He shuts the door behind him, singing what I understand to be a song about going potty. Impressive. Here I was bracing myself for the screaming of a lifetime. Whatever phase Hitomu was going through seems to have ended. I almost feel sad that he won’t have any more lessons here. Oh, well. Shou ga nai. With nothing to do but wait for him, I go to the lobby and see if his mother is still there. I’d love to get insight on what cured her son of his gaijin terror.

His mother is gone. No one’s here except for Lieko, who is no longer sitting behind the reception desk. She’s kind of squeezed into a corner, like she’s hiding. Afraid of something. Maybe there’s a spider on the floor.

“Wow. The business meeting is that boring, huh?” I ask as a joke. Of course, she doesn’t reply; I don’t expect her to. I sift through the foam puzzles on the desk. Hitomu might like to do one of these. Lieko turns her head and watches me so intensely I expect her to yell at me to get back to the room and stop wasting Hitomu’s mother’s time, but she says nothing.

“What is it? Another spider? Should I get the spray?”

No answer. She just stands there, staring down the hall now, hands clenched so hard her knuckles are turning white. It’s like she doesn’t even know I’m here.

“Let me guess; you want me to get back to work? Well, you can relax. Hitomu’s in the washroom. Listen. Hear him?”

Down the hall the water in the washroom is running. “Te o aratte, te, te, te,” Hitomu sings.

Lieko relaxes, slightly. She peels herself from the wall, sits back down in the receptionist chair, and takes a deep breath as she smooths her hair and her suit. “Good. If that is the case … just do your job.”

I kinda saw it coming, but it still makes me suck in my breath to hear her say it. “What?”

“We must be professional, no matter what. And so must you. Go back, now.”

“Are you serious? You’re telling me I can’t leave the room even if the kid has to go pee? You know what? No. You’re not serious.” I find the puzzle I’m looking for, deliberately taking my time to make sure all the pieces are there before turning on my heel. She can’t tell me what to do.

Lieko shakes her head. “Never mind,” she sighs. “Just return to your room before Hitomu.” I turn to leave when I hear her mutter under her breath: “Yokatta, kidzuite inai.”

Thank goodness, she doesn’t get it.