Kumiko was going to have her twenty-ninth birthday in five days and a party was being organized for her at The Designer Club. She seemed a little confused by why her twenty ninth birthday should be such a big deal but as Gianni had said several times to her:
“With Kamei san as a father you shouldn’t be surprised by anything.”
Of course, Gianni knew the connection, the very big connection between her twenty-ninth birthday and The Designer Club but he could not tell her.
Gianni found himself quite involved and excited about Kumiko’s birthday and although he was able to reason that Kamei san’s gift to her would surely make some kind of a change in Kumiko’s life and therefore their relationship, he was still very excited to see what her reaction would be to this amazing gift and responsibility Kamei san was going to give her.
Gianni had two gifts for her; the first he would give her in private a few days before the party and the other at the party.
Although very few people knew it, Gianni was amateur jewelry designer. He had made several pieces over the last several years and although he didn’t take his work too seriously he liked what he had designed and enjoyed doing it.
The piece he had designed for Kumiko’s birthday was very special. From photos out of almost one hundred gold nuggets that were sent to him via email by the jeweler he worked with in Switzerland, Gianni picked one that was exactly what he was looking for. It was a natural nugget, just as it came from the earth, which was an irregular shape about 4.5 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, the surface was smooth but had several indentations. Gianni choose the larger and centrally located indentation to set a beautiful heart shaped ruby, he choose an appropriate chain for it and now he only waited and hoped she will like it. It was an exquisite necklace. He was excited like a little boy about it and waiting was difficult.
The other gift was quite simple by comparison. One of the evenings while Gianni was sitting alone with Kumiko in The Designer Club Gianni asked her if she would like to accompany him on his tour in Europe the following month. She was very happy and immediately said yes, but she would have to ask Kamei san to be excused from The Designer Club. That was the answer Gianni expected and the answer that worried him, Kumiko did not know yet that by the time the trip to Europe came she would be the owner of The Designer Club.
Continue to Section 15: The Birthday Party, Designer Club - The Next Generation