Your date insisted on eating at an American-styled diner despite being in the heart of the Tokyo. A part of you wished that you pushed harder on going to a place that served Texas BBQ, but she was
too persistent and you instantly caved.

You had gotten seated five minutes before the two of you were supposed to meet up just in case she decided to stand you up. It was your stereotypical diner booth and was situated in a way that allowed you to see anyone who was coming in or out. The only problem was that it was next to the restrooms so there was a lot of foot traffic in your vicinity. Not that it mattered much.

The door chime ringed as the door slowly opened. There she was: Oozora Subaru, your date for the night. She looked like a girl straight out of an Ed Hopper painting. You waved to her and she waved back. Her bright smile told you that she was more than happy seeing you in the flesh for the first time.

Subaru sat down opposite you and as if on cue, a rollerblading waitress stopped herself on your table. She poured two cups of joe for both of you without saying a word. You looked at the waitress then at Subaru who was beaming at you then back at the waitress again. Finally, she said, “What do you two want to eat?”

You said, “Can you give us a minute?” You wanted some time to get to know Subaru before the two of you were eating Americana.

“Sure,” she said before rolling away.

The two of you stared at your menus while “Rama Lama Ding Dong” played over the awkward silence. Subaru tapped her shoe along to the rhythm of the song while you tapped a finger on the glossy wooden table trying to think of something to say.

You said, “Your profile said you’re a big fan of American culture. I hope you’re not dating me only because I’m American.”

“No, no, not at all.” She smiled. “I liked talking to you about movies.”

You blushed. “It was a joke.”

“Oh.”

You tapped your menu on the table and looked around for your rollerblading waitress. The song ended and “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey started playing. Odd choice for a 50s inspired diner, but the Japanese were quirky like that.

“Speaking of movies,” you said. “Do you like any American tv shows?”

Subaru got visibly excited. “I liked Breaking Bad. True Detective was good too. And the X-files is very scary but I liked that one too.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t seen the Sopranos.”

Subaru cocked her head. “Sopranos?”

“Yeah, it’s one of the greatest shows ever made, but there’s some noticeable dips in quality. Tony’s sister almost ruins the show and don’t get me started on the ending.”

“Eh? Is the ending really that bad?”

“It’s terrible. The final episode abruptly cuts to bla–”