was being invited to perform out of town and we suddenly realized that she had turned into a profession what used to be a hobby that she did not care much about when she was just an office lady.

I had never thought of her as much of a player but her success had proved me wrong. In fact I would often recall how she used to play during high school but I never got around to praising her since I did not think much beyond Math and Physics and Kyoko never intended to do much with her music abilities. While our income grew large, I did not see Kyoko as often as I used to. She started off with 1-2 days of travel a week but soon she was gone for several days. What made it especially noticeable was her frequent travel during the weekend when many of the weddings were organized. Combined with my travel schedule, we were seeing less of each other. I think it did not take long for us to return to college days of seeing each other occasionally. 

We still made passionate love whenever we were together and enjoyed every minute of being together. I think Kyoko's success as a professional had infused her with a vitality that I had not seen in her before. The constant attention of people, the pressure of looking good at her performances, and the desire to be charming at all times had motivated her to take better care of herself. She became attractive more than ever before and we often made love within minutes of her return home. The frequency dropped significantly, though. From being available virtually every day, we could now count on our fingertips when we would sleep together. In fact there were times that she would return home late at night and I would be asleep by then. She would just roll a futon in the family room rather than join me in the bedroom. 

It did not change our relationship in any way; at least that is how I felt. Kyoko never complained to me about our relationship and neither did I feel any different about her. She had a few male friends now, mostly admirers who had assumed the role of her unofficial agents. However, I did not suspect that she was romantically involved with anyone. 

Continued: Turning into a lonely professional