I met Haruko soon after I got married. The mother-of-two, who lived in my apartment building, was a valuable source of information about life in Japan. One day in March, she told me her husband was being transferred to another city.

¡°I¡¯ll miss you, but you must be excited,¡± I said.

Haruko laughed, shook her head and said, ¡°The kids and I aren¡¯t going anywhere!¡±