Mismatch by Lensey Namioka Page A

is our daughter, Haruko. Welcome to Japan, Andy-kun.”
    Andy bowed again, and smiled at Mrs. Sato and Haruko. Mrs. Sato gave a flicker of a smile, while Haruko’s face held no expression. Andy couldn’t tell whether she was disappointed by him or just bored. He’d never seen such a totally blank face before.
    Andy tried to study the girl without being too obvious. She was about the same height as Sue, and both of them had a slim build. There the resemblance ended. Whereas Sue had long, straight black hair that fell in a shining sheet, Haruko’s was cut very short, and bleached a pale blond. But the greatest difference between the two girls was in their expressions. Sue generally looked serious, but Andy could see humor lurking not far from the surface, and he always felt that her smile was on the point of breaking out. Haruko’s face held no trace of humor whatsoever.
    “We usually take the train from Narita Airport,” Mr. Sato told Andy. “But since you must be tired after the trip, we thought we’d drive into Tokyo.”
    Something in his voice told Andy that driving to and from the airport, the normal thing to do in America, was a big undertaking here and a sacrifice on Mr. Sato’s part.
    “It’s very kind of you to drive me,” Andy said quickly. “Thank you very much for going to so much trouble.”
    Both Mr. and Mrs. Sato smiled at Andy. Apparently he had said the right thing.
Score one for Andy.
    Stepping out of the air-conditioned terminal building and walking into the open air of late July was like being slapped in the face with a slice of hot pizza—the side with the cheese and pepperoni. It had been hot back home, but nothing like this. The humidity made the heat feel a hundred times worse.
    Andy plodded after the Satos, carrying his backpack on his back and pulling his wheeled suitcase with one hand while holding his violin case with the other. He could feel the sweat running down his face and into his eyes, almost blinding him. Since his hands were full, he couldn’t wipe his eyes. Of course Mr. and Mrs. Sato belonged to an older generation and couldn’t be expected to help carry his luggage, but he thought Haruko could have offered to take the violin case, at least. He blinked away some sweat from his eyes and stole a look at her. She glanced coldly at him and turned her head away.
What is with her?
    At last they reached the garage where the car was parked. As Mr. Sato unlocked the Toyota, Andy wondered how they were going to fit him and his luggage in. Back home, his family also drove a Toyota, but it was much bigger than the Satos’ car. He didn’t realize that Toyota made a model as teeny as this one. It seemed like a golf cart to him.
    The trunk did hold Andy’s suitcase and violin case. He got in—inserted himself into—the backseat with Haruko, shoving his backpack in before him. She winced as she sat down beside him, and Andy wondered if he smelled bad. After all, he’d been on a plane for nine hours, and it was pretty hot outside. It was a blessing when Mr. Sato started the engine and turned the air-conditioning on.
    Andy couldn’t tell how long it took to drive into Tokyo, because he dozed during most of the trip. At first he tried hard to stay awake. After they left the airport, they drove past some fields. Andy saw old-fashioned Japanese houses with sloping tiled roofs. It was almost like seeing a costume movie. He wanted to ask about the countryside, but he was swamped by a wave of sleepiness. He woke up a little later and saw that they were driving on a freeway that had walls on either side, obscuring the view, so he lost interest.
    The next time he opened his eyes, he saw that they had left the freeway and were driving through a city street. The street was so narrow that it barely had room for one car. Pedestrians had no sidewalks, only a narrow path along the side of the road, which was marked off by a white stripe or a low metal railing. Andy wondered how a big fat sumo