When David becomes enveloped with a foreign culture in an effort to find a career, he quickly suffers from culture shock and homesickness before he can leave; however, a girl is transferred to his office, and she shows him a side of Japan that he di...
[Picture taken someplace near Kaeda's apartment. This was during one of my last days in the country. I believe she was with me when I took this picture.]
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Kaeda would eventually better know me than herself. And as my life deteriorated, she saw the fake pieces of sanity I put in myself. I'm sure Gaku and Sachio noticed these chips in me, too, but she confronted me as softly as any Japanese person would.
I remember this day distinctively because of how cold it was when we took our smoke break together. It was cold enough that I had no desire to ditch my blazer, a stark difference from the usual heat I was subscribed to. And it was quiet—just the ambiance of the city and our breathing. I longed for moments just like these.
One of the greatest aspects I loved about the Japanese was their ability to know when to shut up and when to break the ice.
We had been taking turns shooting clouds out of our mouths when she exhaled. "What's wrong?"
My dad told me I had the unfortunate talent to lie, just my like my mom, but Kaeda had a knack for seeing past the smoke screens I desperately used to cover the integrity of my sanity.
"Nothing," I said, smiling. I maintained eye contact, but as we stared at each other, she pursed her lips together and slowly began to shake her head.
"It's nothing," I tried again, this time without a smile. She pressed herself against the railing as she started to glare at me.
I know there are people out there who will try to romanticize this moment and paint a "cute couple argument," but Kaeda had that angry burn behind her eyes that reminded me that Japan had a violent and brutal history. She was Okinawan, but Okinawans are still Japanese. She said my name, and I knew there was no point in lying to her.
I folded and told her everything I thought she would believe. It was the dream aspects mostly, but I teased the idea that there was something else in the physical realm of possibilities, too. I drew on, and she closed her eyes, listening to my words. I only hoped that I made as much sense to her as it did to me.
"This sounds like it's more than just stress," she said with a tone so matter of fact I wondered if she understood anything I explained. "Try sleeping at my place."
I didn't have the heart to tell her that I had one of my worst physical experiences in her apartment, but she saw my expression change— the gears in her brain turned into thought. "Have you had anything strange happen here? In the offices?"
"No," I said.
"Let's work late tonight," she suggests.
"I don't know," I replied.
"Let's try working late tonight." She says.
It was difficult to maintain a visual connection with Kaeda. I didn't want to get her involved and hurt her somehow. However, as I felt how heavy my eyes were, I wondered if it would be worth a try.
