18 friends in 36 hours, part quatre

I wanted to get over to Alpharetta to see Augustin and Lada, but I was running out of time. I had several people left to see in Athens, and Atlanta traffic was already starting to build up heading into afternoon rush hour.

I headed back to the Five Points Jittery Joe's, this time to see Ski. We had a great time catching up on the past two years--she's another I didn't get to talk to on my last visit--and talking about our plans. She's working on her M.Ed in School Library Media, and is head-over-heels in love with her field. She gushed about it to me, thoroughly dispelling the image I had of what being a school librarian entails. (The last time I paid attention to a school librarian, she was teaching us how to use the then-brand-new computerized card catalog.)

Hearing her describe it, the job certainly appealed to me. She told me about schools where the librarian works with the teachers to help integrate media center resources (books, video, internet) in the students' everyday lessons. That kind of interdisciplinary collaboration is right up my alley.

While she was at it, Ski went ahead and inspired me some more: she told me all about the GACE, a way for me to be certified to teach in public schools without having to invest beforehand all the time and money in a M.Ed. Ski rocks.

After saying goodbye, I headed to Watkinsville. Only halfway sure of where it was, I found my way to Jean's new restaurant. Called simply "Inoko Express," it was tucked away in a new shopping center. As soon as I walked in and headed up to the register, I heard a familiar voice call out in a lovable accent, "Whadayou doing?"

Jean gave me a big hug and showed me her restaurant. It's a much smaller operation than the full-blown steakhouse we're both used to. We both understand, though, that she'll never have half the headaches with hers that Mr. Inoko had running the big one.

She asked me all kinds of questions about me and about Japan in general. Having gone so long without talking to her, I noticed just how much she acts like a mother to everyone--just like Mom does with all her employees. No wonder I enjoyed working for her so much. After talking about me for a few minutes, we shifted over to her. She had tons and tons of things to talk about; I could tell she hadn't been able to vent to anyone in a while. (A small but nontrivial drawback to such a small operation: it's lonely at the top when you've got no assistant managers.)

She'd quickly learned just how many headaches she'd failed to anticipate, headaches that come part and parcel with owning your own business. (I don't mean to sound like I'd be able to anticipate them, but I've heard Mom and Dad talk about them for years now.) She'd been working seven days a week for a while--lunch and dinner shifts--and was clearly worried about building the business.

Despite all the problems, it was plain that she wasn't even thinking about giving up. She was so proud of the place, and of herself for taking such a big step, that I wanted to hug her again. So I did. She wouldn't let me take a picture with her, worried as she always has been about how she looks, so I had to settle for just saying goodbye.

My next stop was Athens proper, and another new-ish Inoko Express. This one was started about a year before by Tetsu, who had for years been the kitchen manager at the main Inoko steakhouse. Tetsu whipped me into shape when I was promoted to manager, and it took me a long, long time to learn how he (and, by extension, Mr. Inoko) wanted me to work. Being in Japan has done wonders for me: I understand perfectly his and Inoko's reasons for having such expectations of their workers in general and managers in particular.

Anyway, I showed up in the middle of a bit of a rush. Tetsu didn't hesitate to show me the place anyway, asking all about me and Japan. I told him I was thinking about leaving Japan after July (more on that later), and he told me that was a good idea, given Japan's recession and the possibility of anti-foreigner sentiment rising. We didn't get to spend as much time talking, as there wasn't a place to sit down, but--unlike Jean--he didn't mind taking a picture with me.

After leaving Tetsu, I headed back to Cord's. Cord, being as flighty and bad at planning as I am, understood just how tentative my plans were. He invited me to a goodbye dinner they were having for Jeremy, telling me to show up whenever I could. I made it by about 8, and found Cord, Beth, Jeremy, Brigitte, Adam Z, and Clay, relaxing in the kitchen.

The menu was prime rib with mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. I asked if I'd already missed it, which they all found amusing. They told me they'd put the prime rib in at about 5. I know nothing about prime rib; I asked if that meant it was almost ready. Turns out those things take a while to cook. They weren't expecting it to be ready until 11.

I did a little catching up with Clay, learning that he'd started working for DFCS, and was thinking about getting into social work. I helped Cord slice some potatoes for boiling, which gave us time to scheme. (More on that much, much later.)

Not wanting to get back to Toccoa too late, I had to leave. I said my goodbyes, thanked them all for making time to see me, and headed out. The trip back was awfully nostalgic, as I've made the Athens-Toccoa drive on Highway 106 easily a hundred times since 2001.