Never-ending study

Once a week for the last five years and some, Tod & I’ve had a Japanese lesson together. Anyone who has heard us speak Japanese will marvel at our different abilities. Tod’s approaching fluency. I flail with any conjugation more complex than negative past tense.
So this evening, when we rounded the corner on the current grammar review, I indicated that I would be quite happy to be done when we reach the end of these handouts.
Oyama-sensei looked less than surprised, though she encouraged me to continue. “The next thing is a new book and it’s not so much grammar, mostly conversations. You’re really good at those,” she said in Japanese. Ha, right!
Tod was horrified. He loves learning Japanese so much that he can’t fathom that I might not share his enthusiasm. Or maybe he enjoys watching me struggle. Either way, he looked disappointed.
I told them I’d think about it. But really, I don’t want to take lessons anymore. I see light at the end of the tunnel and I’m hurrying towards it as fast as I can.