While he only gives me a subtle nod of acknowledgment, Reina seemed to finally open up with a bright smile and looser posture.
"He and my grandmother opened Tsukisushi together when they first came to Vossden. She… passed several years ago, but her spirit still lives in the help on recipes and her touches on the interior of this place. I love it very much."
"Your grandmother sounds like she was a remarkable woman."
I offer sincerely to keep the conversation flowing. Knowing mine mostly through pages in a diary, my sense of connection is limited. But speaking well of someone's loved ones is rarely an incorrect social move.
"She was! She taught me that food is just one way to take care of people. There are many others, but I still want to take over someday."
"You know how to speak to an old man's heart."
