Dreams of Yã"ko Shimada

When you lose out on the real thing - a girl you sorely wanted - one tends to play it safe. Like going out on dates only when it presents no challenge. And if you must day-dream, stick to movie stars. Actually, Fran Fitzgerald shared his father's favorite. That was Laraine Day, who was truly ideal in looks and charm in every role she played. Unfortunately, most of her films were from the 40's and 50's, leaving nothing new for him to look forward to. Maybe that was why Fran was so open to a new romance, real or imagined, to fill that unrequited need. Then, in 1980, NBC produced a magnificent version of SHOGUN, which introduced the beautiful Japanese actress, Yko Shimada. And a scant two months later, Fran was on his way to Japan on business. Could it be, he wondered, after all the fruitless years? Could fate be working on his side at last? Just this once!