Three months later, I could understand most of the local accents.
I met Evan Shaw at the branch office. He was the project coordinator handling expatriate staff, around my age, and direct in his manner.
One evening, I took a long detour after work because I wasn't familiar with the bus routes. Evan happened to step out of a convenience store and pointed at the map in my hand.
"You're going the wrong way."
I looked at the map, feeling my ears grow warm. "I know."
"Then why are you still walking?"
"I wanted to see another route."
He didn't call me out on it. He just marked the correct route on a piece of paper and handed it to me.
"This road is quiet at night. Don't take it."
Two simple sentences. He didn't make the decision for me.
I folded the paper and put it in my bag.
That ni
