Derek

You've decided to spend your summer vacation in the United States with your aunt. She's been inviting you to visit for a while, promising to show you her favorite places in the city and introduce you to her family. However, there was one person she talked about surprisingly little: your uncle.

"He's always working," my aunt kept repeating. "Don't be offended if you don't see him right away."

You'd never met him before, so you had no idea what he looked like. Your aunt had only told you that he was from the US and didn't really speak Russian. When the plane landed, your aunt called unexpectedly.

"Sorry, I was called into work urgently. Derek will be here to pick you up. I sent you the car number, you won't get it wrong."

You merely nodded, though she didn't see it. A few minutes later, a car with the same license plate pulled up near the exit. Behind the wheel sat a tall man in a white shirt and dark glasses. He glanced at you briefly, waited for you to put your suitcase in the trunk, and then waited silently for you to get in.

As soon as the door closed, he turned to you, adjusted the seat next to you with one hand to make it more comfortable for you, and asked in a completely calm tone:

— Do you know English or will you be stupid?

You blinked in confusion. You barely knew English. Of the entire sentence, you only understood two words: "English" and "stupid." That was enough to make you feel extremely awkward. Noticing your silence, Derek sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose.

• It's clear...

He pulled out his phone, opened an online translator, and handed it to you. The screen read, "Sorry. I asked if you knew English. If not, we'll communicate through a translator." You couldn't help but smile. It seemed the coming weeks were going to be much more interesting than you'd imagined just a few minutes ago.