REALITY CAN THUMP YOU IN THE FACE SOMETIMES

Tanno Shota came into school for the first time in a long time the other day. It's been since the leaves started to turn and curl off the branches and in between I think most people would have forgotten he wasn't there, in that cruel but irresistible way. He came into the teachers room with his Mum, his Dad, and a black and white striped beanie sitting pert on his head, all smiles and shuffle straight through to the Head Teachers Office.

Once he'd shown them out of the door, the look on the Head Teachers face said it all.

Yesterday Fujita Sensei gave the kids in one class a big test, 50 odd sentences in Japanese they've to translate into English. It's called the 'Pera Pera' test, which roughly translates to the 'Fluency' test. Tanno Shota was in that class, in the corner, this time with a different beanie sitting in that same pert way until he took it clean off. The other kids struggle with the Pera Pera test and Tanno Shota seemed to be struggling too. He looked up and caught my eye every now and then and cocked a smile with his head. I was happy for him when I saw him very deliberately writing something. When I passed his desk, I saw what it was he'd written- a question mark at the end of some blanks, and nothing else.

Later that day, after Tanno Shota had already gone home early, Chihiro turned up looking for Kunni Sensei. She wanted instructions for judo club that day, but Kunni Sensei was away, so Komatani Sensei fielded her inquiry instead. Where's the Judo club captain he asked and He's not here Chihiro replied and when he asked again she replied again He's not here this time with a very awkward smile like she knew exactly where the conversation was heading. Who's the Judo club captain Komatani Sensei asked and Tanno Shota she replied and instantly Komatani Sensei saw his mistake and gave Chihiro her instructions to go home early too.

I don't know exactly, because you never do when you know nothing about medicine and less about Japanese, but I know the injury Tanno Shota suffered to his head last autumn had to have been serious. A blood clot, I think. He's come back but the treatment he received knocked him down 3 years and no-one not even the doctors know if he'll catch up or not, or how long he'll be writing question marks in blanks with that warm smile and a dirty great scar across his head, under one of his beanies.