YYZ

The hardest part about coming here was leaving mom in Japan. Losing dad and then her business took a huge toll on her. Seeing her decline like that changed me and everyone at school noticed it too. My grades were going down, I barely spoke and became distant from my friends. I was Captain of the basketball team but I stopped caring about how I played and my game was heavily affected. Teachers tried talking to me, they even called my mother to let her know what was going on but they got nothing much out of her. I know because she’s an adult and a parent that she should have dealt with her emotions in a better way for my sake but she’s also human. She was heartbroken, and that pain leaked out to me. Mom didn’t completely ignore me though, she was there but wasn’t always “present” if you know what I mean, basically only doing the bare minimum. Dad would call me or text me every day to see how I was doing. I lied to him for about 3 months and kept all that pain to myself until one day In the middle of my lie I broke down in tears and everything I was feeling came pouring out.

Once dad found out how much I was suffering he begged me to take a break from Japan and come live with him in Canada, he said he would speak to mom about it and keep me updated. Of course, she was against it but I believe it was more out of spite for dad. At this point I didn’t care about how my life was going since the happy home I was so proud of was destroyed. I didn’t mind leaving the country but I also didn’t want to leave mom alone, but nothing made her happy anymore and our home was doused in her negative energy. Since she wouldn’t answer dads calls anymore and it became some type of taboo to mention him at all, our relationship got worse which lead to me deciding I couldn’t stay there anymore. When I broke the news to her that I was planning on leaving and told her that she was not well and that she should get help. This caused her to go into a rage and despite the depressing side of her that I had never witnessed before this year, I saw another side of my mother I never knew existed. She cursed nonstop in Japanese saying things like "None of you are loyal!", "Like Father like daughter eh?" "I don't need any of you!" while destroying half the house tearing down any family photos we had up on the wall and throwing anything she could get her hands on. I spent the rest of my time in Japan at my aunt's house and haven't spoken to my mom since that day. I knew she was okay because my aunt who's my mom's sister would keep me updated on her well-being. The day of my flight came and even though I was angry with her I still checked my phone constantly to see if she would reach out to tell me she was sorry, loved me or even wish me luck. Nothing, not a call or text. So here I am, my first time In Canada, sitting in Toronto Pearson Airport, waiting to be picked up by dad, watching people of all races walking back and forth. The race diversity was amazing and overwhelming since I grew up seeing mostly Japanese faces. I was the odd one out for the most part but luckily it worked out to my advantage. My dad was born and raised in Canada while my mom was born and raised in Japan so I grew up speaking both English and Japanese fluently.

“Hey, waiting for a ride?” Came a voice from behind me. I turned my head to see a girl about my age with long big brown curls, super light brown eyes, a bright smile, and two Diamond stud piercings on either side of her nose. 

“Yes, my dad is supposed to meet me here in 10 minutes,” I said, with a hint of suspicion in my tone.

 “Nice! Are you here on vacation? She said, twirling her finger through one of her big curls.

  “No I’m actually going to be living here with him,” I said, still staring at her nose piercings.

  “Dope! Welcome to Canada!” She yelled, her arms stretched out wide.

I gave a half smile and said “Thank you.”

“So since you’ll be living here I’m guessing you’ll be attending school here too right?” She said, prying into my life inch by inch.

"Yes, but I am not sure where I will be attending," I replied.

"True true, so like what part of the city does your dad live in? East? West?" she said, still being a little investigator. 

"Not sure but I am not comfortable telling you who I just met where my father lives," I answered, trying not to be rude.

"Ouuuu I like youuuuuu! a little attitude eh?" she said, with a smirk. "Either way I hope it's in the east where all the baddies like me reside! but I mean none are unique like ME, but overall it's a bless vibe on the east side! she said, with extreme confidence.  My phone began to ring, “Beautiful Life“ by Pink Sweats” and by the way, her face lit up I assumed she knew the song. It was dad, “Sorry my dad's calling,” I said. 

“Moshi mo-shi,” I said, which is a typical Japanese greeting when answering a phone call.

“Yaho! Doko Orun?!” Dad replied, which is not a typical response in Japanese. The majority would respond with Moshi mo-shi but dad is a bit of an eccentric and does things his way, so that’s where “Yaho” comes in which is a more informal way to speak.

