Moriko
I am Moriko Li Liao. I am girl. I am exchange student. I am Chinese and Japanese. my father is Chinese. my mother is Japanese. my name came from where I was born. I was born under plum tree in forest.
I go to high school. I am not good with English. I feel bad for the American girl. she is so angry and sad. I know she does not like me. when I talk, she makes a face. I am learning, but she does not understand. she is ignorant. she is pretty. I do not think she knows she is pretty. I am not whatever they call it here in English. lesbian? I left a paper on her part of the table. she does not know until she sits at the table.
today, Mr. Ree kept Luna and I after class. he introduced us to each other. he talks to Luna. he talk to me. and told us that we be friends. we leave and Luna says, "Wanna go to the park sometime?"
I say, "I have to ask parents."
She says, "Oh ok," with a little sad in her face.
"You have no parents?"
Luna looked surprise, like big birthday cake and many friends. She put her shoulders up and down. "I don't know if they're dead or not. They're just," Luna put her hands in the air making 'poof' sound, "gone."
***
There are not enough chairs in house for eating. Big brother sits. Big sister sits. Mother and father sit. Only four chairs. I sit on ground. Talking and laughing at table. No one to talk and laugh on floor. Just ants. Just holes in walls with rat.
Tutor after school taught me how to put capitals before each sentence. Tutor is helpful. Tutor is Drake. I remember first day that he is my tutor, he says he is Drake Walden then gives me a wink and smile. He says he will make me learn proper nouns and nouns tomorrow and capitalization and lists and commas and grammar and speaking.
***
Drake and I meet at the library table near window.
He says in little voice, "Since we're going to practice speaking, we have to go outside."
I nod yes.
We are now outside. We sit at a stone table and Drake put his papers in front on table. He sits next to me instead of across. I wonder why is that.
