I arrived at my grandmother’s new condo, I was excited, because not only had I not seen my grandmother in forever, but her condo was right on the sea, in a huge warren of complexes. Families packed so tightly together that we should be able to sense the presence of them, but because of the rather rich and tasteful way the building had been made there is no awareness of this. The apartment is very modern in an expensive, potted ferns and cream shades kind of way. Although I have no memory of my room, I remember that the main room had a fireplace where you could sit, and no entertainment centers, it was purely a family room. I remember a library with the confusing sense of it being both outside and inside at the same time. Quite an accomplishment considering that the apartment was deep within the bowels of the complex.
Fast forward.
I am staying with grandma for an extended period and attending the local school, which I have no memory of. But I make some friends, a boy and a girl in my class. I find myself visiting the boy’s apartment in the complex. For some reason it smacks of Japanese culture, although why I had this impression is a mystery. We’re talking and such when his mother enters. She begins questioning him about something I'm not familiar with. They enter a fight, during which the mother stops periodically to apologize for the rude nature of their fighting in front of me. I get up to leave, but first I turn to them and assure them that fighting is not a bad thing, my family fights all of the time at home.
Immediately I can see in the boys face that I have said something wrong. Nevertheless I leave, for reasons that I am now not quite sure of. When I arrive home my grandmother has already had a telephone call from the boy’s mom, who told my grandmother how I had dishonored our family by criticizing them in public.
I am in trouble.
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