it's bad to poke holes

M&M-san, the hot sales lady who comes twice a week, spent a long time at my desk. She says she's going back to her hometown for Golden Week.

Golden Week is the one time of the year that the Japanese take a vacation. And they all do it together. And it's not really a week, but around five days.

"I'm going to do nothing," she says. "But I'm going to eat a lot."

"What's the famous food?" I ask.

Every city here has a famous food. There's even a town that is famous only for squid & the people have squid everything, even squid dessert. It's true cause I read about it in a book.

"Rice," M&M says.

I start laughing. "Rice is famous everywhere. What else?"

She looks into my eyes, looks up & to the right, all while smiling & says "sake."

I start laughing again. Sake is famous everywhere in Japan, too. Right?

M&M then looks at me & asks about the gym. I flex my muscles & she grabs my arm. Then she pokes my belly. I lift up my shirt (I'm at work, yeah, but I'm crazy) & she pokes again.

"A little more," she says.

Yep, still a ways to go.

M&M doesn't like to exercise. She can only swim 25m & then must get out of the pool. She does ski & has recently started snowboarding. Her prefecture is famous for snow. She showed me some pictures:

A building & snow.

A train station & snow.

The train tracks, covered in snow.

Houses, trees, animals, children - everything & everyone - covered in snow.

"But I love basketball," she says.

I tell her we should play together & she agrees. Who knows when & if this will ever happen, but hey.

Anyway, she leaves but I see her later talking to Mazda-san. Mazda-san sees me & then tells M&M that I have an earring. She saw it when she ran into me drinking beer with my friends at the park one day.

Both of them get all serious & start exchanging words & looks in Japanese. M&M wants to see it.

"I don't have it," I say. "Next time."

I then look at her ears as she pulls back her hair. No piercings. I'm shocked.

Mazda-san then says, "it's bad to poke holes in things in Japan."

I look back at M&M. I don't know how to respond to this. I just smile & say goodbye, quietly walking away.