5. THE DUTCH GUY

It is Tuesday morning. Naoko has to go to university. What time does she have to leave? She is tired because she stayed up late last night. She is very late for class. Has she ever been late before? What time does class start? What time does it finish?

Naoko only has one class today. After class she goes to a coffee shop. Has she been to that shop before? She sits down by herself. There are some other people in the coffee shop. Some of them are studying. One of them is talking in a very loud voice. It is Yuji. Is he talking about football? Is he wearing a football jersey? Naoko is sitting with her back to Yuji but she can hear his voice. A tall blond guy is sitting across from her. Has Naoko ever seen him before? What is he wearing? What is he drinking? Is he reading? Has he been to this shop before?

Naoko thinks about her life. She thinks about her mother. Her mother and father have been dead for a long time but she still misses them. Has she been to their grave recently? Has she dreamed about them recently? She thinks about her parents and she thinks about Yuji and suddenly she feels very very lonely and she starts to cry. The tall blond foreigner stands up. He walks over to Naoko. He gives her a handkerchief. Has a stranger ever given her a handkerchief before? Has she ever cried in public before?

The tall guy talks to Naoko. Does he speak to her in English or in Japanese? He is Dutch. Has Naoko ever met anybody from the Netherlands before? The guy’s name is Herman. He is a foreign student. He is studying environmental science. How long has he been in Japan? Has he been to other countries in Asia? Has he been to other countries in Europe? What countries has Naoko been to? Has Yuji ever been to another country? Naoko talks to Herman for a long time then she goes home. Is Uncle Taro at home? What time does he usually come home?