Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12 They sat together in an empty classroom. Dr. Sato had given Ben an apple and a cup of water. Ben devoured them both. He told Dr. Sato the story about what had happened in the tsunami, how Mom and Harry and Ojisan had been swept away from him. "They're gone," Ben said. "No, they are not gone," Dr. Sato said, reaching over and grabbing Ben's hand. "People are scattered everywhere. Have patience. You are safe here. And we will wait."

Dr. Sato had a look in his eye. And for a flickering second, it reminded Ben of the way Dad would look, when Ben would glimpse him in the stands during a basketball game. It didn't matter if the team was winning or losing, or if Ben was on fire or all thumbs. Dad always looked so sure. And that look never wavered. Dr. Sato told Ben his own story — how he'd just gotten to his house when the quake happened. His house was high in the hills, above the school. He'd stood on his porch as the wave hit. "I watched the waves destroy Shogahama," he said, his face darkening. It was no use trying to get to the hospital, and so he came to the school. "I knew people would need help," he said. People like Ben. It had been Dr. Sato who lifted him up when he collapsed in the school hallway. Two teachers had helped the doctor clean Ben's cuts and bruises,

find him clothes, and carry him to the gym to sleep. "I hated to leave you," he said. "But some of us went out into the night, to see if we could find survivors." Dr. Sato looked away for a moment, and Ben could tell that there hadn't been any survivors to find. Before Ben could think too hard about this, two women came in to speak to Dr. Sato. They were both sensei — teachers at the school. The teachers and Dr. Sato spoke, and in the swirl of Japanese words, Ben heard his name. When they finished talking, the women smiled at Ben and left. "We have lots of work to do," Dr. Sato said. "It could be days before help gets to us. The village is completely cut off. And so it's up to us to figure out how to find food and water. We have ten children whose parents have not arrived. We have to look out for them."

It took Ben a few seconds to realize that the "we" and "us" meant Ben, too. Dr. Sato explained that the two teachers he'd just met had been here through the night. "They need to go check on their families," he said. Ben nodded. "And so I've told them that you will watch over some of the younger children while they are gone." Ben stared at Dr. Sato. He was asking Ben to take care of children? How could Ben take care of anyone right now? How could he do anything when he was so worried about Mom and Harry and Ojisan? But before he could speak, one of the teachers was back. She had three little kids with her. They looked to be maybe five or six years old. All boys. The teacher introduced them to Ben: Kazu, Hidecki, and Akira. The boys looked shy and scared. But then Nya stepped forward.

"Eee, eee," she said. The boys giggled. Dr. Sato said a few words to the boys in Japanese. "I've said that you are their sensei," he told Ben. "I've told them that you are in charge." He patted Ben on the back. "I'm heading out with some others to see if we can find some supplies," Dr. Sato added. "I'll be back this afternoon." And in a flash, he and the teacher were gone. The boys looked at Ben expectantly. He opened his mouth to say something, but remembered they didn't speak English. He wondered what he could do to keep them busy. There was no power, no TV, no video games. Ben looked out the window at the playground. And then he saw the hoop, behind the slide. He'd seen a net bag of basketballs in the corner of the gym.

He led the boys outside, and they all shivered in the cold. But soon they were running around. Ben's aching muscles loosened up. The sun got brighter in the sky, and they had stripped off their coats. The boys worked hard. Soon the air was filled with the sound of bouncing balls and laughing boys. After lunch, the boys took a break to climb on the jungle gym. Ben decided to practice his own shots. He worked through his free throws and threes. He was surprised by how good it felt, how much he'd missed playing. At one point he stood at the back of the blacktop, as far away from the hoop as he could get. He and Dad used to have contests, to see who could shoot from farthest away. The boys stopped their climbing and watched Ben. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.