Thanks to their car's inability to drive at a reasonable pace, the trip from Lubomierz was extended from the mere hour it should've taken to a whole six more hours. Neither of the two were thrilled; but getting a proper repair job would've taken even longer.
"So," Alanna had started, breaking one of the many long silences throughout the trip. "Can I ask you something personal?"
"Go ahead," said Sachiko.
"What's with you and your brother's names? It seems weird; Sachiko and Alexander?"
"Oh. It probably does," Sachiko answered. "Technically, he's only my half-brother. His biological father liked Western names and insisted that he got one-- hence Alexander."
"Ah." Alanna paused for a moment. "I don't understand that. Most Japanese people were forced to abandon their cultural heritage; why would you deny it willingly?"
"I know," Sachiko said; she agreed perfectly. "Mom figured the same way, which is why Alexander's dad didn't stick around very long.
"Although...," she trailed off, starting to think. "What about how you dropped your accent at first with Lukasz? Isn't that basically the same thing?"
"What?" Alanna asked, puzzled. Then she laughed. "Oh! You mean... no, that's not a matter of me trying to hide where I'm from. It's just that for most people around here, the only English they hear much of is either from people with local accents, or from Radio Free Europe; I didn't want to confuse him with any funny pronounciations."
"Oooh." Sachiko was a bit embarassed. "Sorry."
Alanna grinned, reaching over and ruffling Sachiko's hair. "Don't worry about it," she said.
Suddenly, Sachiko was more than a bit embarassed.