The Tutor

Chapter 6: Looking Deeper

"Thanks for doing this," Sumire said again.

She and Nick were walking along a shady street near Nick's house in Bel Air as Sumire held her phone between them, two pairs of earbuds plugged into it so they could both listen. It was a warm afternoon, though not uncomfortably so, especially because the streets where they walked were so deeply shaded from the old growth trees which grew there.

Nick shrugged. "I go to the gym and exercise and all that, but I don't just get out and walk nearly enough," he said. "I'm sure that breathing the fresh air, or what passes for it in LA, is good for me." He looked around and smiled. "It's really pretty, here. And you're sure those trees, those jack-o-lanterns or whatever, are blooming now?"

Sumira smiled. "Jacaranda, Nick-san, jacaranda. And no, it's a rumor, more like an urban gardening legend, I guess. I've heard, in gardening circles at UCLA, that there are some jacarandas up here in Bel Air, some late blooming jacarandas that are hidden away, and are blooming around this time of year and are really pretty. I've never had a chance to see them because when am I ever in Bel Air? So this seemed like a perfect time to kind of look around, you know?"

"An urban gardening legend?" Nick repeated, and Sumire could hear the laughter in his voice. "You hang around with really, really cool people, don't you, Sumireh-chan? Hm?" And he lifted his leg backward at the knee so he could kick her from behind like a little kid.

"You're right," Sumire returned with a straight face. "I don't kick it with people who like to get it on in the middle of the day in my den with the doors wide open. And none of my friends have been arrested for statutory rape." This had happened to one of Nick's recent co-stars last week.

"Touché," Nick replied with a smile as they continued walking.

The sound of birds was very loud in the lush, green neighborhood where they walked. It was almost jungle-like, and there was surprisingly little traffic, which only enhanced the wild ambience.

"So it occurred to me that I've been saying your name wrong," Nick said, changing the subject.

"Oh? How so?" Sumireh asked in surprise.

"Well, I've been saying Su-mi-reh, with an 'r' sound, but Japanese doesn't have an 'r' sound, does it?" Nick asked, taking a swig from his water bottle as they walked. "And when Nishimura-san says your name, it sounds almost like a 'd' sound, you know?"

Sumireh looked pleased. "Your ear is getting so good, Nick." She nodded. "In linguistic terms, that sound is called an alveolar flap, and it's sort of a mixture between an 'l' and a 'd.' This is why Japanese people have so much trouble with 'l' and 'r,' though, because both those sounds become a flap in Japanese."

"Sumireh," Nick said experimentally, practicing the flap. "Sumi-reh, Sumi-reh, Sumi-reh," he said loudly, smiling. He could tell he sounded right.

"Very good," Sumireh praised. "It feels weird to hear my name spoken so loudly outside, though, kind of like my Totto-san is calling me from somewhere." She poked at his shoulder. "Keep your voice down, please."

"Do all little kids call their fathers Totto-san? Sumireh-chan?" Nick asked with a grin.

Sumireh shook her head. "I don't think so, no. It's almost like baby talk, you know? Because I couldn't say Otosan when I was really little? So that's what I called him, and I never stopped. I probably would have when I got a little older, but I never got the chance." She gave an involuntary shiver.

If it had been anyone else, Nick would've put an arm around her, but he was learning her boundaries, so he kept his hands and arms to himself. They continued walking, looking for the elusive, mythical jacaranda tree of Bel Air As they listened to his dialogue from the movie.