ABSTRACT
I thought maybe I liked her. I don't think she really knew why I always ended up following her on foot as she rode her bicycle home from school. Junko Minamoto was a couple of years older than I, but I liked her because she was friendly and her laughter sometimes made me choke with excitement. The routine I got into was embarrassing, but the only Japanese words I could remember were the first ones she taught me: Moshi moshi. I knew it meant "hello" when answering a phone-maybe she would get the clue and ask me to call her. "Moshi moshi! Moshi moshi!" I'd tag alongside her as she pedaled faster than I could walk comfortably. I just wanted her to stop so I could ask her to teach me some more Japanese words.
