“Chie,
Chie is . . . .”
The
noise of the spurting water from the hoses and on-lookers drowned out her
voice.
“What?”
the fireman said.
“My
friend, Chie, is in the house!” she said in a loud voice.
“Really?
All right,” the fireman said and rushed toward the burning gassho-zukuri house
(a traditional Japanese thatched house). The on-lookers cheered. He vanished
into the fire.
A
blazing thatched roof began to slant and then collapsed onto an Indian lilac
tree in the garden. A mass of fire sparks spread high and wide. The on-lookers
backed off a few steps trembling. All the branches of the lndian lilac tree
caught fire. The thick trunk began to burn, too.
Another
big cheer, louder than the previous one, was heard. The fireman came out of the
fire with an old woman in his arms.
“The
lilac, lilac…. My dear Toku, Toku…,” she was mumbling, dying and distressed.
In
the early summer about five months before the fire, Chie and her husband Tokuji
were sipping tea at the veranda of their gassho-zukuri house in Shirakawa
Village in Hida District, Gifu Prefecture. They were admiring the beauty of the
full-blown, deep-pink Indian lilac tree in the garden.
“How beautiful! It’s in full
bloom,” Tokuji said.
“Yes. It hasn’t forgotten
to bloom this year again,” Chie said.
“Awesome. How long has it
passed since we planted it?”
“I was 21. So, 60 years,”
Chie said.
“So many years?”
“Yes, you were 25 years
old.”
“Right. We planted it to
commemorate our marriage, I remember,” Tokuji said.
“Yes, you picked up the
nursery tree effortlessly with one hand. The tree has grown old together with
us,” Chie said.
“Yes, this tree and we are
one flesh.”
“Its trunk is smooth, but our skin is
wrinkled.”
“That’s humorous. I
wonder how many more years we can live.”
“Yes, by the way, did you
take the medicine?”
“Oh, I forgot. I’ll take
it now,” Tokuji said and stood up, but he felt dizzy and fell on the floor. He
could not breathe smoothly. His face was pale.
“Are you all right?” Chie
said.
“I can’t…breathe.”
Chie held his body and
rubbed his back.
“Toku-san, Toku-san!”
Tokuji did not respond.
His hands were trembling.
“Toku-san! Don’t, don’t
die!”
Tokuji did not respond.
“Toku-san, Toku-san!”
Tokuji breathed his last
in her arms.
“Toku-san,
Toku-san!” Chie continued to call his name. She couldn’t believe Tokuji, who
had been so cheerful a minute before, should die so suddenly. She thought he
would wake if she called his name continuously, but however often she called,
or however hard she shook his body, he did not respond. Gradually her voice
became smaller and smaller until finally she stopped calling his name. Instead,
she just watched his calm face.
She looked up at the
Indian lilac tree. She heard Tokuji’s voice from among the pink blossoms:
“Yes, this tree and we are
one flesh.”
Tokuji’s funeral ceremony
was held at Myozenji Temple in Shirakawa Village. When the funeral was
finished, the villagers began to return home, saying, “Chie, don’t be
discouraged” or “Kei, take good care of your mother.”
After all the villagers
left the temple, Chie, her son Keiichi, and his wife Fusako were left alone.
Their daughter, Ayaka, had gone to New Caledonia on her honeymoon and did not
attend the ceremony. Keiichi was a high school teacher in Nagoya. He had worked
for his school for 35 years. He lived in a condominium with his wife.
Keiichi wanted Chie to
live with him in Nagoya, but she was reluctant.
“It’s not safe for an old
woman to live alone here,” Keiichi said to Chie.
“Don’t worry. I’ve lived
here for 60 years. I know everything around here.”
“But, what do you do if
you fall ill?” Fusako said.
“I won’t fall ill. Even
if I fall ill, Yae will look after me. And the villagers will be kind to me,
too.”
“But, I can’t leave you
alone. Life in Nagoya may be different from here, but you will soon get
accustomed to….” Keiichi said.
“I’ll never go to Nagoya.
It’s noisy and polluted. I’ll never get used to living in that city. It will
make me sick. I have a lot of memories of Toku-san here. I have the Indian
lilac tree, too. Toku-san said, ‘The tree and we are one flesh.’ Is there such
a thing in Nagoya?”
“I understand how you
feel, but you can’t tell what will happen when you are alone,” Fusako said.
“What do you think will
happen? I am still healthy. I’ll never live in Nagoya. Well, it’s late now, go
back to Nagoya before it gets dark.”
Keiichi had to give up trying
to persuade Chie. He thought he had to wait and see. Sooner or later Chie would
have a hard time living alone and want to live in Nagoya.
It was late at night. Keiichi
was driving his car along the Tokai Hokuriku Highway heading for Nagoya. Fusako
was sitting in the passenger’s seat looking at the highway ahead blankly.
“I don’t know how to
handle my mother. She is so stubborn,” Keiichi said.
“She is so determined. She
won’t listen to us. Even if she comes to Nagoya, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able
get along with her,” Fusako said.
“Yeah. So, I’ll have to
visit the village sometimes to see if my mother is doing well,” Keiichi said.
“But, it’s far away from
Nagoya. You can’t go to see her easily.”
“Exactly. I’ll ask the village chief and the
neighbors to pay kind attention to her when I visit it for the next Buddhist
memorial service.”
Keiichi himself doubted
that Fusako and Chie would get along if they live together.
