CHAPTER 6
“Oh, man. I’m in trouble,” Evan mumbled. He stripped off his elbow pads and looked again.
There was no mistake. It was his grandmother, standing in her red plaid coat and pushing her small grocery cart. She waved at her grandson. Evan slowly waved back.
“Oh, wow,” Ryan said. “That’s your grandma, isn’t it? This isn’t good.”
“No kidding,” Evan said. “And the worst part? I don’t even know how to tell her not to tell my parents. She doesn’t speak English.”
Evan quickly removed the rest of the pads. Then he jogged over to his grandmother.
“Good luck!” Ryan called from behind. Evan barely heard him. He was too busy thinking about was how much trouble he was in.
“Hello, Grandma,” Evan said. Then remembered how to say it in Japanese. “Kon’nichiwa, obaasan.”
Grandma Narita smiled. She murmured something in Japanese that Evan couldn’t understand. He nodded and walked along the sidewalk with her.
“I’m not sure how to explain this, Grandma,” Evan said. He took the cart’s handle to help push her groceries home. “But please don’t tell my parents I was skateboarding.”
Grandma Narita replied again in Japanese. She didn’t seem confused by what he said. She put a finger up, nodded, and smiled again.
This isn’t working, Evan thought. She probably thinks I’m asking about dinner or something. She has no idea what I’m saying.
Evan stopped walking and let go of the cart. Grandma stopped too, frowning.
With his hand held out flat, Evan used his other hand to show a person. He made the finger-person walk by wiggling his pointer and middle fingers.
Grandma nodded and gave Evan an unsure smile.
Evan tried to show the finger-person skateboarding on his hand. He cupped his other hand to make it look like a halfpipe.
“Please,” Evan said. He shook his head and pointed to his mouth. “Don’t talk about skateboarding.”
Grandma replied in Japanese and nodded. Evan still wasn’t sure that she understood what he was saying.
“My parents,” Evan said and pointed down the street toward their house. “They can’t know I skateboard.”
Trying to make her understand, Evan made his hands into a skateboard and halfpipe again. He shook his head to show it was forbidden.
Grandma looked down toward the Narita house and then back at Evan. She put her small hands over her grandson’s. She nodded and patted Evan on the cheek. Then she smiled and said something in Japanese.
I think she understands, Evan thought and smiled back. He took the grocery cart and headed toward the house with his grandmother. He hoped she’d keep her promise.
The truth was, Evan wasn’t exactly sure she’d even made a promise. Maybe Grandma would just forget what she’d seen. Evan’s freedom and skateboarding career depended on it.