But I am just going to start making blogs more often, starting with the weekly news! (Maybe if I say I'm gonna make blogs more often it will curse it, lol.)
I was given… a love letter… today. I am so incredibly moved by the bravery of this boy. That picture down there is the letter that he wrote for me, but before I translate it for you; I want to provide some background information: I have moved host families now, so I arranged to meet the two Komagata children every Thursday at the public library to spend some quality time together. Well, last week was our first Thursday, so we met at the house and then walked to the public library. After about an hour there, we left the library to walk home. I was the last one out, and just as I was leaving; two Middle-School aged boys sitting in the lobby called over to me. I was surprised, so I turned to look and the one who called was red as a beet. I smiled at him, and he smiled back, and just as I was leaving again he blurted out, “I love you!!!” and then his buddy clapped him on the back. I smiled and looked around awkwardly, and then smiled again and waved and then left.
He is just hitting five feet and I would say maybe thirteen or fourteen years old, and I am ashamed to say I left the library feeling a little flattered and then promptly forgot about him.
Well, that was a week ago, and this week again me and the two Komagata children met at the library, except today it was closed so we all just sat on the steps outside and had a little picnic. Well, as fate, (or maybe a plan) would have it, those same two boys rode by on their bicycles. The one from the other day slowed down dramatically as he rode by, and then stared at me like a deer frozen in the headlights, and I was just kind of watching him a little nonplussed, and then he turned red again; smiled, and furiously pedaled to the library entrance to join his friend. I shrugged and resumed eating. After about fifteen minutes, I looked to the library entrance and realized the boys were still there. They didn’t seem to be doing anything at all. And then as I watched them, they crept around and sat behind this giant bush about fifteen feet away from me and Mich and Ak. I will admit at this point I was genuinely intrigued. It couldn’t have been comfortable behind the bush, and the only people they were shielding themselves from view from were me and Mich and Ak. As I was watching the bush, I see Boy #1 poke his head up tentatively, looking at me, and then upon making eye contact dart back down. I heard giggling.
I decided it was time to leave the library.
As I was walking back to the Komagata house to drop of Mich and Ak, Boy #1’s friend rode by me on his bicycle. He stopped in front of me, and said, (in Japanese but I will translate.)
“Excuse me! …. Ummm. My friend...he…he….wantsmetogiveyouthispleasereadit!” he said, and then thrust a letter into my hand. Taken aback, I was like, “what on Earth is going on? I don’t even know these boys!” And then Boy #1’s friend sped away on his bicycle at full speed. Then I opened the letter and my entire view point on life changed. It said,
“Hello, my name is Okano Ibuki. I am going to enter Seirantaito High School this April. What is your name? The other day, when I was cleaning up the library I saw you! I will wait for your answer. Oh yeah! I forgot to say this: I like you! I will wait for your answer. Please come to the library tomorrow!”
Awwwww. And then as soon as I finished reading that, his friend approached me on his bicycle again, (letter boy disappeared about twenty minutes ago,) and told me that his friend would like me to come to the library tomorrow, if it was okay.
What a precious, precious boy. The courage it must have taken. I can’t even imagine it. That is true, pure bravery right there. I hope he gets a million wonderful girls that right him love letters one day. If only he was five years older and a foot taller and I wasn’t leaving in five months. He really changed my life, by proving that pure courage exists and I know longer have any excuses to back out of things I’m afraid of. Okano Ibuki is the bravest person I know.
I have to do something I really don’t want to have to do, tomorrow. I spent the whole day after school with my host parents writing the nicest but still direct letter I could. I do not want to crush his heart. If I was the one who doused that courage I would never forgive myself. I am going to go to the library tomorrow, and simply tell him the truth. I wrote a letter to him, too. Though it killed me to do it.
“To Okano Ibuki,
Receiving your letter made me so happy, but I am very sorry. I am a foreign exchange student, so I will not always be living in Japan. Actually, I will be going back to America in just a few months. I came to Japan to study, and learn Japanese, and (if I had a boyfriend) I would not be able to focus at all! When you come to Seirantaito in April, I don’t know if we will get to see eachother, but I hope that we do and can become very good friends. By the way, my name is Jaremie Forsman. Hey, good luck and have fun in Seirantaito, kay?
Oh, I feel so terrible. There is no easy way to turn someone down. Especially not a boy so shy and sweet as this one. I tried to be as gentle as possible, and my host mom and host dad helped me write the letter, and told me most of the things to say. I will just go to the library tomorrow, and be gentle but direct and give him my letter and my answer.
Ten years from now, I will look back at my 7 billion page scrapbook on Japan, and find the section about Valentine’s, and find Okano Ibuki’s love letter, and smile. In truth, I am so lucky to receive a love letter from a Japanese boy. It really is rare, and people really don’t write them anymore. I will keep it forever.
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