The summer went and the fall
came to Shirakawa Village. The trees were shedding red and yellow leaves. The
sky was high and blue. Chie was caressing the trunk of the Indian lilac tree in
the garden. The pink blossoms were being blown off the tree.
“Are you going away already,
Toku-san? Please come and bloom next summer again. In full bloom,” Chie said to
herself looking up at the scanty blossoms. “Why did you die leaving me alone?”
One evening in the middle
of November, Chie’s house caught fire. Made of wood, it was instantaneously
enveloped with fire. Four fire engines rushed to the house and the firemen spurted
water out of the hoses. All 60 water guns in the village discharged water high
above the sky to make water curtain all over the village houses.
Suddenly Yae Hattori crossed
the no-entry rope, ran to one of the firemen, and said in a loud voice.
“Chie-chan! Chie-chan!”
The noise of the gushing
water and the fire drowned out her voice.
“What?” he said.
“An old woman is in the
house!”
“OK,” he said and rushed
into the burning house with another fireman.
The onlookers cheered
wildly.
The thatched roof began
to slant. And the next instant, the huge burning roof fell onto the Indian lilac tree spreading
spark all over. The onlookers stepped back. The lilac tree caught fire and all the
branches began to burn.
Another cheer was heard.
The firemen came out of the burning house carrying a dying old woman.
“Toku-san, Toku-san, our tree…,”
Chie was mumbling in the fireman’s arms.
Snow
began to fall.
When Keiichi was grading
the students’ examination papers in his house, the telephone rang. Fusako
picked up the receiver.
“Hello, this is Okuoka
speaking. Who is this, please?”
“This is Yae Hattori in
Shirakawa Village.”
“Ah, Yae-san. Please wait
a moment.”
Fusako handed the
receiver to Keiichi saying it was from Yae.
“Hello, Keiichi speaking.”
“Keiichi. This is Yae. Bad
news! Chie’s house caught fire and burned down.”
“Oh, God! Really? Is my
mother all right?”
“Yes, but she’s got
burned and was hospitalized.”
“In the village clinic?”
“Yes.”
“I’m coming as soon as
possible,” Keiichi said.
“Yes, please.”
“Thank you for calling.”
Keiichi hung up the
telephone and said to Fusako.
“My mother’s house has burned
down and she’s been hospitalized.”
“Is she all right?”
“She says so. I’ll go
right now.”
It was around eight o’clock.
Keiichi’s car approached the Ichinomiya Junction on the Meishin Highway. He saw
the lights of the houses and neon signs shining along the dark highway. He didn’t
feel like listening to music or the radio.
“I told her it would be
dangerous to live alone,” he said to himself.
Soon he saw a sign “Tokai
Hokuriku Jidosha-do” (the highway to the Hokuriku district). It would be about
two hours before he reached Shirakawa Village.
“I told her she should
live with us in Nagoya.”
Keniich felt angry and at
the same time sad. He wanted to burst out in anger and scream his head off.
“She’s so stubborn. After
all, no one but I have to look after her.”
About an hour and a half
later, he passed the sign “Welcome to Shirakawa Village.” It had begun to snow.
The road was covered with light snow. It was passed 9:30.
He arrived at Shirakawa
Village Clinic. He walked along the icy-cold corridor. His breath was white. He
knocked at the door and opened it softly.
“Keiichi! Glad to see
you,” Yae said. She was sitting beside the bed.
Chie was asleep. Her face
and hands were wrapped up in bandages and
her leg was suspended from the ceiling. An intravenous tube was attached
to her arm.
“How’s she doing?”
Keiichi said.
“Her leg has fractured,
but she’s all right.”
Keiichi sat on the stool
beside the bed and saw the suspended leg.
“I sympathize with you,”
Chie said.
Both of them looked at
Chie.
“Oh, you haven’t looked
at the burned house yet, have you?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then, go and do so. I’ll
be watching Chie.”
“Thank you.”
Keiichi stood up, glanced
at his mother and left the room.
Walking along a
snow-covered road, he reached the burned house. He saw collapsed thatched roof
on the ground and a dozen of charred poles. All of them were covered with thin
snow. How could that old and magnificent house have turned into ashes?
He remembered his boyhood
when he was scolded by Chie severely. At that time, Chie was furious. “Keiichi!”
she screamed at him. He rushed off the veranda onto the garden in bare feet and
ran away. Why she had scolded him, he could not remember.
He thought Chie would live
with him in Nagoya now that the house was ruined.
Keiichi returned to the
clinic. Chie was still asleep.
“Thank you, Yae-san,” he
said.
“Ah, did you see the
house? That’s too bad.”
“But, my mother was safe.
That was lucky.”
“Yes, yes, it could have
been worse.”
“Thank you for
everything. I’ll take care of her.”
“All right. I’ll come
here tomorrow.”
Yae whispered to Chie,
who was asleep, “Good night, See you tomorrow” and left the room.
Snow continued to fall
far into the night. Keiichi fell into a slumber, when Chie woke up.
“Is that you, Keiichi?,”
she said.
Keiichi woke up.
“Keiichi,” she said with a crying face. “Our
house has burned down. Everything.”
“Mom,” he said.
“Look at me. I am such a wretched woman.”
“Don’t be disappointed. You’ll get well
soon, mom.”
“I’m ashamed of myself. I can’t meet
Toku-san in heaven.”
Chie was crying.
“Our precious Indian lilac tree has also
burned down. That tree and us were together as one.”
