"Stop fidgeting so much, Raf…you're starting to make ME nervous."
Miko Nakadai immediately reached over and gently grabbed the hands of her boyfriend Rafael Esquivel, forcing them to remain motionless.
Raf frowned, "I'm not fidgeting, Miko…I'm practicing. Just in case my voice gives out when I'm speaking with your father, I'm practicing sign language in Japanese."
Miko snorted, "Umm, neither of my parents know how to sign, Raf."
Raf blinked uncertainly and then moaned forlornly as he covered his face with his hands.
Miko's heart went out to him, knowing precisely why Raf was so nervous. As cool and unflappable as he was under intense pressure, when it came to matters of the heart and dealing with familial situations, he had an unfortunate tendency to stumble…a lot.
They were currently en route to Japan to meet with Miko's parents. Raf had just turned 18 and it was now his intention to ask Miko's father for her hand in marriage, and hopefully receive his blessing as well. However, Raf was terrified at the thought of failure. The last thing he wanted to do was offend her family or worse, somehow make Miko look bad.
Raf wiped at the beads of sweat on his forehead and asked, "Tell me again why we're taking a plane and not the space-bridge? It'd save a huge amount of time and money…"
Miko grinned, "No way, Jose…we're taking a page from Jack and Arcee's little road trip after they first got together! You and I are gonna take our time, 'cause I want you to enjoy the full experience of my homeland. You're gonna love it."
Raf breathed deeply and found his inner calm.
"Okay, let me see if I remember everything…your Father is one of the top pianists in the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and your Mother is a famous sculptor in the Superflat art movement. You attended the best schools and took piano lessons from the age of three, which explains your interest in the arts and why you're such a great musician…"
Miko grinned, "Awww…"
"…and you have two purebred Japanese Bobtail cats named Chi Chi and Ding Dong. Way to keep things classy, Miko."
Miko snickered, "Why Raf, I have no idea what you're talking about…"
Raf rolled his eyes, "Right. You just happened to name your cats after…well, y-you know."
Miko couldn't help but laugh out loud at Raf's pronounced blush.
"I was wondering how long it'd take for someone to figure that out…"
Raf huffed, "Anyway, your family lives in Tokyo, and...and...that's pretty much everything I can remember right now!"
She held his hand reassuringly and continued, "Trust me, Raf. Everything's going to be fine. The sooner we're back on good old terra firma you'll forget all about this."
Raf replied absently, "The more firma the less terra."
Miko blinked, "Wait, what...? Wasn't that a joke from an old episode of Scooby-Doo…?"
Raf grinned and answered with a gravelly, "Rhi ron't row, Riko…raybee. Reeheehee!"
"Kami-sama, give me strength…" Miko rolled her eyes and sighed.
"What gives, Raf? I thought you had outgrown cartoons years ago."
"I don't know what the big deal is, Miko. Jack is 21 years old and even though he would deny it, he still watches them every chance he gets!" Raf looked hard into Miko's wide eyes and said, "What am I saying? You still watch them, too!"
Miko smugly replied, "I'm Japanese, Raf. It's different for me. Anime has always been an integral part of Japanese culture, so they're awesome no matter how old you get….unlike a certain old American cartoon from the 1960s about a mystery-solving dog and a bunch of hippies driving around the world in a broken down van…"
"Aw…come on, Miko! It's a classic!"
"If you say so, Raf. Give me Dokonjo Gaeru any day…"
Raf narrowed his eyes for a moment as he quickly translated.
"'Gutsy Frog…?' I don't know about that one…"
"It's awesome! It's about this kid named Hiroshi who one day accidently tripped and fell on top of a frog, squashing him so flat that the frog was permanently plastered over the front of Hiroshi's shirt!"
Raf visibly paled, "Dear heaven, that's morbid!"
Miko laughed, "No, no! The frog is alive…sorta…he's just stuck to Hiroshi's shirt, flat as a pancake! That's why the show is also known as Heimen Gaeru or Flat Frog!"
"Poor little guy…"
"Oh, but this is when it starts getting good! See, Hiroshi didn't have any other good shirts…plus he felt really bad for what happened to the frog, so he decided to keep the frog happy by never taking the shirt off! The frog…whose name is Pyonkichi, by the way…takes advantage of the situation by getting Hiroshi in all kinds of trouble! Always arguing with him, eating his food, lifting girls' skirts…" Miko giggled uncontrollably, "I love being Japanese…"
Raf slowly shook his head and chuckled, "Miko, it's a strange and wonderful land you come from. I guess that explains why you are the way you are…"
"Aw, Raf…you say the sweetest th - ! HEY…!"
Raf winked, "With an emphasis on the wonderful part…"
"Hmp…flattery will get you everywhere, Mister Esquivel."
Just then the voice of the plane's captain crackled over the intercom, informing the passengers that they were on their final approach to Tokyo International Airport and to strap themselves in.
Miko glanced sideways at Raf as he paled once again. She giggled, "C'mon, Raf…relax! What's the worst that could happen?"
