Caroline headed to Japan as soon as her she could, after a call with her best friend Danielle. Danielle had recently moved to Japan for a fresh start. After leaving everything behind, Danielle found herself alone - and lonely - in a foreign country. Hearing the despair in her friend's voice, Caroline hopped on a plane as soon as she could sort things out at work and get a few months off work.
Caroline and Danielle had been inseparable in college. Both athletes, they not only trained together, they relied on each other for support. It was no surprise in hindsight that Danielle would need Caroline to be there while she acclimated to a new country.
Weeks turned into months, and Caroline ultimately decided to move to Japan herself, to be with her bestie. By the time she arrived, though, she found that her friend Danielle - the blonde athlete - had become Debuko - the Japanese name Danielle had chosen for herself, she explained to Danielle in the pidgin English she insisted on speaking.
Now, it was Caroline's turn to feel lonely. Her friend had adopted all the mannerisms of the culture and, in the process shut Caroline out. She spoke fluent Japanese to her new Japanese friends. She dressed like them, including wearing Teva sandals. Her once-blonde hair was now straight and black. And she had done something to her eyes, adding a slant.
Caroline felt completely alone. Even though she was staying with Debuko, Debuko made no effort to help Caroline get used to Japan. To the contrary, Debuko seemed to look down on Caroline's American ways.
On one rare occasion, Debuko invited Caroline to join her and her Japanese friends for dinner. They got dressed without speaking. When it was time to leave, they went to the door to get the shoes they left there. Debuko strapped her bare feet into her Tevas. Caroline reached for her sneakers and felt her friend's ire focused on her. She looked at Debuko's almond-shaped eyes, squinted, irradiating disapproval. "Why you wear those?"
"I always wear sneakers. I ... don't like other shoes." In truth, she'd never worn sandals before. Like Danielle, she wore sneakers.
"You stupid. Let's go."
Caroline slumped after Debuko and labored through an unenjoyable evening, excluded by the Japanese crowd with whom she was supposedly socializing.
She returned home much earlier than Debuko. On the way in, she saw another pair of Debuko's Tevas. Curiosity got the better of her, and she removed her shoes and socks and strapped her bare feet into sandals for the first time.
She continued her walk for some time, enjoying the warm evening breeze on her feet, before returning home. Debuko had arrived earlier and was positively delighted to see Tevas on her friend's feet. "Good! Good! We fix you now!"
Debuko's approval warmed Caroline's heart, and she committed to the program her friend set forth. They went shopping the next day for Tevas of Caroline's own, and she wore them incessantly. Soon, the sock tan earned by years of wearing sneakers and socks was gone, replaced on her feet by an olive complexion akin to that of the locals.
Simultaneously, Debuko drilled Caroline on Japanese, helping her both to master that language and to re-learn English as though Japanese was her native tongue.
Soon, Caroline, or Chidzuyo as she now preferred to be called, was ready to adopt a more Japanese appearance. With glee, Debuko dyed the gaijin blonde from Chidzuyo's hair, replacing it with a beautiful black.
With her black hair, Tevas, and mastery of Japanese, Chidzuyo could make anyone believe she was Japanese. At least until they saw her eyes. Fortunately, Debuko had saved up enough for her friend to have the same cosmetic procedure she had once had.
After the surgery, Chidzuyo cracked an almond-shaped eye and beamed. Before her was her best friend Debuko. They were just two Japanese girls in a big city, and they'd always have each other.
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