“But luckily you are safe.”
“Was
it lucky? All is over,” Chie said.
“What are you talking
about? Your legs will be cured soon,” Keiichi said.
“But my house has burned
down.”
“So, why don’t you come
to Nagoya and live with us?”
“I don’t want to.”
“But, you have no house
to live in.”
“I’ll ask Yae to let me
use her second house.”
“You shouldn’t do that.
She will be troubled.”
“No, she won’t. She isn’t
that type of woman.”
“Anyway, what you have to
do first is cure your legs. We’ll discuss where to live after your legs are
cured.”
“I won’t live in Nagoya.”
The next morning Keiichi
entered the doctor’s office when his name was called out. He was around sixty
years old with gray hair and a mustache.
“I am Okuoka. Thank you
for caring for my mother.”
“Oh, you are her son. I
am sorry your mother has had such a misfortune.”
“Is her leg all right?”
“Yes. You don’t have to
worry about it. She had just a simple fracture, but as she is old, it’ll take a
long time till it’s cured.”
“How long?”
“At leaset three months.”
“I see.”
“I heard you live in
Nagoya.”
“Yes.”
“Then,
I recommend you to move her to a hospital in Nagoya. I’ve provided her with
basic care, but can’t treat her better since this is a rural area.”
“I’m thinking of it, too,”
Keiichi said.
“Then, since she is
burnt, she can leave here in four or five days.”
“I understand.”
Keiichi thought Chie
would change her mind if the doctor recommended her to move to a hospital in
Nagoya. The next problem was whether she could get along well with his wife,
Fusako.
Five days later, it was a
fine morning. Chie was going to move to a hospital in Nagoya. Chie and Fusako
sat on the back seat of the car. Chie’s leg was immobilized in a plaster cast.
Keiichi started the engine,
bowed to the doctor, nurses, and villagers.
“Thank you for
everything,” Keiichi said.
“Chie, best of luck,” Yae
said.
“You, too. I’ll come
back,” Chie said.
“Yes. I’ll be waiting for
you.”
Tears stood in Yae’s
eyes. Her beloved friend was leaving to Nagoya. She was leaving for good.
“Don’t cry, Yae. I’ll
surely come back.”
The car started. Keiichi
bowed to the people again. Chie looked back at the villagers through the rear
window. Chie’s figure became smaller and smaller. She saw rice fields and then
distant mountains. She would surely come back when her legs were cured, she
said to herself.
Three months have passed
since Chie was hospitalized in Tojima Orthopedics Hospital in Nagoya. Chie was
practicing walking between the parallel bars. Fusako, sitting on a bench at the
corner of the rehabilitation room, was watching Chie. A pair of 4-point canes
stood beside her.
“Good. You’ve walked
wonderfully,” a young female rehabilitation therapist said.
“It’s depressing. I can’t walk well,” Chie
said.
“You can walk very well.
It will not be long before you can leave the hospital,” the therapist said.
“Is that so?” Chie said
happily. Chie remembered the scenery of Shirakawa Village.
“Yes. Well, that’s about
all for today’s practice. Please come again tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” Chie said.
Fusako walked to Chie
with a pair of 4-point canes in her hand, and gave them to Chie, who grabbed
each of them in each of her hands, and leaning on the canes, walked to the
bench step by step accompanied by Fusako.
“I’m tired,” Chie said to
Fusako when they sat on the bench.
“You’re getting better.
Just a little more effort and you can leave the hospital,” Fusako said.
“I want to go back to
Shirakawa Village as soon as I get out of here.”
“Shirakawa Village? I
wonder what Keiichi will say about it.”
“If I ask him, he will
consent. Well, I’m thirsty.”
“Shall I go and buy something
to drink?”
“Yes, please. I’d like to
drink some tea.”
“All right. Please wait
here.”
Fusako left the rehabilitation
room. Looking at Fusako’s back, Chie thought it was stressful to have to live
with Fusako and Keiichi in an apartment after she left the hospital. It would
be troublesome to ask her for even a cup of tea. She wanted to return to the
village and live without being shackled by them.
That night after Chie
went to bed, Keiichi and Fusako were drinking tea in the dining room. Fusako
looked disturbed.
“Dr. Yamada said Chie
would be able to leave the hospital in a week or so,” Fusako said.
“Oh, at last,” Keiichi
said.
“She will be going to the
hospital regularly for rehabilitation.”
“I see.”
Keiichi wondered whether
Fusako and Chie could get along with each other after she left the hospital.
“And Chie intends to go
back to Shirakawa Village when her leg was cured.”
“That’s impossible. To
live alone in the village.”
In fact, Keiichi wanted
Chie to live in the village, but he couldn’t expect her to do so, because he
would be labelled as an ungrateful son. He had to ask Fusako to tolerate Chie.
“Just to think of living
with her 24 hours a day here. You will have no problem since you go to school.”
Fusako’s words pierced
his heart.
“Please be patient with
her.”
“I’ll try.”
“When Chie leaves the
hospital, let her use Ayame’s room. That’s a tatami room.”
“How’s Ayame doing? I
haven’t heard about her recently.”
“She’s busy. Besides, she
has just married.”
“I know. She doesn’t
understand my feelings,” Fusako said.
Keiichi understood Fusako’s
feelings. She didn’t want to live with Chie. Keiichi also understood Chie’s
feelings. She wanted to live in Shirakawa Village.
