Jinji stood behind the terrace, uncertain whether to join the family. Nobody had told him to come. Maybe it was assumed. Jinji was still an outsider, a stranger, a guest. One doesn't presume.
So he watched everyone lounging in the sunshine, quaffing and laughing. What was it about tanning in complete sunshine that white people found so satisfying? Unless it was to become almost publicly naked. Jinji knew better than to loll about under a hot sun. He also knew that nobody wanted to see him naked. Besides, he didn't drink alcoholic beverages, so what exactly was the point?
Still, the host family seemed to be having fun. And he was not. So he withdrew to go take the dog for a walk down to the park. Criminal that with so many healthy owners, with so much time on their hands, his host family rarely took the animal out simply to exercise. Well, Jinji was having none of that. He resolved to walk Headley the terrier twice a day, rain or shine. At least Headley seemed to like him.
At the front gate, Headley lurched right, toward the park, straining to run. Jinji kept the leash firmly in his grasp, in part to remind the dog that he was its master, but also because he was wearing such flimsy sandals that jogging down the pavement would probably cause him to trip and stumble. No, steady was always best. Anyway, by tugging so hard, Headley was already getting exercise.
Within a few blocks, the increased metabolism of exertion and excitement had induced Headley to veer into the grass and squat. This was good, thought Jinji. It's good to be regular in one's bowel movements. The bodily system has to be flushed regularly. If only he could establish some kind of pattern in his new home. But that would have to come with time and therefore patience. Adults had told him before he left that every exchange student undergoes a period of adaptation. They just never mentioned the pooping. Or not pooping.
As Headley stepped away from his excrement, kicking his back legs as though covering it up with dirt and debris in some vague ritual, Jinji took a few steps on toward the park when a voice boomed over them both from the nearby porch.
"Hey, monkey boy, clean up your shit!"
Jinji jerked up to see a stout, balding man with a newspaper in his hands rising from his chair. Was the man shouting at Jinji or Headley or somebody else? What did this imprecation even mean? He gazed back uncomprehending, which only seemed to infuriate the man further.
"What are you, deaf? Pick up the poop, boy."
Jinji quickly interpreted the meaning behind the shouted words, but it didn't really make sense to him. It had never occurred to him to retrieve an animal's droppings. Even if it had, Jinji was unprepared to do so. He had no shovel. He would have to leave it where it lay. What else could he do? He found it strange that Americans expected him to "pick up the poop" - whatever for? Do they collect it somewhere? Such a bizarre culture that fixated on animal poop and let a thousand other offenses flourish. Come to think of it, back at the house, his host family paid Mexicans just last week to come spread manure around the flowering bushes.
Oh wait. Maybe the burly man wanted me to move the feces over to a nearby rose bush. Maybe that's the courteous thing to do in America. Even then, Jinji had nothing to transport it. He simply had to leave the neighbor ungratified. Perhaps he could come back later. Next time, he would know to scoop it to closer to the house. And so he shrugged helplessly, even apologetically, wagging his head from side-to-side as if to say, "I will know better next time." Then he turned to follow an eager Headley another block or two down toward the park.
