After Jonathan left, Maeko retreated even further into herself. She
rarely spoke to anyone, preferring not to have anyone hear her accent. She
read constantly, visiting the library and checking out new books. Her
English was becoming better, mostly in part to her reading. Her lists of
English words were becoming very long.
The novelty of her double identity had faded. The name Kumiko Tanaka was becoming almost second nature to her. She wondered if she'd be able to remember her true name when it came time to take the citizenship test. She was doing her best to learn about the new country. She had already learned the national anthem, the pledge of allegiance, and parts of the Bill of Rights. But more baffling to her was the behaviour of the natives: It fit nothing she'd read in books.
She wished in her language books they'd mentioned something about posture and slang. Some were simple enough to understand, others reflected some kind of hidden information only a native would know.
She found herself running a lot more. Sometimes she'd just take off until some obstacle forced her to stop. All her dreams seemed to involve running down a long corridor. Using the money Jonathan had given her, Maeko had joined a gym and begun training more often. Most of her workout involved swimming, running, and bicycling.
True to his word, Jonathan had never written her another letter. His packages were smaller, usually consisting of the latest check. Every time Maeko received a package, she marked it on her calendar and made note of it in her journal. She was searching for clues, which were few and far in between. If Jonathan was anything, he was meticulous. All she could scribble under her clues list was "Nothing so far." Oh well, she needed to get to class.
Mr. Hearst was holding a test over the Pythagorean theorem. Mr. Hearst agreed to let Maeko use her language dictionaries since her grasp of the English language was not sound. She'd heard some snickering when she'd ask but she didn't care. As far as she was concerned they were pigs.
She finished the test with plenty of time to spare. Didn't need to open my dictionary once, she thought. With the test done, Maeko had nothing more to do so she took out a piece of paper and began doodling. She was not particularly artistic—Kyoko had been the class artist—but she could draw halfway decent people. Sakura were the easiest for her to draw so she started there.
She drew the thin curved branches that spread themselves outwards from a slender trunk like a fan. She drew little tuffs of pink blossoms that looked as delicate as cotton and like feathers in the breeze. She lost herself in her artwork and before she knew, she'd drawn a beautiful scene with a stone bench and a lovely little girl in a kimono seated on it. The girl had a shy, purposeful expression as if she had a secret concealed within.
Katherine's voice broke her reverie. "Did you draw that?" she asked.
Maeko felt suddenly felt very shy. Almost immediately she forgot all of her English and a deep blush arose in her cheeks. "Uh…Yeah…you like it?" she mumbled.
"Yeah, it's really pretty. I wish I had talent like that."
"Thank you." Now that the conversation was back in Katherine's court, maybe Maeko could plan what to say next so she won't sound like Tarzan. (Me Tarzan, you Jane.)
Katherine blinked, not at all surprised to find the ball back in her court. She paused, and then gave her response. "Hey Kumiko, I was wondering if you'd be interested in eating lunch with me and my friends? You must be so lonely, sitting by yourself every day."
Maeko could feel a lump the size of Iwo Jima build in her throat. She choked, trying to swallow it back so she could respond. She could hear all her carefully laid schemes crumble to dust. Jonathan would be very displeased, assuming he still cared. Her mind immediately created an invisible list of pros and cons. If she said no, she'd hurt Katherine's feelings and look very odd all at once. Of course someone's bound to notice you hadn't made any friends, she scolded. If she said yes, who knew what would happen next? Ships could sink, stocks could fall, and she could say something stupid that would end in her banishment.
Then again, Jonathan had never said any against making friends: he'd only warned her to be careful. Besides he never wrote to her anymore so how could he find out about anything she did? Maeko made her decision: she'd give Katherine a chance. "Yes, I would be happy to join you for lunch."
Maeko smiled. Somehow she sensed this was the beginning of new things.
Lunchtime rolled around soon enough. Kids fragmented into various herds and went to their stomping ground. Maeko wove in and out of the crowd, trying to get a clear look at the tables. Katherine had told her their table was the long one on the far right-hand side. "Not very helpful," She mused.