Chie
called Yae from the pay phone in the lobby of Tojima Hospital two days before
she left the hospital.
“Hello,
this is Chie Okuoka. I’d like to speak to …”
“Ah,
Chie, this is Yae speaking. It’s a long time since I saw you last. How’s your
leg?”
“Getting
better. Actually, I am leaving the hospital the day after tomorrow.”
“So
you can walk now.”
“Yes,
but I have to go to the hospital regularly for rehabilitation.!
“How
long does that take?”
“About
three weeks.”
“How
nice! I’m glad to hear that.”
“Thank
you. So, Yae, I’d like to ask you a favor?”
“A
favor?”
“Yes,
I am afraid I have to live with Keiichi in his apartment.”
“It
can’t be helped.”
“But
I don’t like Nagoya.”
“I
understand.”
“I
want to live in Shirakawa Village when I leave the hospital.”
“But,
your house has burned down.”
“I
know. So I’d like to ask you to let me use your second house.”
“Second
house? That’s too small. Why don’t you use Shota’s room. He’s marred and it’s
empty.”
“Really?
Is it all right for me to use it? Won’t he get angry if I use his room?”
“Never.
He has moved to Takayama after he got married. So, please come and live in his
room.”
“Thank
you very much.”
“But
first you have to cure your leg.”
“Yes,
of course. I’ll practice walking hard.”
“Is
Keiichi-san Okay with this?”
“If
I insist, he will consent to me. His wife will also be glad if I do not live
with them”
“Is
that so? Frankly speaking, As you know, I live here alone. I have been lonely
since you went to Nagoya.”
“I
have been lonely too. Now I can leave the hospital without any worry. Thank
you, Yae.”
Two
days later, Chie got out of the hospital and started her new life in Keiichi’s
apartment. That evening, Chie was watching TV with Keiichi and Fusako. The
television was broadcasting the Setsubun Festival held in Osu Temple.
“Today
is the Setsubun Day,” the announcer reported. “The traditional bean-scattering
event was held in Osu Temple in Nagoya, too. Unlike the other temples, the bean
throwers here do not shout, ‘In with Fortune! Out with the Devil!’ but only ‘In
with Fortune! In with Fortune!’”
Watching
television, Chie said, “No fortune comes to me.”
“Why
do you say so?” Keiich said.
“You
know, your father died and my house burned down. Besides, this leg.”
“So
far, misfortunes have happened to you, but from now on Fortunes will visit you.
And you can walk very well now,” Fusako said.
“Because
I want to go back to Shirakawa Village. I don’t like Nagoya. With such polluted
air and such a flood of noisy cars. I hate them. The water is bad, too.”
“But
mother, you have no place to live in in the villange,” Keiichi said.
“Whatever
you say, I will return to Shirakawa,” Chie said.
“She
is a big trouble maker, isn’t she?” Keiichi whispered to Fusako, who wanted to
say, “Yes, indeed” but she kept silence.
Now
the television was broadcasting live from the Higashiyama Botanical and
Zoological Garden. Small children were enjoying watchin at the elephants. Then the
TV scene changed from the elephants’ cage to the gassho-zukuri house in the
botanical garden. Kindergarteners were throwing beans at a man who wore a devil
mask. The reporter said:
“The
man who wears a devil’s mask is Mr. Morita, director of the botanical garden.
Children are throwing beans at him shouting, ‘In with Fotune! Out with the
Devil!’”
“There
is a gassho-zukuri house in the botanical garden. I’ve forgotten about that,”
Keiichi said. “Mother, look at the gassho-zukuri house on television. It’s in
Nagoya. They moved it from Shirakawa Village to the Higashiyama Botanical
Garden about 50 years ago. The house resembles the one we used to live in.”
“Is
that so? I’d like to visit it,” Chie said.
Keiichi
thought Chie might stay in Nagoya thank to the gassho-zukuri house.
On the afternoon of the
next Sunday, Keiichi and Fusako took Chie to the Higashiyama Botanical Garden. Chie
sat on the wheelchair and Keiichi pushed it. Fusako walked beside it with the
pair of 4-point canes in her hands. Since the road to the Gassho-zukuri
house was paved with asphalt, it was easy for him to push the wheelchair.
The deciduous trees on either
side of the road had shed their leaves. Numerous leafless branches stretched
against the blue sky. They saw a few peony flowers on the fallen leaves at the
side of the road. When they came near the large pond with a fountain in the
center, they got glimpses of the roof of the house through the tops of the
trees.
“There, that’s the
gassho-zukuri,” Fusako said.
“Where?” Chie said.
“There, you can see the
roof,” Keiichi crouched and pointed his finger at the roof.
“Yes, I can see that,”
Chie said.
When they turned right at
the edge of the pond, the whole house came into sight.
“That’s a familiar scene.
I feel like I’ve returned to Shirakawa Village,” Chie said.
Her voice had a joyful
tone. Keiichi heard her joyful voice after a long absence. Chie felt as if the
gassho-zukuri house were embracing her, saying, “Welcome home.”
Chie took off her shoes
at the entrance, held the cane in each hand, and walked to the room with an irori fireplace. It had no fire but only
ashes. It was cold in the room. She looked up at the dark ceiling blackened
with soot.
“This house resembles my
house in the village. That’s the main pillar, and a kitchen over there. I see a
Buddhist altar in the next room. Here I can smell my home,” She said and looked
at the irori.
