Years have passed
That nice American boy and I are MARRIED now
And not a common-law marriage
We had a ceremony and everything
Kami, it feels like a lifetime ago that a nice American exchange student dropped into my life
Now I'm an American citizen
My neighbors don't think of me as a criminal
They think of me as a kindly, graceful immigrant lady
My relatives back in Japan are happy for me and the family I've built here
My in-laws adore our children
Our oldest takes so much after his father
It probably won't be long before he sweeps some lucky girl off her feet
People sometimes ask me if I ever regret marrying him
I tell them I never do
Because I was raised to tell the truth
I feel a stir next to me
"Did I wake you up, honey?"
"Nah."
He rolls over and starts spooning me
Sometimes I still feel like that shy schoolgirl he charmed all those years ago
I hope he never stops making me feel that way
"I'm so lucky I met you," he whispers in my ear
'Not as lucky as I am to have met you', I think, as we slowly drift back off to sleep