Silent Honor by Danielle Steel Page B

handful at that, but I guess there are enough of them to make her life miserable, and she's so shy, I don't think she knows how to handle it. She's getting great grades, but she can't be having much fun. And she's here every weekend. Not that we mind, of course. I'm just sorry for her.” But Hiroko was happy coming home to them every weekend. She was completely at ease with them now. She played with Tami for hours, knew all of Ken's friends, and Sally had even confided in her about her sixteen-year-old boyfriend. Hiroko was worried about her. She thought the boy was too old, she was concerned because he wasn't Japanese, and the situation was far too clandestine, but for the moment she had promised not to tell her Aunt Reiko.
    “Do you think Hiroko will transfer?” Peter inquired. He hadn't seen her since she'd left for school. On Sundays, when he often dined with them, Hiroko had already left to go back to St. Andrew's. So they kept missing each other until late October.
    And then one Saturday afternoon he ran into her at the dry cleaners in Palo Alto. Ken had taught her how to drive the station wagon, and she was out doing errands for Reiko. She was staggering under a load of their clothes, wearing a lavender kimono and wooden geta. He knew instantly who it was, although he could scarcely see her concealed behind the load of clothes.
    “Hiroko?” he asked. As she peeked around and looked at him, a small smile escaped her.
    “Here, let me help you.” He took the clothes from her, in his own arms, and smiled as she bowed to him. She was happy to see him. And this time, unlike the other times they'd met, she looked him in the eye for several moments. She had grown braver at St. Andrew's, and Peter couldn't help wondering if things had improved for her since the last time he'd talked to Takeo about her.
    “How are you?” he asked very gently as they walked to her car, and he helped her put the clothes in the back of the wagon. He was surprised himself at what he felt seeing her. Suddenly all he wanted to do was sit and talk to her, and admire the way she looked in the pale lavender kimono. “How's school?” he asked, as he looked at her, and saw a look of sadness cross her eyes, and he thought he saw a shimmer of tears there.
    “It is very well. How are you, Peter-san?” she asked softly.
    “Busy. We've got midterms.” She'd been preparing for them too, and as he looked down at her, he found himself wishing that she was one of his students. He wanted to ask how her problems with the other students were, but he didn't want to upset her, or admit that Takeo had told him. “I hear you've been home a lot on weekends. But I seem to miss you every Sunday.” She smiled and looked down again. It still embarrassed her to talk to him, especially alone, but she liked being with him. In spite of the differences in their ages, he was easy and comfortable to talk to. “Do you like St. Andrew's?” he inquired, trying to draw out the conversation, and she hesitated for a moment before she answered.
    “Perhaps I will like it better soon,” she said honestly. In truth, she hated going back every Sunday. She had only seven and a half more months now, and she was counting every moment.
    “That doesn't sound very encouraging,” he said, watching her. He wished he could take her some-where, and really talk to her, or walk through the woods or on the campus. He didn't know why, but he would have liked to be alone with her. And as he watched her, he remembered the look in Tak's eyes as he had reminded Peter of how young she was, how innocent, and how unlike American girls. Hiroko was no ordinary young girl, she was from a totally different world from his, and she was very special.
    “It is very difficult to be from another place,” she said sadly. “I did not know that in California, it would be like this.” She had expected to like school, and to make friends. She hadn't expected to be an outcast.
    “I felt that way in