Chapter Two: Goodbye

"So I hear this Mai lady is highly recommended."

My mom is the one that breaks the silence in the car.

"Yeah, but you know I don't grasp languages very well," I say with a sigh. "This woman needs to be a miracle worker."

We pull up to the apartment complex and I get out of the car.

"Call me when you're done!" my mom calls from inside the car.

I nod. "I will."

We wave goodbye to each other as she drives away and I pull the piece of paper out of my pocket to read what's written on it. Though the piece of paper is small, I have difficulty seeing what is written, so I put the paper in my right hand. I really need to get used to this one-eyed bullcrap.

'4A.' Fourth floor, first apartment.

Heaving one last sigh, I walk into the building and notice an elevator in the lobby. I enter the elevator and press the button labeled '4.'

During my elevator ride up, my mind races as to what my new tutor is going to be like. If she's highly recommended, she must expect a lot out of her students.

The elevator stops and I exit. I quickly find the door to the apartment. Considering there are only three different rooms, it shouldn't have been hard anyway.

I knock twice and hear a voice call from the other side. "Coming!"

A few moments pass as I anxiously wait to meet my new teacher. I hear locks turn before the door opens.

A short, skinny Asian-looking girl is revealed to me as she opens the door.

"Hello, how can I help you?" she chimes.

"Um, yeah my name is Sean Lynch. Are you Mai Miyamoto?"

"Oh, you're my new student!" She's really excited. "Come on in!"

"Thanks." I walk into her apartment and she shuts the door behind me. "So have you been filled in on my situation?"

I seem to catch her off guard with how straightforward I am.

"Uh, yeah. A baseball accident, right?"

She seems like she wants to know more, so I guess I should elaborate.

"I have a disease called Lattice Degeneration. It's a disease that weakens your retinas."

Intrigue finds its way onto her face.

"Basically," I continue. "I took a blow to the head and the retina in my left eye detached. I am actually supposed to be wearing an eyepatch, but it's uncomfortable, so I've been slowly getting used to it."

Mai nods and claps her hands.

"Okay. Well, I suppose we should get a bit of work in."

Oh great, she's a slave driver. Goddammit.

"I'm not going to overwhelm you on the first day, so don't worry," she says with a smile. I guess my face lets on more than I know.

"Alright, let's begin then."

This is gonna suck so bad. I'm never gonna get this down in a month. It's a wonder some people do this for the hell of it.

Throughout my time with Mai, I quickly realized that if I listened to her she would get me ready for my venture to Japan. She told me that I might not be able to read and write all that well, but I should be able to carry a conversation.

"Anata no tsuitachi wa dono yō ni okotte iru?" she says in Japanese.

Okay I know this. How is my day going? Fine, if it wasn't for my teacher.

"Sore wa watashi no sensei no tamede wa nakatta baai, bakkin," I jokingly reply.

A smile breaks through her serious demeanor.

"You've come a long way, Sean. I really think you may be ready."

I can't help but smile. The work I had put in the last three weeks was grueling, but it will definitely pay off.

"You know I couldn't have done it without you."

Mai and I had become fairly close over the past few weeks. That may have been mainly because we spent almost every day together, but she was also the best teacher I had ever had.

I turn my head and a pinching sensation comes across my face.

"Ow! Damn thing..."

My eyepatch was meant to keep the light from getting to my eye, not pinch the skin behind my ear.

"That thing still giving you fits?" Mai inquires.

My head shakes in confirmation. "Yeah, but I'm getting used to it. I have to eventually, right?"

I really didn't like the eyepatch. Not because it was uncomfortable, but because of the strange looks people would give me. The eyepatch seemed like a reminder of my current state, though my vision was just as much of an annoying reminder.

"Is there something bothering you?" Mai asks with a concerned look on her face. She seemed to be able to read me like a book lately.

"It's just... I can't believe this had to happen to me, y'know? I had scholarship offers that were immediately taken away when they heard about my eye."

Now that I think about it, that shows how loyal they would've been.

"Sean, you can still go to college." I scoff at her statement. "I mean it!"

She catches my attention because of how worked up she is about it.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You are a great student, and if you apply yourself in your classes, like you have with me, I think you can do something great."

She must really mean what she said. She never gets this worked up about something.

"You really think so?"

"Of course I do. You've picked up one of the more difficult languages out there."

I suppose she has a point, even though I know a guy who's fluent in three languages and learning Japanese as well. Regardless, I do have a decent grasp on speaking to people in Japanese. I'm actually better with Japanese than Spanish, come to think of it.

I hear the familiar 'do de do' of my phone and take it out of my pocket. I had started keeping my phone and wallet both in my right pocket since I could find them easier.

The text was from my mom: 'com on u need to get packed and make sure you thank Mai.'

Jeez mom, learn to speak English.

I stood and looked at my sensei of sorts. "I've gotta get going. Mai I'd really li-"

I was cut off by Mai squeezing me in a hug. She let go after a few seconds.

