Chapter Twenty: Red Rose Family:

�So Captain,� I said. �You�re Japanese, aren�t you?�

�That�s right,� Shimamoto said.

�Are you on vacation?�

�Yeah, that�s right.�

�I see.� The smell of fresh sea crabs made my mouth water. They are going to be fed to the people of Taiwan. My stomach grumbled for food.

�Shut up,� I mumbled to it. �You�ll get food soon!�

�You say something?� Shimamoto asked. I jerked up my head and shook it as fast as I could.

�What?� I asked. �Oh, no! No! Nothing! Nothing at all!� I let off a loud nervous laugh. Sappoto-san and the captain stared at me with odd faces; I could tell. Oh shit, I thought.

Now, I have seen some big houses in my time. This one� This one ranks high up in the top five fancy, big houses that I have seen. I let off a low whistle at the tall white columns before us. The captain gave us a little smile.

�Impressive, huh?� he asked. I turned to him, nodding.

�Yeah,� I said. I glanced over at Sappoto-san. Her jaw nearly came down to the ground. I patted her on the shoulder.

�Easy now,� I whispered. �Be impressed later once we get inside.� I doubt that my words made it inside her head. I smiled to myself. Oh to be easily amused just like her. Must be nice. Shimamoto-san walked down the drive to the front door. Sappoto-san and I watched on in curiosity. He unlocked the door and slid it open. We followed behind in a jog.

�I�m home!� Shimamoto-san called. A woman about his age with curly brown hair came out to greet us. She still had on her apron from cooking breakfast.

�Welcome back,� she said. �I just finished cooking. How was the ocean this morning?� Her husband walked over, smiling.

�Just as beautiful as you,� he said. The woman giggled and they shared a kiss. Kind of sweet to see married couples still acting sweet like that. The wife turned and saw us.

�Who are these girls?� she asked. Sappoto-san clung onto my arm as I waved at the captain�s wife.

�Hello,� I said.

�I found these two out at sea,� Shimamoto-san said. �They�re joining us for breakfast.�

�Is that so?� his wife asked.

�That�s right,� he said. I took a step forward.

�I�m Miho and this is my friend, Sappoto-san,� I said. His wife gave us a little smile.

�So nice to meet you,� she said. �My name is Kyoko.� We all exchanged bows. Kyoko-san pressed her hands together.

�Come and join us,� she said. �I was just about to put breakfast on the table.�

�Sounds good,� I said. We all followed her to the dining room. Six kids all sat around the table, waiting to eat. The oldest was a girl close to Diamond�s age, maybe a bit younger. The children all looked up at us.

�Daddy!� the youngest child cheered. Shimamoto-san smiled and nodded.

�I�m home,� he said. The oldest boy glanced over at me with an eyebrow raised.

�Who are they?� he asked. His mother stepped forward and pressed her hands together.

�These ladies are our guests that your father has brought with him,� he said. Sappoto-san and I bowed to the kids.

�Please take good care of us,� Sappoto-san said as we did so.

�Such a proper young lady,� Shimamoto-san said. My friend just looked away from rosy cheeks.

�Uh� well�� she mumbled. I patted her on the back.

�Just relax, okay?� I whispered. Sappoto-san only pressed her lips together. I�ve got to work on her.

The table felt so roomy in the airy morning room. The younger children chatted among themselves. The oldest boy kept his eyes on me.

�Where did you come from?� he asked.

�Jiro!� his mother gasped. I gently shook my head at her.

�It�s fine,� I said. �Tokyo.� The oldest kid smiled at me.

�Cool!� she said. �So are we!�

�What part?� I asked.

�Toshima,� the girl said.

�Never been there.�

�Really?� Kyoko asked.

�Yep,� I said. �I�m a country girl.�

�You are?� Shimamoto asked. �From where part?�

�Nagano,� I said.

�You don�t say,� he said. Then, the captain turned to Sappoto-san. �And what about you, young lady?� he asked. She fiddled with her hands in her lap.

�Osaka,� she said. �I moved to Tokyo for work.� Kyoko and Shimamoto-san looked intrigued.

�For your family?� she asked. My friend gave them a sharp nod.

�My husband and children,� she said in a quiet voice. The parents looked on at her impressed.

�That is so admirable of you,� Kyoko said. Sappoto-san nodded. I patted her on the hand. She�s coming up a little bit on the social part of life. I still need to work on her.

�Is there anymore roasted fish?� I asked.

�Oh yes,� Kyoko said. �Go ahead. Help yourself.� I bowed my head at her.

�Thanks,� I said. I used my chopsticks to get another fish for my plate. The kids followed suit. The taste of roasted fish and seaweed with conversation and children laughing. I almost miss home again.