Title: Between the Lines (Prologue)
Characters: Mia, Ms. Iitaka (subject to change in continuing chapters)
Rating: G (subject to change in continuing chapters)
Chapter One! CLICK!

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Papa,

Wherever you are, I’m hoping you are happy. It’s been a while, hasn’t it Papa? About 10 years, right? I wonder if you are even alive. After all these years, not knowing has become a daily thing. Wondering where you are…has become a normal thing. I don’t think these letters will ever send, will they, Papa? Because I don’t know where you are.

Right now, I am on my way to Japan. After 15 years of not knowing what to do with my life, I’d finally decided. And after 5 years of saving up, it all paid off—also, going to a good college has helped some. After the summer, I will be going to Keio University for two years, to finish off my courses. I stopped in the middle of this year, so I could have some time to get used to Japan before I lived there. But, I got half of the needed education. I’m 20 now, Papa. I have completed about two years of college. I am ready to take on what happens afterwards. And I still have the whole rest of my life to think about it, right?

When I get to Japan, I will be staying with the Iitaka family. I think that in the letter they said they have one son who is in his second year of Senior High school (Which is basically High school, but, it starts at 15 years old and is only three years), and a daughter who is in her last year of Junior High (Which is like middle school.) I hope they treat me well. I don’t know what it’s like to have a sibling. Papa, you never let me experience that. You hurt mum too bad.

I don’t know how long I will be staying with the family. I don’t know too much at all, Papa. I did this without thinking, basically. I will most likely only be staying until I get a job and an apartment house to stay in. I don’t want to be too much of a burden for them. They are being so generous already. I am confident about finding a job. I can probably work part time at a restaurant or something. I know that my Japanese is good, I am just worried about the accent, since I had no one to practice the accent on.

Life will be harder from now on, Papa. For me. I will be doing my best to live thoroughly, though. I hope to live up to all those expectations you had of me, even if they are in a different country. I chose this myself, so please don’t scold me for it, ok? Please don’t be mad at me for leaving mum. You did just the same. But you definitely hurt her more than me.

5-04-08        Mia~

 

Mia clicked her pen and sighed as she closed her notebook. She was already on her second flight to Japan and was starting to get tired. But she knew that the tiredness that she was feeling right then was not even remotely close tot what she would feel the next day. She’d never had jet-lag, but from what she heard, it wasn’t much fun.

            As the clock on her wrist reached 11:00pm, Mia decided to put her notebook away and get some normal sleep. The flight would be another six hours and by then, it would be the 6th in Japan, 5:00am.

 

           Mia stood in the room, looking at herself in the mirror. She pulled at her face, the circles under her eyes too apparent. It was already two days after she had landed, and she still felt too tired, too weak. The day before, the Iitaka’s had kindly let her sleep in, but today she had made herself get up in time for breakfast. She had hardly gotten in any conversation with any of them. The only thing she could remember talking slightly about was how her flight was. Ms. Iitaka had been so kind as to let her sleep in the car as well. And she took Mia’s bags in and led her to the room she would be staying in. Mia hit the bed and didn’t wake up until late the next day.

            She hadn’t gotten to see the kids much, either, since they still had school to finish out. The girl’s name was Sayuri and the boy’s name was Taro. Ms Iitaka had introduced Mia to them the night before. Ms. Iitaka had also told her that Mr. Iitaka was away on a business trip, and he usually was. She had praised Mia on being able to help her cook when she had asked, but Ms. Iitaka lightly turned her down, saying that she was the guest and still needed to rest up.

            Mia turned away from the mirror and shuffled over to her suitcases. She squatted down in front of one and unzipped it, trying to remember what clothes she had packed into that one.  She ruffled through her clothes thinking about what she should do that day. She had no idea what Ms. Iitaka would be doing but knew that the kids would be in school since it was only Friday.

            Pulling out a black tank-top and army capris, Mia decided that she would head to Keio University, since that was were she would be studying for the next couple of years.