“I used to hang a pot
over the fire,” Chie said remembering the good old days. “The whole family
gathered around here and ate meals. Keiichi, you have a burn scar on you left
foot. I am sorry. Hot water spilt out of the kettle when you were a baby. I was
careless.”
“I don’t remember that.
It happened a long time ago,” Keiichi said.
“It’s cold here, Shall we
move to the veranda?” Fujiko said.
“Yes,” Keiichi said and
stood up.
Chie walked slowly to the
veranda using the canes. Sitting on the sunny veranda, she saw the garden.
There were a lot of evergreen trees in the background.
“I see a lot of tall
trees from here. The scenery is just like Shirakawa Village’s,” Chie said.
“The air is fresh, too,”
Fusako said.
“Yes. This is a good
place. Please take me here often,” Chie said.
Keiichi thought Chie
might live in Nagoya now that she found a nice place to visit.
“All right. I’ll take you
here often when it becomes warm,” Keiichi said.
Chie looked at the tall
trees vaguely in the background. There was no wind. It was quiet. She
remembered the scenery of Shirakawa Village. She remembered the lilac tree her
husband and she had planted. She pictured the lilac tree in full bloom. She
imagined her husband’s smile and heard his voice. She became sad and looked
down at the floor of the veranda blankly.
“Are you all right?”
Fusako said.
Chie didn’t respond but kept
looking down.
“Are you OK?”
Fusako said again.
“Oh, I was remembering Shirakawa Village,”
Chie said.
“The village?”
“Yes, I wish the lilac
tree were here. I miss it.”
“But it has burned down.”
“I know. I won’t visit
here again,” Chie said.
“But, mother, you said
you wanted to come here often,” Keiichi said.
“I did, but the lilac
tree is not here. That makes me sad. Let’s go home now,” Chie said.
“So soon?” Fusako said.
“Yes. Without the lilac
tree, this is not worth visiting,” Chie said.
“All right, let’s go home,”
Keiichi said.
Keiichi felt disgusted by
his mother’s selfishness.
Leaving
the gassho-zukuri house, Keiichi was pushing the wheelchair with Fusako walking
beside it, when he came across Morita, director of the botanical garden. He was
Keiichi’s classmate from Gifu Kita High School. He was the captain of the
biology club when he was a high school student. His nickname was “Sprout” for
he was thin and always looked pale. Several years before, when Keiichi knew
that Morita became the botanical garden director, he wondered how such a
pale-looking boy could become the director of an occupation which needed a lot
of energy. Keiichi had met him once a few years ago after he and Fusako had
moved to live in Nagoya.
“Hello, Okuoka, it’s been
a long time since I saw you last,” Morioka said.
“Oh, Morita, how have you
been?”
“Fine, is this your
mother?” Morita said looking at Chie.
“Yes, I’ve brought her to
show the gassho-zukuri house,” Keiichi said. “And this is my wife, Fusako.”
“Glad to meet you. My
name’s Morita,” he said to her.
“He is the director of
this botanical garden,” Keiichi said.
“Really? I’m honored to
meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re my husband’s classmate from high
school,” Fusako said.
“I remember you are from
Shirakawa Village. That’s why you’ve brought her here,” Morita said to Keiichi.
“Yes, you remember well.”
“If I had known you would
come here, I would have had a staff member drive you all around the garden,”
Morita said.
“Thank you, but it may be
troublesome for you.”
“Not at all.”
Morita looked at his
watch.
“Sorry, I have to meet
one of my employees right now. Tell me when you visit here next time.”
“All right.”
“See you later,” Morita
said and walked away toward the gassho-zukuri house hurriedly.
“Is he the director? He
is really something,” Chie said.
“Yes, he is,” Keiichi
said.
Morita was talking with
Nishikawa, his staff member, in front of the gassho- zukuri house. Nishikawa
had been working for the botanical garden for the past 30 years and was going to
retire next March.
“When did we replace the
thatched roof?” Morita said to Nishikawa looking at the roof.
“In 2007. I went to
Shirakawa Village and learned how to replace the thatched roof,” Nishikawa
said.
“Ah, yes. It was 2007.”
“Look at the top. Crows
have made a hole in the roof. A big one. Damn it. We’ll have to fix it. The
repairing cost must be earmarked for the next fiscal year’s budget,” Morita
said.
“I see,” Nishikawa said
and made a note.
“Also, the front garden
here is bleak without any flowers or blossoms. We need one or two blossoming
trees here. Don’t you think so?”
“Yes, I do. The cost of
the trees shall be included in the budget, too,” Nishikawa said.
“Yes,
please.”
Chie was practicing walking using one 4-pont cane
instead of two, accompanied by Fusako in the living room in the afternoon. Chie
was able to walk much better these days compared with the days when she left
the hospital. If she continued improving at this rate for a week or so, she
would be able to walk with an ordinary cane, Fusako thought.
“Let’s
take a rest, Mother.” Fusako said.
“No,
not yet. One more time,” Chie said.
“But
you’ve been practicing for more than 10 minutes without rest. Too much practice
may injure your legs, I’m afraid.”
“So,
I said, ‘only one more time.’ I want to go back to Shirakawa Village as soon as
possible,” Chie said.
“Oh,
you are still thinking of going back to the village?” Fusako said.
“Yes,
of course.”
