Perseverance is a good thing, I think.

So recently I've been teaching Saki's dad English, we meet once a week or so, and instead of the traditional, sit around at a table and have a fixed lesson thing, we've decided to take the, let's play drinking games and get you acquainted with how people actually talk in the real world approach. It seems to be going alright, I have paper and everything there so I can write down things that we've all said so we can look back at them later, but the thing I like about it the most is that we get to play drinking games together, and that's something that works to bring us all closer together, because drinking games, aside from getting everyone involved righteously drunk, also serve to help people get to know each other better, which is something that her father and I desperately need to do.

It dawned on me the other day, while I was talking to Saki about how humorous it is that her dad, who speaks absolutely crap English, wants to learn English, that the reason for him wanting to do so has nothing to do with what he originally said about making a promise at work that he would learn conversational English to help out the business. See, at first, I thought he just wanted to learn English, but then I came to understand that he wants really to learn English that can be used at the dinner table, or at a bar, and slowly but surely, I think I've come to understand the reasoning behind it.

It's dawned on Saki's dad, herein referred to as Tomoaki, or Tomo, that there's a very real chance, in all reality a pretty much guaranteed fact, that I'm going to marry his daughter. And that means, moreso than speaking to me directly, that he's going to have to have drinks with my dad at some point. I mean, I'm sure it's on his wish list to be able to communicate freely with me, but I think, from a father's point of view, what he wants is to be able to create a connection with my family, and connect with my father, as only two fathers can, brought together by the seemingly random selection of the universe in having their offspring wed. This brings a smile to my face every time I think of this, and I'm really glad we decided that Saki would be there every time we study English, so that not only can he have someone there to translate if absolutely necessary, but so that she can learn some English at the same time as well.

I had dinner over at their house last night, for the first time in a couple months. I was really worried that I was in the doghouse with her mom, after getting stuck in the middle of a fight between Saki and her. But, we were civil for most of the night, and I did my best to involve her in everything I could. Eventually of course, she had had enough to drink to start bringing up the same issues that she's always had with us dating, at which point Tomo bolted faster than my cat ever has. But I tackled it head on, especially when she started bringing up Nova and my relationship to Saki. I asked her straight up, how Mike is doing, and we had a brief discussion about how I think that there is no fundamental difference between Mike and Takae hanging out, and Saki and I dating. I finally came to understand why it is that Takae thinks it's against the rules for me to date Saki; apparently she thinks that back in the day when they created the rule that students were not supposed to hang out with teachers, that it was created to protect the students because the teachers were by and large out to have sex with the students ,and that made teaching them very awkward, as opposed to the reality that they made the rule to keep students from getting free lessons by making friends with the teachers and then hanging out with them outside of Nova. I think it was good that we got that cleared out and out of the way, but I suppose there are going to be a few more conversations to that end in the future, just to make sure that we both know where we are coming from. I want her to know that I have the best of intentions and that she has nothing to be worried about i my dating her daughter.

Anyway, I'm glad that we got a chance to talk, and by the time I left it seemed that we were alright again, like nothing had happened, and honestly I think she and I are on better terms now than when I showed up. I think I've made progress, and I'm really happy about that. After a few more times of her getting drunk enough to come out with what she's really thinking, I think I'll finally be able to get on an even level with her, and really start things over ther way they should be.

I think it's gonna work out. I think I can do this. I'm just going to have to really put some effort in and not give up. The more I persevere, the more I show them that I really mean this, the more I think I'm going to be given the chance to prove myself. Nice.

OK, back to watching Lost a little more before raid time comes along.