Lavo Standard (12) (8-18-09)

In the afternoon, Sunday, Juno was disgruntled on a bus seat on the way to the Ichikawa station to take lessons at a branch school of a major English conversation company which helped hone skills in speaking English. She was actually pleased after all of her family members, even Suzan, gave her sympathetic remarks in the hope of reconciliation, but still couldn’t accept her idea and declined her offer to attend her.

“She knew how much I liked Libro. How come could she make that plan secretly to make use of him?”

This kind of thought had automatically circulated through her mind over and over, after the falling out with her. The uncomfortable relationship made Juno’s straight hair look antithetical to Suzan’s wavy one. Juno needed some time to dispel skepticism about and hostility to Suzan.

Trundling through buildings that sprawled from the north exit of the Ichikawa station, the bus turned left as it was entering the rotary, moved halfway around on it and stopped parallel to the station, a short distance away.

“But Ric will understand me!” Juno was excited.

Facing out from the north exit of the station, a slim building which looked to have seven floors fronted the western part of the rotary. The school was on the fifth floor of the building.

Jumping out the front door of the bus, Juno flew to the building, as the crow did.

The company with its English conversation schools, named NORA, was popular across Japan. Even after going through bankruptcy that some illicit management by the former president wrought about 20 months ago, the company led by its incumbent president--who had beaten other potential presidents--was now seen on track business-wise. Under the former president--whose debauched behavior would make a scandal--more than 800 branch schools nationwide had looked predominant, but the company’s prosperity was discovered superficial and unsustainable, much relying on each slew of affordable lesson fees paid in advance, in bulk. By contrast, the present number of over 300 had been achieved from scratch, based on more careful business strategies.

As a whole, English conversation schools mainly put a stress on fostering conversation skills in the language, rather than how to answer written questions. For this reason, some families with their children opted out of this choice. On the other hand, however, other families believed that early practice in English would give their children a great advantage in getting used to the language. Having the same kind of expectation, Suzan knocked on the door of this school/company when Juno was a 1st grader. Exposing a different taste from Katz’s, Juno took to communicating with non-Japanese people in the universal language, immediately.

As Juno swung open the entrance door of the school, it was during a 15-minute break for both teachers and students. Chitchat of teachers, the sounds of which traveled across the walls of the staff room, was heard to be cheery. Passed by other adult students who had taken their lessons, Juno handed a female receptionist her membership card and began waiting on a seat in a designated booth near the entrance. That was one of the six booths yet she had been acclimatized to. Placed in the center of the booth, a kidney-shaped desk could accept five students at a maximum, although they were usually one to three for a kids’ class. The shape of the desk let them focus on the teacher. Now together with Juno in the same booth, another student, Hiroko, was waiting for a teacher. Juno had shared classes with her several times to date.

She is wearing strange maid-like clothes again, Hiroko thought of Juno.

Her frown is studying me again, Juno thought of Hiroko whom she couldn’t have felt familiar with.

Chimes rang and informed students and teachers that classes were beginning.

“Good afternoon!”

“Good afternoon, Dan!” Juno and Hiroko both responded energetically as he entered the booth.

The teacher, Dan, was bald and looked middle-aged. He took a seat before Juno and Hiroko. He was not tall, but his torso was robust--though he might have often felt like beer--which a light-green short-sleeve business shirt with a blue tie fitted nicely.

“So, the topic we are taking on is body movements! Do you know what to call this movement?” Dan bent his right arm and then stretched it out.

The lesson topic about body movements prevented Juno from speaking freely and she and Hiroko almost equally shared the class. I’ll discharge my frustration in the next class, Juno was determined while enjoying the lesson, absorbing whatever Dan taught. He, in turn, seemed to be enjoying teaching Juno; He, this time again, was impressed by how quick she was on the uptake.

After 40 minutes of the first class and a 15-minute break, another chimes had Juno braced.

Entering the booth, the teacher resembled the successful Japanese outfielder with the Seattle Mariners, a team in Major League Baseball. The long sleeves of his white business shirt were tucked up, sending out a sense of gallantry. A navy-blue tie was an attachment.

“Good afternoon, Juno. And..., Hiroko?” Hiroko was not a regular student to Ric.

“Good afternoon, Ric!” Juno’s voice was so loud that Hiroko’s was drowned out.

Juno liked Ric because not only he looked good but his personality was what she would want her boyfriend to possess: He was energetic, frank and funny; notwithstanding, he had manners. Juno was honest and outspoken in front of Ric. She first met him when he was transferred from a different branch as NORA resumed its operation under the new president about 15 months ago--it took about five months after bankruptcy. To make this day special, Juno’s dissatisfaction which derived from her argument with Suzan would be relieved by Ric.

“Friday, I fight mother! She say my friend to TV! I angry!” Juno did her best in articulating her ideas in English, with her unfledged capacities of vocabulary and expressions.

“Really!? I saw you and that strange animal on TV. Do you mean that was your friend? You sound cool!” Ric made a laugh and two thumbs up.

“I angry! Mother crazy!”

“I know what you mean, Juno, but I think you should understand her feelings and why she tapped TV stations. It was for your younger brother.”

The sort of response was something Juno didn’t expect. The opinion was made by Ric, but it was short of persuading her to come to terms with Suzan.

“But Ric, you...,” Juno was arguing.

Only Juno and Ric are talking and don’t give me a chance to talk!, Hiroko was grumbling in her mind.

“Ok, Juno, listen to me. If you were Suzan, which would you rescue either your brother or the animal?” Ric was helping Juno understand the situation by drawing rough pictures of Daryl and Libro on a small portable whiteboard with a marker.

“Ric not understand me?,” Juno, yet, doubting Ric, made a sad face.

“Juno, I understand your feelings as well, but…”

Yet chimes rang, meaning the end of the class.

“I couldn’t say anything!” Hiroko snapped, standing up and shouting in Japanese. Tears were trickling down her cheeks.

“Only Juno and Ric were talking! It’s unfair!”

“I’ll never ever come to this school again! Never!” Hiroko stormed, wildly retrieved her membership card on the counter at the entrance, and got herself gone.

“Oh,” both Juno and Ric sighed.

“Ok, Juno, you probably need an extra time to be more adult,” turning down the volume, said Ric.

“Come to this place at this time if you want,” jotting down letters, numbers and a map on a memo, Ric left it on the desk before Juno.