characters Yeah we’re at the right station Ben said smiling at his grandparents and waving After the hugs Grandma showed them the sign she was holding again Did you like the sign she asked Yeah Ben said knowing what was coming next It was really great Grandma narrowed her eyes and pointed You don’t know what it says He stared at the sign trying to make sense of the Japanese characters she’d written out It was no use He and Lola were supposed to practice and learn his culture’s language but it was daunting for someone who’d grown up speaking English in suburban Ohio No Ben admitted I don’t Sorry Grandma pointed out the characters and slowly said each word as if that would help him instantly learn Japanese Welcome to the Windy City she said
Oh okay Ben said smiling Very nice He liked that his grandparents were proud of their family’s culture even if Grandma and Grandpa hadn’t been to Japan since they were in their thirties We’ll work on that Grandma said She patted Ben’s arm a few times as if to tell him it would be all right Her smile was enough to make him smile right back at her Are we ready to go Grandpa asked Ben and Lola gathered their bags and followed their grandparents out of the station Seriously Lola asked Another bus We just got off one After a short wait at the bus stop Ben Lola and their grandparents were riding the bus through the streets of Chicago Ben took a window seat and looked at all of the buildings they passed by Some of them seemed three times as tall as the ones in
their downtown back home His grandpa caught him looking at the enormous skyscraper that towered over the rest of the city Sears Tower Grandpa said leaning close to the window to look up as high as he could It’s Willis Tower now Grandma corrected Second tallest building in North America she added Really Ben said looking at it It was shaped as if it were a cluster of buildings smashed together It really did seem to go up forever Yes Grandpa said almost proudly as if he’d helped build it They have a glass box you can stand in up there On the one hundred and third floor almost one thousand four hundred feet up You can look down and see the city below you and can see across the city for miles and miles No way Lola said We have to do that
Ben wasn’t too crazy about the idea It’s a little bit scary Grandma admitted You can actually feel the building sway when you’re up there The building sways Ben asked As in like it could snap in half and fall over Oh sure Lola said From all the wind being the Windy City and all that Grandpa laughed and adjusted his Cubs hat shaking his head Oh no no Lola he said It would never snap That’s not possible After seeing a few more Chicago landmarks on their way to their grandparents new home the Tajimas arrived at the 100 block of West Wacker Drive Ben looked up at the building his grandparents now called home It was completely different from what he’d expected Their house in Ohio had been small and old and cozy The metal-and glass tower in front of him was not