The cafeteria was a brewing pot of students of all sorts of grades, backgrounds, and status. The popular girls strolled to the center table, walking in perfect sync with one another. Maeko couldn't help but wonder if they even breathed in sync. In a corner that seemed perpetually shrouded in cobwebs no matter how hard the janitor cleaned, the Goths slouched in their seats whilst delivering their passionate sermons on the beauty of life.
Some tables were as homogenous as the next: boys chatting and/or playing cards; girls yammering. At one table, she saw those same characters she'd seen looming around the vending machines on her first day: the scruffy brown-haired guy, the white-haired guy, and that little one whom seemed perpetually hunched over.
Finally she found the table. Katherine, a dark-haired boy, a boy with shades, and that redhead who'd helped her with her locker, were busy chatting.
Katherine looked up from her lunch. "Hey, you found us all right," she said. She turned to her friends. "This is the girl I was telling you about: Kumiko Tanaka. I hope you don't mind if she sits with us."
The general consensus was: "Sure, go ahead." Maeko slid into the seat nearest to Katherine. It would look rude if she were to take the seat furthest from her and her friends.
Katherine began pointing at her friends and introducing them. Kurt was the dark-haired boy, Scott was the boy with shades, and Jean was the name of that redhead. Maeko repeated the names back at her, trying to make sure she pronounced them right. It looked very good in the eyes of the Americans if you could say their names right.
"Thank you for introducing me, Katherine-san," Maeko said. She blushed, not only at her formal speech but also at the bit of Japanese she added at the end.
Katherine didn't seem to mind this in the least. "You're welcome, but could you please call me Kitty? Katherine is so formal."
"Kitty," Maeko repeated. The brown-haired girl smiled at her and Maeko felt a little more relaxed.
Lunchtime came and went too soon for Maeko. Despite all her worries, she'd found herself enjoying the company of those Americans. When the lunch bell rang again, she wanted to ask if it was all right if she ate lunch with them again, but that would sound dorky and desperate. Besides somehow she sensed it was okay.
I think things are going to be different from now on, Maeko thought.
The novelty of her double identity had faded. The name Kumiko Tanaka was becoming almost second nature to her. She wondered if she'd be able to remember her true name when it came time to take the citizenship test. She was doing her best to learn about the new country. She had already learned the national anthem, the pledge of allegiance, and parts of the Bill of Rights. But more baffling to her was the behaviour of the natives: It fit nothing she'd read in books.
She wished in her language books they'd mentioned something about posture and slang. Some were simple enough to understand, others reflected some kind of hidden information only a native would know.
She found herself running a lot more. Sometimes she'd just take off until some obstacle forced her to stop. All her dreams seemed to involve running down a long corridor. Using the money Jonathan had given her, Maeko had joined a gym and begun training more often. Most of her workout involved swimming, running, and bicycling.
True to his word, Jonathan had never written her another letter. His packages were smaller, usually consisting of the latest check. Every time Maeko received a package, she marked it on her calendar and made note of it in her journal. She was searching for clues, which were few and far in between. If Jonathan was anything, he was meticulous. All she could scribble under her clues list was "Nothing so far." Oh well, she needed to get to class.
Mr. Hearst was holding a test over the Pythagorean theorem. Mr. Hearst agreed to let Maeko use her language dictionaries since her grasp of the English language was not sound. She'd heard some snickering when she'd ask but she didn't care. As far as she was concerned they were pigs.
She finished the test with plenty of time to spare. Didn't need to open my dictionary once, she thought. With the test done, Maeko had nothing more to do so she took out a piece of paper and began doodling. She was not particularly artistic—Kyoko had been the class artist—but she could draw halfway decent people. Sakura were the easiest for her to draw so she started there.
She drew the thin curved branches that spread themselves outwards from a slender trunk like a fan. She drew little tuffs of pink blossoms that looked as delicate as cotton and like feathers in the breeze. She lost herself in her artwork and before she knew, she'd drawn a beautiful scene with a stone bench and a lovely little girl in a kimono seated on it. The girl had a shy, purposeful expression as if she had a secret concealed within.
