Bright Burning

Ojichan

If anything was to tell me I was inadequate compared to the girl sitting on the other side of the table, I wouldn't blink twice. Her smile was the brightest in the room, her hair was smoother than the tea that the waitress poured for us and her chopstick skills were like a professional surgeon doing the utmost cleanest stitch to ever be done.

Even though we were done eating we continued to talk, I had 18 years of her life that I wanted to catch up on so my questions went from so many different subjects that I'm sure her voice was getting tired. She would try to ask me questions but I just wasn't as compelling as her. When she would try to think of the answers to my questions she would use her chopsticks to pick up a single grain of rice at a time from her almost empty bowl. She never liked to leave anything on her plate, even if it wasn't her cooking.

"That cook asked me out on a date once."

Furrowing my brows I tried to discreetly turn to see the guy who put a towel over his shoulder. When he shot a wink her way my eyes that rolled to the back of head weren't as tactful. "I'm not surprised." Sipping the last of my tea I licked my lips. "You are something for sure."

"It's not a regular thing." Her chopsticks rested in her mouth as her legs underneath the table swung nervously. "They flirted when I wore my uniform a lot."

That caught me off guard so I rubbed the back of my neck. "I've heard about that." It made me uncomfortable to think people would have been fantasizing about a child but not every culture could be perfect. One thing that Japan certainly needed work on was the amount of sexual assault. I silently thanked her family for living on the countryside and not in the city where that was an even bigger problem. "That won't be as much of problem now. You are out of school and an owner of a house." I smiled at her. "Basically an old lady."

Her feet kicked my crossed legs and we left the restaurant soon after. I would have given anything to hold her hand but I knew the world we lived in so I only carried my purse and followed her down the street that had become a regular route for our in town stops. I didn't technically live with her but there wasn't a night I didn't stay over at her house for the last four weeks. The last thing we wanted was to be apart and I'm not sure if she could have handled being alone...honestly I don't think I could have either.

With the passing of her grandfather and my nerves frying at every passing thought of asking her the important question we seemed to be in an odd spot. I know she felt it too but there was no I could talk about it without turning into a blubbering idiot. That fact was I knew I wanted to marry her, but there were so many factors that went into such an easy thing.

Did we want it to be real?

If we did then we would have no choice but to marry in America. That would grant her a green card but she didn't want America she wanted Japan and honestly so did I. The last thing I wanted was her to have to deal with my family on the daily. They were supportive and caring of everything I did but to put it simply...they were insane. So asking her to marry me wasn't just a one and done. It would be a long conversation of what if's and it scared me to death. She wanted a family and and a life that everyone else had. How would I give all of that to her with being a woman on a teachers income?

"I am so sorry I missed lunch, T.J could not find his shoes for a solid thirty minutes and in the process he lost our car keys." Amy hung her head but pulled me into a hug before looking over at a curious Akira. "Oh my gosh you two are just a match made in heaven." Her arms went around the small girl as she squeezed a little too hard.

"Alright calm down there." I laughed pulling her off.

"I'm sorry I'm just so excited for you guys. "Where's the ring?" She pulled out her phone to look at the text that dinged her attention away from us. My breathe caught in my throat and I refused to look over at the girl who's head tilted at the catch of words. "Do you guys want ice cream?" She smiled at me and I only stared back at my dear friend who spoke so freely. She seemed to catch what she did wrong as she clenched her jaw and looked over at Akira.