Putting my son up for adoption without consent from either Pam or me jumped into my mind. Of course, he was Pam’s father and Coby’s grandfather. I expected that at some point Cal would see the light, or I hoped so. Then again, I would rather err on the side of caution, as far as the safety of my son was concerned.
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Over the next few hours, the waiting room became packed. Beth and Suzanne both took time off from college to see my son. Of course, most of the cheer squad and football team made an appearance. Tracy brought a little football jersey with ‘Dawson’ and the number eleven on it.
I was right: Adrienne and Tyler showed up with bags of upscale baby clothes. Bo Harrington even made an appearance, which meant a lot to me. He’d been on a recruiting trip and was close by. Bo and I’d become more than just coach and player over the past few years. Bo had an Alabama jersey and a football scholarship offer for Coby. I would have to frame them. My son wasn’t even one day old, and he already had his first football offer from a top program.
I received congratulatory wishes from all over the country and even the UK, where Joyce Heart sent me a text.
Caryn and Adrienne put their heads together because everyone clamored to see pictures.
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Chapter 32 – Life Goals Wednesday April 13
After the dojo practice, Shiggy surprised me and invited me to dinner at his house. I’d met his brother one other time, and Akio was there with his daughter. Akio was older than Shiggy and had come to America first. He’d originally set up a dojo in San Francisco. He and his daughter Hana had moved to Washington when she’d been accepted at State, and had opened a dojo there.
“Konnichiwa, David,” Akio said with a smile.
“‘Hello’ to you too. I assume this is your daughter Hana,” I said.
“Yes. Shigehito told me he’s teaching you Japanese. I understand that you plan a trip to Japan this summer.”
“That’s what they tell me. My agent says I’m popular over there. I did an ad for sunglasses that apparently was very well received.”
“You’re a major star,” Hana said and then blushed and looked away.
“Well, I guess so. My agent says that Japanese companies are eager for me to do commercials for them. Shiggy is helping me learn Japanese so I can at least get around when I’m there.”
My stomach growled, which was amusing to Hana. She put her hand over her mouth and giggled.
“Why don’t we talk over dinner?” Shiggy suggested.
Hana hurried to the kitchen as the rest of us sat down. Akio told me that Hana had made the meal. I was fascinated when she brought out small dishes of each item and placed them in front of each seat. There was a bowl of rice, a cup of miso soup, grilled red snapper, and pickled vegetables.
Shiggy explained that everything comes out at once during a typical Japanese meal. There were no appetizers, salads, or soups before the main course. The hardest part was eating rice with chopsticks, but it was sticky enough that I finally figured it out. After we’d eaten, Hana served us hot tea.
“Shigehito tells me you are respected and a man of honor,” Akio said.
I was confused as to where this was going. Shiggy bailed me out.
“What Akio is trying to get at is that I told him I was teaching you Japanese. Hana asked if she could help, but generally, that is not allowed. Hana reminded us that she’s more American than Japanese, which has her father worried.”
I nodded my understanding.
“Hana would also like to travel with you to Japan and serve as your interpreter. It would be an honor for her to help someone like you with our language,” Akio conceded.
Hana sat nervously as her uncle and father offered me the proposal.
“Would it be a problem if she traveled to Japan with me alone?” I asked.
Both men looked at each other. This must be the hang-up. I could tell that Akio was having a hard time accommodating his daughter’s request. She seemed to be 18 or 19, but I got the impression that Japanese fathers were very protective of their daughters. I wondered what her mom would say about this.
“I understood that you normally have a chaperone travel with you,” Shiggy said.
“Yes, but I’ll turn 18 that week. I’d planned to make the trip alone, though my manager might have other ideas,” I said.
“I would have to insist that there be someone else with you,” Akio said.