Fusako
knew how Chie felt living in Nagoya, where people were not as compassionate as
the village people. The air and water were not as clean. The Nagoya dialect
must be irritating for her. On the other hand, Fusako did not like always being
with Chie from morning till night. She would have preferred Chie to return to
Shirakawa, but she knew Chie could not live alone safely in the village. She
should put up with the situation, she thought.
The
telephone rang. Fusako picked up the phone.
“Hello,
this is Okuoka.”
“This
is Shota. I am Yae Hattori’s son. I’m calling from Shirakawa Village.”
“Oh,
Shota. How have you been?”
“I’m
OK, but I wondered whether I should call you or not, because I didn’t want to
disappoint Chie,” Shota said.
“Disappoint
Chie?”
“Yes.
I had heard from my mother that Chie would live in our house when she recovered
from her leg injury.”
“Really?
I didn’t know about that at all,” Fusako said.
Fusako
remembered that was why Chie said she wanted to go back to Shirakawa Village as
soon as possible. She intended to live with Yae. But Chie would be troublesome
for her, she was afraid. After all, Keiichi would not allow her to live in
Shirakawa Village.
“Chie
will be a nuisance for you. So, my husband I will take care of her. You don’t
have to worry about her,” Fusako said.
“That’s
not the point,” Shota said. “To be frank with you, my mother….”
Shota
stopped talking. He seemed to be under stress.
“Is
your mother all right? Has something bad happened to her?”
Chie
came to the phone.
“Give
me the phone,” Chie said.
“Shota,
Chie wants to talk to you,” Fusako said and handed the phone to her.
“This
is Chie speaking.”
“Ah,
this is Shota. I’m sorry to say but you can’t live with my mother now.”
“Something
wrong with her?” Chie said.
“She
is suffering from a stroke,” Shota said.
“Oh,
my God, cerebral infarction! When did it happen?”
“Three
days ago. I happened to come back home and found her half paralyzed,” Shota
said.
“So,
how is she now?”
“She
can’t talk well, nor move her left hand. She is paralyzed on one side of her
body.”
“Really?”
Chie gasped, dropped the phone, and fell on the floor. Yae, who had been Chie’s
close friend for 60 years or so, had become seriously ill. Yae could not go
back to Shirakawa Village anymore.
Fusako
picked up the phone that repeated “Hello.”
“Is
your mother suffering from a stroke?” Fusako said.
“Yes.
So, I’m sorry she can’t live with Chie anymore,” Shota said.
“That’s
all right. I’ll tell it to my husband. Thank you for calling us. Please take
good care of her.”
“Yes,
thank you,” Shota said.
Fusako
determined that she had to get along with Chie from now on whatever might
happen.
Several days later, Chie
lost enthusiasm to practice walking with a cane after she heard that Yae became
half paralyzed. She didn’t care for walking with a cane. After all she could
walk with two 4-point canes. Walking with such canes looked awkward, but she
did not mind about it at all now. Why did she have to practice it? That day,
she stopped practicing and sat down on the tatami floor.
“Let’s stop. It’s no use
practicing.”
“But, mother, we’ve only
just started,” Fusako said.
“I don’t care. Leave me
alone,” Chie said.
“OK, then. Let’s take a
break,” Fusako said.
“No, I won’t practice any
more. Don’t offend me,” Chie said.
“But walking with a cane
is much better than with 4-point canes.”
“I hate practicing. Let’s
stop now.”
“But….”
“No buts, I said ‘Stop,’
didn’t you hear that?” Chie said.
“All right then. Do as
you like. I won’t help you any longer,” Fusako said irritated.
“Ah, don’t help me anymore,”
Chie said.
Fusako left her and went
to the kitchen. She thought she couldn’t get along with such an old stubborn
woman. She had been doing her best for her since she became her
daughter-in-law. She couldn’t get along with her anymore.
That night, after Chie
went to bed, Keiichi and Fusako were talking with each other over a cup of tea in
the dining room. Keiichi was aware that Fusako had been rather irritated for
the last several days. He thought Fusako and Keiichi were not getting along
well. But he thought it couldn’t be helped. Chie wouldn’t listen to Keiichi no
matter what he said.
Keiichi did not have the guts
to scold Chie for her selfishness. He had been brought up strictly—in a don’t-do-that-don’t-do-this
manner. He had been shackled. He was a mama’s boy. He was still afraid of Chie
even if he was nearly 40 years old. He felt sorry for Fusako. He couldn’t do
anything but ask her to obey Chie.
“Mother doesn’t practice
walking with a cane these days,” Fusako said.
“She wanted to go back to
Shirakawa Village when she cured her legs, but now she can’t,” Keiichi said.
“She is often
absent-minded these days,” Fusako said.
“Because she was so
shocked about Yae,” Keiichi said.
“She doesn’t eat as much
as before.”
“I understand her. Her
house has burned down. Yae has a serious disease.”
“I know.”
“She’s lost what she
lives for.”
“But she’s too old to
have something to live for,” Fusako said.
“I know. Well, I wish my
father was alive,” Keiichi said.
“Don’t say such a thing. I’ve been under
great distress these years.”
Fusako felt an urge to
scream her head off.
“I am sorry. I’m always
grateful to you.”
Several days later, Chie
and Fusako was eating lunch.
“Itadaki-mashita,” Chie
said when she finished.
“You should say ‘Gochiso-sama-deshita’
when you’ve finished eating,” Fusako said.
“How often do I have to
repeat? We say, “Itadaki-mashita,” in my home village,” Chie said.
“But that’s strange,”
Fusako said.
