The host showed us to our booth and Eri, the boys, and me slid in with the smell of meat in the air. It's Steak Palace after all. They have a robot waiter that brings salad bar plates and the requisite water to every table.
Once we were captive in our booth and paying attention, this surly guy went down his list of things he needs to tell us, from how to use the button to call for a waiter to wearing a mask when you go to the self-serve drink counter. I like giving the benefit of the doubt, so I'll say he was clearly having an off day. It's rare to see rude in Japan, especially from a customer service employee, and this guy wasn't rude, at least not in the classic American sense. He just gave off a clear and palpable vibe that he'd rather be a lot of other places than at the Steak Palace.
The guy finishes his dutiful, albeit crabby, explanation. Eri and I make eye contact from across the table, the kind where you're like, "I'm not the only one experiencing this, right?" He hustles away as dinner rush is about to begin. There's a pause while I let out a deliberate exhale. Eri rolls her eyes.
Osamu, with spot-on timing and a classic 4-year-old's voice, smiles and announces, "He's a really nice guy."
The boys and I spent pretty much the entire day at Michinoku Park in Kawasaki Town, in the mountains on a road that goes to Yamagata. Between our crazy schedules and the changeable weather we haven't been able to do an overnight camping trip recently. Once the boys are a little bigger rain won't matter so much I think. For now, it's gotta be just right to sleep in the woods or the risk of bad memories, for me, increases dramatically. So we do day camping any chance we get.
Eri said I should pack a change of clothes for the boys, but I said it'll be fine. Smash cut to...
I've always been a big fan of air drying, and on a day like today it worked like a charm...
If mama had been with us I suspect my questionable papa ways may have become an issue. When I showed Eri the pictures and regaled her with the stories of our adventure she just said, "See! You should've taken a change of clothes." Kenzo wasn't helping a bit when he shared that some kids had bathing suits with them. Osamu chimed in, "We air dry mama. See?"
I'm still holding out the possibility of a genuine overnight camp before it starts to get too cold. For the time being, though, I think the boys are having some pretty good weekends.
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