Arigato
My
dad,
a
World War II veteran,
would
more often say,
“Arigato,”
to us children
than
thank you.
He
spoke with fondness
of
his time in Japan after the war,
how
the people treated
the
American soldiers
with
gentle hospitality.
Years
later my family
heard
“arigato” often,
from
a Japanese exchange student
we
took into our home for a week.
He
spoke with kindness and respect.
But
manners became a source of amusement
when
we played Uno with him and his friends.
When
we Americans unloaded
our
cards on other players,
we
did it with glee.
But
when the Japanese students
passed
on their cards
they
would bow,
look
apologetic
and
say, “So Sawy!”
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