Sweet Jesus I swear that I love you,

I have fallen head-over-heels in love with a little Japanese woman. She smells like Asahi beer and stale cigarettes.

Her name is hard to pronounce so everyone at work calls her "Mama." Her jeans have rhinestones on them and her t-shirts are always black or white, sometimes her nails have glitter on the tips. My first week in Japan I was sick and Mama came knocking at my door.

'Here, this for you!' She handed me a carton of orange juice, a red apple with the skin carefully peeled and cut into tiny slices, and a little packet of white powder that looked suspect.

'What's this stuff?' I asked shaking the powder around.
'You mix in warm water with hot tea drink get rid of sickness! Now back to bed!'

I felt like shit but I obediently mixed the powder into the bottom of a tea cup and poured hot water. It tasted awful but I chased it down with orange juice, ate the apples and went back to bed. The next morning I woke up feeling great. My headache was gone and my nose wasn't running anymore. I showed up for work that day and Mama seemed pleased.

'Here this for you!' she handed me a baggie full of green pills.
'What are these?' I asked shaking the green pills around
'Full of protein and seaweed protein pills for you good you need to eat more!'
So I started to take the protein and seaweed pills and by the next week my skin was glowing.

The next week Mama handed me a bagel and a plant.
'Bagel you eat, plant for room!'

The week after that she gave me beautiful blue and white lace curtains.
Mama has been so sweet and warm since I got here. Not only as a boss but as a neighbor/ friend of my father's and just an all around sweetheart.

When I grow up I want to be just like her, and that is why I'm in love with her.