“Iwaretatouri terminal 3 no Starbucks no tikakuni suwatteru,” I said, telling him I’m close by the Starbucks at terminal three.

“Gomen ne, ato ichijikande tsuku!” Dad replied.

“Goji ni terminal 1 tte ittanoni!” I said, letting him know he was supposed to be here at 5 pm.

"Hon no shippitsu wo shiteitara idea ga tomaranaku natteshimatte, hontouni gomen!” Dad replied, apologizing and saying he would be here in an hour and that he got caught up with writing and didn’t want to ruin his flow.

“Well I am glad your flow is more important than your daughter,” I said bitterly.

“Don’t worry this next book I’m writing will pay for your dream home in Aruba!” He said.

“Yea and will let you know if you are invited to the housewarming party,” I said rolling my eyes.

“I’d expect nothing less my princess! But stay put I’ll be there soon and if any guys harass you don't be rude just smile and kindly tell them your Otousan is on the way." He said, with a very calm but menacing tone.

I smiled right away. Even though he’s a writer dad has this rough side about him because of where he grew up. He would always tell me stories about his upbringing and all the crazy dangerous people he was around and the things he witnessed. He even had a gun drawn on him because the guy that was trying to intimidate him thought he was someone else, basically mistaken identity.

“Ok, Jyaa mata atode” I said meaning see you soon.

As I turned back to where the double-pierced nose girl was standing I was greeted with a stretched-out hand followed by the words "Aratamemashite, Yukiko desu, but you can just call me Yuki!" she said, as she slightly bowed like all Japanese traditionally do.

"Eh?!" she caught me off guard. Her Japanese came out so quickly and fluently! I was so surprised that instead of responding in Japanese what came out of my mouth instead was "Nice to meet you too, I'm Kasumi.", bowing first and then reaching for her hand which is how it's correctly done. She smiled exuberantly as our hands connected. "Where did you learn to speak Japanese?" I asked.

"Okasan and Otosan! "she replied gloriously. "My parents met in Japan, moved to Toronto, got married decided to get down and dirty, then mom gave birth to this beautiful being standing before you," she said striking a pose and moving both her hands to her chest, then downwards and out as if she was showing off the newest and hottest Bugatti on the market. This girl had a different type of confidence than I'm used to seeing. I considered myself to be quite confident back home but now amid this energetic girl I felt like an ant in comparison. I thought to myself "she must be popular." 

"So yeah I've grown up with Japanese at home, knowing a second language is great! Mom says I'm a bit of a showoff but I just enjoy speaking Japanese and it's fun flexing my language muscles," she said as she smiled and flexed her bicep near her head. 

"Ahh I see, that's nice," I replied rather blandly. "Are you here alone?"

"Nope!, Dad went to get the car and mom is waiting with our luggage outside. I've been dying for an iced caramel macchiato so I came in to grab one! The ones in Japan are good but the caramel has this weird after taste that's just NOT it!" she said.

Not it? Her lingo is so typical of a North American female girl. She sounds like some of those girls I see on Tik Tok but it's hilarious hearing it in person. I smiled to myself. 

"Hey fill me in on the joke too!" she said.

"Oh no it's nothing...so you visit Japan often?" I said, diverting her attention back to the conversation.

Yup! we go back at least twice a year as a family to visit relatives and whatnot. Once before the school year starts and once after the school year ends.  Dad does a lot of business in Southeast Asia for work so he's over there a lot more regularly." she said proudly, telling me more than I asked. "Unfortunately school's starting again soon so we're back in this god-forsaken city," she said, rolling her eyes so hard I thought they could have got stuck in her eye sockets. "Don't get me wrong I love my city. I have my family, my friends and have so many memories doing all kinds of crazy things but I'm kind of tired of seeing the same faces," she said. "I wanna get away."