“It’s not. It is normal,”
Chie said.
“All right, if you
insist. So, you’ve finished eating?” Fusako said.
“Yes, I’ve had enough.”
“But you’ve only eaten a
little.”
“I’ve had enough. Why do
I have to eat more?”
“You have to get nourishment.”
“I don’t need any nourishment. I want to go to
where Toku-san is.”
“Please don’t say such things.”
“But it’s useless to live. What’s the
meaning of living? Life is not worth living. I have lived a miserable life
since Toku-san died and my house was burned down.”
“Mother, please….”
Fusako wanted to say, “Then go to the other
world as soon as possible,” but she suppressed the urge.
Keiichi thought that Chie should go out for
a change. She hadn’t gone back to Shirakawa Village since she came to live in
Nagoya. Chie would feel good if she went to the village, breathed the fresh
air, and saw the rice fields, Keiichi thought.
“Mother, shall we go to Shirakawa Village to
visit the grave tomorrow?” Keiichi said.
“That’s great. I wanted to pray my
ancestors. I haven’t returned to the village for a long time. I wonder how Yae is
doing. I hope she is doing well,” Chie said.
“I heard she is hospitalized in Takayama
City. We’ll visit her on our way back to Nagoya,” Keiichi said.
“She’ll be surprised,” Chie said.
“Yes, she will.”
Keiichi, Fusako, and Chie visited their
family grave in Myozenji Temple in Shirakawa Village in early July. Chie prayed
with her eyes closed and her palms joined, in front of the tomb long after both
Keiichi and Fusako finished praying. She talked to the tomb for a long time
like she was pouring out what she had long pressed in her mind.
“Toku-san, I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I haven’t
visited you for a long time. I have always thought about you. A lot of things
happened after you passed away. Our house has burned down. I had my leg broken.
And the lilac tree we planted together has burned. I am sorry. Furthermore, Yae
was hospitalized after a stroke. I was disappointed. I cried and cried.
Toku-san, I have nothing to live for. I would like to go to you soon. So,
please wait for me.”
After her long prayer, they went to see the
burned house. A cuckoo was singing in the woods. When they reached the house,
they saw the burned framework: black pillars, bars, and window frames. There
was nothing that reminded them of the grand old house. The thatched roof had
fallen on the ground and was covered by weeds.
Keiichi thought he had to apologize to his
neighbors as he was walking around the ruins. Shirakawa Village was registered
as a World Heritage Site a dozen years ago. Since then abundant tourists visited
the village. Although their house was a little away from the main tourist
route, the ruins were unpleasant to the eye. He had to get rid of the ruins as
soon as possible.
When Keiichi went to the garden, he saw the charred
lilac tree which was half as tall as before. No leaves were to be seen on the
black branches. Keiichi approached the tree and was surprised. He saw a few
shoots at the root of the tree. A long one was about 10 centimeters long.
“Mother, shoots!”
“What?” Chie walked to him with her canes.
She saw the shoots, too. She was so moved
that she blinked in astonishment. She couldn’t believe that the tree was alive
after the fire.
“Ah! You have survived!” she shouted as if
she were talking to her husband.
She crouched and gazed at the shoots. They
were growing in all directions. She stroked the black trunk as if it were her precious
jewels. She felt some new energy coming to her heart.
“Toku-san is saying to me, ‘Don’t lose hope.
Live,’” Chie said.
Keiichi and Fusako looked at Chie. They now
understood how much Chie loved her husband. Chie and Toku-san were one united
body.
“Thank you. Toku-san, I’ll live my life to
the fullest,” Chie said as she stroked the tree gently and caressed the shoots
softly.
She felt her spirit emerge after seeing the
fresh shoots. She felt sorry for Tokuji if she lived pessimistically. She began
to eat and practice walking as before.
“Mother, you look great these days,” Keiichi
said to Chie at supper.
“Because Toku-san’s lilac tree has
encouraged me,” Chie said. “Will the tree bloom this summer?”
“I’m sure they will,” Fusako said.
“I want to return to Shirakawa Village and
live by the side of the lilac tree,” Chie said.
“Don’t say that again,” Keiichi said.
“You don’t understand how I feel,” Chie
said.
“I do,” Keiichi said.
“No. You see, I am an aged woman. I can’t live
long. I want to live by the side of Toku-san during the rest of my life.”
“But, you can’t do that. After all, your
house has burned down.”
“I know, but I’ll ask other friends of mine
if Yae can’t do it.”
“Mother,
don’t push it.”
“You saw the shoots. They will bloom soon,
but if I can’t see the blossoms, that’s a pity.”
“I’ll take you to the village so you can see
them.”
“But we’ll stay there for only a short time.
I want to live in the village with the lilac tree.”
“Don’t be selfish, mother.”
“All right, all right. But do I have to give
up my desire?” Chie said.
Fusako, who was looking down at the floor
depressed during the fruitless conversation between Keiichi and Chie, suddenly
looked up. Her eyes shone as if she got a good idea.
“How about moving the tree here?” Fusako
said.
“Here?” Keiichi said.
“Yes, to Nagoya,” Fusako said.
“That’s a good idea. We can replant the tree
in Nagoya. Mother, I’ll move the tree here,” Keiichi said.
“Here?” Chie said.
“In the Kitayama Botanical Garden, by the
side of the gassho-zukuri house,” Keiichi said.
“Really?”
“Yes, I’ll ask Morita.”