"Good luck out there, Sean." A large smile is on her face as she speaks.

"Thank you Mai... for everything."

With that I collect my notes and leave her apartment.

We pulled through the black gates that marked the entrance of the cemetery. I always looked at the names on the tombstones, I don't know why but I was always intrigued by the variety of names that resided on the grave markers.

I was playing with my tie, 'Highway to Hell' was playing on the radio, it wasn't ironic, I guess it was just kinda weird. Our truck went from horizontal to nearly vertical as we ascended the steep hill at the very back of the graveyard. I could see the small oak tree at the peak of the hill that marked our destination.

We pulled to the end of the road which was several feet from the tree and the grave that lay beneath it. I opened my door and my father grabbed a hold of my shoulder. I turned and looked at him.

"You want me to come with you?" he normally didn't even drive me here.

"No, you can stay here." I looked in the side rear view mirror and straightened my tie. I always dressed well when I came to visit my uncle, I knew he liked it when I dressed up.

I started on my way to the grave and forgot something. I motioned for my dad to roll down the window. I quickly pulled off my eye patch and turned to the sun, I was dazed for a moment, but quickly recovered.

I again began walking to the base of the tree. I put my hands in my pockets and walked to the grave marker sitting on the other side of the tree. The granite tombstone was a lonely sight, the only thing atop this hill other than the tree.

The inscription on the stone read:

Peter Markovich

Protector, teacher, and fighter.

I came up with those words. They described him perfectly.

"I thought I'd say goodbye again before I leave." the wind was strong on the hill top and it was blowing my tie around violently.

"I know I haven't been around in a while" I paused for a moment "I have no excuse." the tombstone and I shared a short silence. I could feel that weird feeling in your throat when you're battling tears.

"I don't know how to deal with this, Uncle Pete." I felt the flood gates open. "It's not fair for this to happen to me. I had plans, now all the work you and I put in will be all for not." I had a very sickening feeling, that I could only describe as the feeling of failure.

"I don't regret all the days we spent together, I know that they meant much more than just teaching me how to play baseball, but I can't help but think that hard work was supposed to have some kind of pay-off."

I turned to my right to look at the scenery below the hill. The sunlight sparkled on the lake that laid at the base of the hill. A very odd but beautiful place for my uncle's grave. Next to Uncle Pete's grave was an American flag and flowers from the last time I visited.

"I know you'd say it'll all work out, it always does, but I don't know about this time." I looked at the words on his gravestone. Protector, teacher, fighter. They had some sort of significance that I couldn't explain.

"I guess I should get going, my flight leaves in a few hours. Goodbye uncle, I'll be back at Christmas." I placed my hand on the tombstone for a moment and walked away.

My father decided to come to the airport with me to see me off. I had already said goodbye to my friends and family in the days before, one exception being my friend who got into a car accident. I didn't have time to visit him, but I did pay my respects to his sister who died in the wreck.

"Which gate are we at?" I ask.

"Gate C," my dad replies. "Your Flight leaves at seven. Remember, you're landing in Sendai at around six-thirty in the morning here, so it'll be afternoon there. You're gonna want to get to Yamaku as soon as possible."

Could you give me any more things to remember? Maybe a letter to the Emperor or something?

"Okay, if I have any problems I'll give you guys a call."

Hopefully everything goes well. International travel is new to me, as is traveling alone.

A short but stern hug was shared between my us.

"Oh I almost forgot," he says as we pull apart from our father-son embrace.

He pulls a bunch of hundred dollar bills and a lone fifty out of his wallet.

"That's for me?"

Surprise washes over his face.

"Of course! You think I'd leave you with no money in Japan?" A smile then comes across his face. "There's two thousand seven hundred fifty dollars there, but that doesn't mean you have to spend it."

I nod and a woman's voice booms over the intercom. "American Flight Forty-Five to Seattle is now boarding."

A sigh heaves itself out of me. "Well, that's me, dad."

Another brief hug is shared between us and we bid each other farewell as I go to the tunnel. Once at the plane, I walk onboard and look at the seat number on my ticket.

6D. I was in coach.

Looking around, it seems not many people in Pittsburgh, or southwestern Pennsylvania in general, want to go to Seattle today. The plane is almost empty.

I take my seat, hoping that some giant fat guy doesn't come onboard and sit next to me like in some movies, despite there being countless empty seats around.

Luckily, no such thing happens as the stewardess runs us through the safety precautions. Floaty device seats, oxygen bags, the like. With that out of the way, we take off.

I patiently wait for the stewardess' announcement that we could use electronics. Once she says we can use them, I pull out my laptop and look at my selection of films.

Four Brothers, Click, End of Watch, and Gladiator. All fine films... with the exception of Click. I decide Four Brothers is going to be a good choice as always and sit back, waiting for us to land in Seattle.