"Ah I see," I replied, trying to sound interested in her little life story. This girl was a talker and the person I am today is nowhere near that. She didn't seem like a bad person at all, I just wasn't in the mood to have a full convo with a stranger but I admired her unique beauty and sense of fashion so I thought it couldn't hurt to learn more about this oddly eccentric girl. She wore an oversized powder pink Nike crop top that looked as if it had been attacked by a small animal and the word Nike was coloured white in block lettered font on the front. Underneath she had on either a mock white fishnet t-shirt or long sleeve that hugged just the bottom of her neck and showed just under her Nike sweater. She had on tights that were tie-dyed in different shades of pink and flared at the bottom followed by a pair of cute platform crocs with little pink Kirby pins on her left foot. I wondered how she managed to sit on such a long flight with tights on, she's a trooper. I could tell she loved jewellery by the two gold Hoola hoops attached to each ear lob, a gold chain that read her name in Kanji, small but pretty-looking gold rings on a few fingers, a diamond-studded belly piercing that glistened like a night star and of course the two diamond piercings on either side of her nose. Her fashion matched her personality and I can't say I wasn't impressed.

Her voice interrupted my analysis "We were on the same flight you know! I saw you walk out from the business class section and I was like whoa who is that pretty ass Blasian girl?! There aren't much like us out here so I decided I'd investigate once I got off the plane!" She said waving her hand with the ice caramel macchiato and her free hand around like she was some kind of orchestra conductor.

"Really? where was it that you were you seated?" I said, even though I wasn't interested.

"Where was it that you were seated?" she said, mocking me and laughing. Gome Gome! she apologized in Japanese. "I didn't mean to offend you it's just so obvious that you've never actually spoken English outside of Japan! "Not that you are incorrect", she said again mocking me then bursting out in laughter. A few people looked over at her as if she was insane. "I was in business class too but the bathroom was close by where I was seated so there was no reason for me to walk by where you were. I hate sitting so close to them but Mom gets sick on planes so we can't be too far away from one." She said, still coming down from her laughing high. 

It's true, that my English is spoken in a very proper way but that's only because I don't use it very often. Dad was an English teacher before becoming an author and from the moment I uttered my first words he taught me everything he knew from pronunciation, grammar, reading, writing, and his favourite category....listening. I was always praised at school for being able to speak English fluently and even got special treatment from teachers for helping them pronounce certain catchphrases from their favourite American sitcoms. It's strange because I'm able to write properly and improperly in English but when it comes to a conversation I choose to speak proper English. Anyhow, to be laughed at by this random girl for my way of speaking English annoyed me and I decided it was time to cut this conversation short, plus after glancing at the time on my apple watch I realized dad would be here any minute so I should probably wait outside. 

"Nice chatting with you," I said, clearly showing my annoyance. "Oh, and by the way, cute outfit, it is a shame the person under is not as pleasant." I reached for my Kate Spade hand bang, grabbed the handle of my large suitcase and was about to stand up and make my way towards the automatic doors that led to the pickup area at Terminal two when Ms. crazy stooped down, placed her drink down on the floor, and clamped her hands together in prayer. 

"Kas I'm so so sorry! she pleaded. Kas? I thought. She's giving me nicknames already?! This girl is weird, we literally just met! "I guess I got comfortable a bit too quick, I didn't mean to offend you. "Another trait of mine that makes people either love me or hate me, but please don't hate me! How about I help you carry your suitcase outside?!" she said, searching my face for a reaction.

She had a nervous smile on her face afterwards and I don't know if it's because of what I went through with my whole "parents splitting up" situation but I acquired some type of emotional sixth sense. Like how in those Shonen anime where something tragic happens to the main character and they somehow receive an unknown power, ya that was me now. I can feel other people's deep suffering and know when they're putting on a facade to cover that pain, it's quite depressing actually since I'm still suffering myself. 

"Look, you do seem like a nice person but I am not really in the best mood right now, especially after being on a sixteen-hour flight," I said, as I stood to make my exit. "Thank you for the small talk, maybe I will see you around somewhere in the city and maybe by then you will have learned some better manners." 

"ugh okay, but I really didn't mean-" she began, but as I glanced over her shoulder I spotted my saviour. 

"Sorry I gotta go, my rides here," I said, making my way past her. I heard a faint "See ya" and for a split second felt bad for cutting her off and how I spoke, but snapped back to reality as my eyes met with the one person that could always make me feel safe.

"Ahh itoshii musume," he said, referring to me his beautiful princess.

"Aitakatta Otousan." I replied. 

"I missed you so much, dad."