Free Saying Goodbye, Part Two (Passports and Promises Book 1) by Abigail Drake Page A

one condition,” I said, sure I’d stump them. Hana and I had been working on this for an hour. There was no way they’d be able to translate it. “Tell me what this means, and we’ll go with you.”
    I held up my phone and showed them the photo of the tsukubai. Thomas glanced at it and grinned. “Well, that’s easy.”
    I narrowed my eyes at him. “No, it isn’t. I looked all through the Japanese dictionary and couldn’t figure it out.”
    “That’s because you’re not seeing what’s there. The square hole in the center of the stone is part of each character, completing them. Without that, it’s just a load of rubbish.”
    I looked at him in surprise. “So what does it say, Mr. Smarty Pants?”
    “The characters themselves are easy. Although pronounced differently, the meaning is the same at it would be in Chinese. It says ‘ I learn only to be contented.’ Now get your wellies on. It’s time to play in the snow.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    I saw Thomas at breakfast the next morning. I put my tray down on the table and sat in the chair next to him.
    “I have a proposition for you,” I said.
    He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Sam. I haven’t even had my coffee yet.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Not that kind of proposition. I want to offer you a trade. I’ll help you with your Japanese class if you’ll help me with kanji.”
    He pulled out a newspaper from his backpack, setting it down so we could read it together. “Let’s get started.”
    I almost dropped the piece of toast I’d just slathered with jelly. “You can read the newspaper? That’s amazing. I can barely understand the headlines.”
    “I can read it, but I can’t understand it. Maybe we’ll figure it out together.”
    We worked as we finished our breakfast, and together we translated an article about an ikebana show coming to Ritsumeikan. He proved to be a huge help. He had such a natural understanding of languages. I felt surprised to realize I’d absorbed a great deal in my weeks at Ritsumeikan. It seemed more automatic now, less of a struggle.
    “We should go to that flower show,” said Thomas.
    I hefted my backpack, heavy with the giant kanji dictionary I had to carry around, onto my back, “Really? You wouldn’t mind coming with me?”
    “Of course not. As long as you come to my rugby match tomorrow.”
    I winced. “Sure.”
    He laughed at the expression on my face. “What’s the matter? You don’t like rugby?”
    “I don’t like seeing you get knocked around and bloodied and smushed under a pile of guys.”
    “Careful, Sam,” he said with a wink. “It sounds like you’re starting to care.”
    We walked to Japanese Anthropology, the only class we had together, and took a seat. Dr. Brown, a professor visiting from the States for a semester, was also our study abroad advisor while we spent our time at Ritsumeikan. Thomas joked he’d be the one to get us out of the clanker if we messed up. It was probably true. Dr. Brown took his job very seriously, and he was an excellent teacher, too.
    “A research project?” I asked, reading Dr. Brown’s notes on the board.
    “Yes. It’ll be your final exam and fifty percent of your grade. I want you to find an element of Japanese society you find surprising or intriguing. Something unlike what you’ve encountered in your home countries. This is a chance for you to do actual, hands-on, extensive research. Interview people. Learn their stories. Work with a partner on this. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”
    I looked at Thomas and mouthed the words, “ You and me?”
    He nodded, giving me a thumbs up.
    Dr. Brown let us meet with our partners for the remainder of the class. “So, what do you think, Sam?” asked Thomas. “Do you want to do it on women in the workforce or something like that?”
    I giggled. “Is that really what you’re interested in?”
    He shrugged. “I’m trying to be accommodating. I grew up with three