Katherine's voice broke her reverie. "Did you draw that?" she asked.
Maeko felt suddenly felt very shy. Almost immediately she forgot all of her English and a deep blush arose in her cheeks. "Uh…Yeah…you like it?" she mumbled.
"Yeah, it's really pretty. I wish I had talent like that."
"Thank you." Now that the conversation was back in Katherine's court, maybe Maeko could plan what to say next so she won't sound like Tarzan. (Me Tarzan, you Jane.)
Katherine blinked, not at all surprised to find the ball back in her court. She paused, and then gave her response. "Hey Kumiko, I was wondering if you'd be interested in eating lunch with me and my friends? You must be so lonely, sitting by yourself every day."
Maeko could feel a lump the size of Iwo Jima build in her throat. She choked, trying to swallow it back so she could respond. She could hear all her carefully laid schemes crumble to dust. Jonathan would be very displeased, assuming he still cared. Her mind immediately created an invisible list of pros and cons. If she said no, she'd hurt Katherine's feelings and look very odd all at once. Of course someone's bound to notice you hadn't made any friends, she scolded. If she said yes, who knew what would happen next? Ships could sink, stocks could fall, and she could say something stupid that would end in her banishment.
Then again, Jonathan had never said any against making friends: he'd only warned her to be careful. Besides he never wrote to her anymore so how could he find out about anything she did? Maeko made her decision: she'd give Katherine a chance. "Yes, I would be happy to join you for lunch."
Maeko smiled. Somehow she sensed this was the beginning of new things.
Lunchtime rolled around soon enough. Kids fragmented into various herds and went to their stomping ground. Maeko wove in and out of the crowd, trying to get a clear look at the tables. Katherine had told her their table was the long one on the far right-hand side. "Not very helpful," She mused.
The cafeteria was a brewing pot of students of all sorts of grades, backgrounds, and status. The popular girls strolled to the center table, walking in perfect sync with one another. Maeko couldn't help but wonder if they even breathed in sync. In a corner that seemed perpetually shrouded in cobwebs no matter how hard the janitor cleaned, the Goths slouched in their seats whilst delivering their passionate sermons on the beauty of life.
Some tables were as homogenous as the next: boys chatting and/or playing cards; girls yammering. At one table, she saw those same characters she'd seen looming around the vending machines on her first day: the scruffy brown-haired guy, the white-haired guy, and that little one whom seemed perpetually hunched over.
Finally she found the table. Katherine, a dark-haired boy, a boy with shades, and that redhead who'd helped her with her locker, were busy chatting.
Katherine looked up from her lunch. "Hey, you found us all right," she said. She turned to her friends. "This is the girl I was telling you about: Kumiko Tanaka. I hope you don't mind if she sits with us."
The general consensus was: "Sure, go ahead." Maeko slid into the seat nearest to Katherine. It would look rude if she were to take the seat furthest from her and her friends.
Katherine began pointing at her friends and introducing them. Kurt was the dark-haired boy, Scott was the boy with shades, and Jean was the name of that redhead. Maeko repeated the names back at her, trying to make sure she pronounced them right. It looked very good in the eyes of the Americans if you could say their names right.
"Thank you for introducing me, Katherine-san," Maeko said. She blushed, not only at her formal speech but also at the bit of Japanese she added at the end.
Katherine didn't seem to mind this in the least. "You're welcome, but could you please call me Kitty? Katherine is so formal."
"Kitty," Maeko repeated. The brown-haired girl smiled at her and Maeko felt a little more relaxed.
Lunchtime came and went too soon for Maeko. Despite all her worries, she'd found herself enjoying the company of those Americans. When the lunch bell rang again, she wanted to ask if it was all right if she ate lunch with them again, but that would sound dorky and desperate. Besides somehow she sensed it was okay.
I think things are going to be different from now on, Maeko thought.