”Sakurako nodded, “That is why I agreed to the match. Well, I haven’t yet. He will ask formally on Monday, after you leave.”“I’m staying u...til Thursday. For your grandfather.”Her eyes went wide, “But...”“Don’t worry. Hideki will ask when Hiroshi is here, and Hiroshi and your grandfather will give their blessing.”“But that means...”“Yes, and I’m OK with it. And you must be, too! You didn’t ask my permission, did you?”“No. Should I have?”“Of course not! That’s between you and Hideki, assuming. Mark started taking some of the jewelry with him on every trip and sold most pieces for much more than their value as straight gold. Those artisans quickly became worth their weight in gold!To the surprise of almost everybody, including me, the farm was doing very well. It easily supplied all of the vegetables we needed and could have done twice as much. The special lights worked out so well that we stocked up on as many as we could find. They were not a common item in a small town hardware or. I nodded my understanding and concern.“I wouldn’t worry unduly. We’ve talked about this stuff,” she said. “Like we’ve both agreed, she does have a head on her shoulders. I think she’ll know where to draw the line. Still, keeping an eye out would not be a bad thing.“Yes, yes, I agree. At least she’s talking to me about personal things even if some of it is not exactly meaningful,” I said.“For sure. Keep her talking and let her know indirectly that you won’t be condemning her if she makes a. ” She seemed to want to talk more, but I desperately needed to escape and feel my social anxiety wash over me. “Hey you have a car? Can I get a ride? It’s not far, just over by Wendover and 72nd.”“Uh ... yeah. Yeah, that’s ... I’m ... that’s on my way. I’ll drop you.” Is she going to rob me? What kind of person just talks to another human being? Geez, this is making me uncomfortable.We spend the next 10 minutes making small talk about food and school. She just graduated last term and is working.