Mariko Nakamura was scheduled to arrive on American Airlines flight 554 from Japan at four thirty-five. Jim and Julia met her there, hustled her out of the crowded airport, and whisked her back to their house. She was breathless and tired from the long flight. Over twelve hours, she had said. It would be the next morning in Japan, because she had left just before four p.m. from Narita airport in Tokyo.
She sat on the sofa with her knees together, and sipped on her tea. She called it "kocha" and said that while she preferred green tea, which she called "ocha," this was good, or "oishii." Jim and Julia tried to talk to her, but it was evident sometimes she didn't understand, because she just nodded her head and smiled.
Jim thought she looked cute. She had on a skirt that was halfway up her thighs, and a white button-up blouse. Her hair was black and hung over her forehead in bangs, the sides falling loosely to her shoulders. Her eyebrows were thin and her eyes curved in an intoxicating way. Her voice was soft and high pitched. Jim thought it sounded sexy the way she pronounced her words and dipped her head before she spoke.
They showed her to Jan's room, and Jim gave her a quick tour of the house. He went back to sit with his mother while she unpacked and relaxed. He imagined the jet lag of traveling for over twelve hours and ending up in a place where the time was twelve hours different. He wondered if the cultures were opposites as well. One thing was sure, she was attractive. That much seemed to be universal.
Mariko took a shower, changed clothes, and joined them for dinner, which she said would be breakfast time in Japan. The menu was fascinating to her, and she spent a lot of time looking at it, reading each selection carefully, tracing along the type with a long slender finger.
Finally Julia helped her pick out something, and they chatted while they waited for the order to arrive. Mariko was a little hesitant, but Jim thought her English was pretty good, especially since he didn't know a word of Japanese.
"So, you're studying nursing?" he said.
"Yes, later. Now just English. My English very bad."
"No, no, no. I think it's very good."
She smiled, and covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyelids fluttered closed and her head dipped down. Jim puzzled over the meaning of her gestures.
"Tomorrow we'll show you the way to the school. It's quite easy," Julia said.
"Oh, thank you very much. You are very kind," Mariko said.
"And I'll give you a quick tour around town."
"Thank you very much also."
They finished their meal and went back home. It would take Mariko a couple of days to adjust to the different time schedule, and longer to adjust to life in America. Jim thought it would be an interesting adventure for her, and his interest in her was piqued as well. The more she talked, the more he liked to look at her, the way she smiled, the delicate movements of her hands, the way she held her legs, and her slim body with the small, high breasts.
The next day she went to her school for an introduction and a day of getting acquainted with the instructors, watching videos, and generally just getting used to being in America. They realized she still had jet lag, so the day was short.
When she returned home, Jim was lounging around outside, drinking a pop and listening to CDs. She smiled and shaded her eyes with her hand. Jim noticed the way her breasts rode up high on her chest with the motion, and he eyed her short skirt and the trim tan legs underneath. She went inside to change and rest and Jim followed. He flipped on the TV and coasted through a few channels. Just as he was about to turn it off, Mariko walked back in.
"Feeling rested?" he asked.
"I'm fine, thank you," she said. "American TV very interesting, but they speak very fast."
"Yeah, I guess. Here, you wanna see what's on?" He handed her the remote.
She looked at the controls for a minute and then back at the flickering images on the screen. She touched the channel changing button once and watched a commercial about shampoo. She advanced it once more and listened to a PBS special about polar bears. Her expression was puzzled.
"It's not so interesting, I think," Jim said.
"I can't understand what they say. Before I could see it was shampoo, but now some kind of animal in north. Big bear?"
"Yeah, polar bears. Around the north pole I guess."
"Polar?"
"Uh-huh. You know, the two poles, north and south?" He made a motion with his hands to indicate the two points on an imaginary ball.
"Oh, I see," she said. "Kita and minami."
"Sure, if you say so. Hey, how about going out for a drive around town. You up for it?"
"Up? Going uptown?"
"Um, I mean, are you interested in seeing some of our lovely town?"
"Oh yes, of course. Now, you mean?"
"No time like the present."
Jim jangled the car keys in his hand and led Mariko out the front door. She followed behind him, taking short steps to keep up with him. He opened the door for her and she was very surprised and thanked him three times. When she fastened the seat belt, Jim looked at the valley it made between her small breasts, and at the way her short skirt had ridden up her thighs as she sat. Her hair was long and black and she tossed her head to settle it around her shoulders.
They rode around and Jim pointed out some of the sights, but there weren't that many. She liked the ocean and so they went to a spot overlooking the beach. He parked the car in a shady spot and they got out to take an oceanside stroll. They took off their shoes and socks to walk on the sand, and Jim took her hand to guide her. It felt cool and smooth in his, and it made his heart beat a little faster just holding her hand.
He steered them to a place where some trees lined the path, and they sat side by side. Mariko clenched her knees to her, and Jim saw the under part of her thighs. He thought he caught a glimpse of white panties underneath. His dick stirred in anticipation.
It was pleasant just sitting together and chatting, comparing the things they took for granted in their cultures, but which were very different in the other country. He had to stop and explain some things, and to repeat what he had said a few times. She often took a long time to answer, and he thought she was probably translating in her mind. He had to do the same thing when he was first learning Spanish, but he grew up hearing a lot of it, and it wasn't that different from English. But Japanese seemed a lot different, even from the little he had heard.