The next Sunday, Keiichi visited
the Kitayama Botanical Garden and met Morita. It was five months since they last
saw each other on the Setsubun Day early in February.
“Guess what, I saw Racoon-san at
the Chikusa Sport Center the other day,” Morita said.
“Racoon? You mean our mathematics
teacher?”
“Yes, he said he was 73 years old.
He was wearing a hakama and a montsuki and had a bow and arrows. He practices archery
in the sport center every Sunday afternoon.”
“That’s very nice,” Keiichi said.
“Oh, I’m sorry to have interrupted
you. So, what has brought you here?” Morita said.
“Well, I’d like to ask a favor of
you. Frankly speaking, I want you to plant a lilac tree in the garden of the
gasshozukuri house here,” Keiichi said.
“A lilac tree?”
“Yes, when my parents married,
they planted a young lilac tree in the garden of their house, but it has burned
down in a fire.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. In fact, I
was planning to plant a blossoming tree, like a cherry tree or a plum tree, but
we are on a short budget.”
“Oh, the tree I want you to plant
is my parents’ lilac tree,” Keiichi said.
“But it has burned down, you said,”
Morita said.
“Yes, it has, but when we visited
our house the other day, the tree had several shoots; the long one was more
than 15 centimeters.”
“Oh, the tree hadn’t died, you
mean?”
“No, I want you to plant that tree.
Of course I will pay the cost of the transplant.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll put it
on the agenda in the next meeting. I’m sure they will agree to the plan.”
Morita said.
It was a fine day a week later.
The Hakusan mountains in the southwest of Shirakawa Village had snow on top of
them. Green rice plants in the rice fields were swinging softly in the breeze.
Gardeners dug the lilac tree and
loaded it onto a truck while Keiichi was looking at it. The truck ran southward
along the Tokai Hokuriku Highway for two hours and reached Nagoya. After
arriving at the Kitayama Botanical Garden, the tree was transplanted in the
garden of the gassho-zukuri house. It was about one meter and a half tall and 20
centimeters in diameter. One of the gardeners said to Morita:
“It will probably bloom in August,
but even if it failed, it will bloom next summer, I’m sure.”
Summer came. The botanical garden
was full of fresh young green leaves, bright against the blue sky. Oriental
turtle doves and great tits were chirping. The young shoots of the lilac tree
became longer and stronger. The long branches were about 80 centimeters long. They
sprouted leaves and were shooting out buds. Chie and Fusako were looking at the
lilac tree surrounded by a low fence.
“They have grown fat, haven’t
they?” Fusako said.
“Yes. They will bloom soon,” Chie
said.
“Yes. I can’t wait.”
“Lilac Tree, please blow beautiful
flowers,” Chie said.
On a fine day in the end of
August, Chie was looking at the flowers of the lilac tree in the garden of the
gasshozukuri house. Several branches about a meter long had deep pink cotton-like
flowers. Chie was deeply moved by the revived flowers, as beautiful as before
when the tree was in the garden of the gasshozukuri house in Shirakawa Village.
“Thank you, Toku-san, thank you
for blooming. I want nothing more. You see, I’ve come here alone today. I still
use a cane, but I can walk better than before. My legs have improved greatly
because I have visited this place almost every week.”
She began to walk around the lilac
tree proudly with one cane instead of two 4-point canes.
“Look, Toku-san, I can walk well,”
Chie said in a small but lively voice.
Five years passed. Chie, Keiichi,
and Fusako visited the gasshozukuri house after a long absence. They sat on the
veranda looking at the lilac tree flowers in full bloom. It was a hot day and cicadas
were chirping incessantly. The tree had grown more than two meters tall. One of
the top branches was remarkably fat replacing the burned trunk. The tree was growing
taller and taller.
“Keiichi, I have a favor to ask
you,” Chie said resolutely.
“A favor?” Keiichi said.
“Yes, I want you to scatter my
ashes at the foot of the lilac tree when I die.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I am serious. I feel my death is
near at hand.”
“Don’t say such things, mother. You’ll
live long all right,” Fusako said.
“I hope so, but I feel I have
little time to live,” Chie said.
Fusako thought the relation between
Chie and her had improved after all these years. Chie continued to say:
“So, please scatter my ashes at the
foot of the tree. I feel as if the tree were Toku-san himself. You know that Toku-san
and I planted the tree 65 years ago. He said the tree and he and I were one.”
“I’ve often heard about it, but I
don’t think it’s proper to scatter your ashes there,” Keiichi said.
“It may be ridiculous, but I’ve
survived till today thanks to that tree. I want to be with Toku-san after my
death. If I die, this tree will be left alone. He’ll be alone. Isn’t it a pity?”
Chie said.
“I can’t follow you, but all right,
I’ll do as you say if you insist,” Keiichi said.
“Thank you, Keiichi. You’re a good
boy,” Chie said.
“But, mother, you should live
long,” Keiichi said.
“All right, I’ll try.”
“I’m afraid we need the permission
from the director of the botanical garden,” Fusako said.
“You don’t need it. You can do it
secretly,” Chie said.
“But it’s against the rules,”
Fusako said.
“Keiichi, the director is your
friend, isn’t he? Ask him,” Chie said.
“Okay,” Keiichi said.
“Good, now I have nothing to
regret,” Chie said feeling a sense of relief.
Three months later, Chie died at the age of
86. About two months after her death, Keiichi held a Buddhist memorial service.
After the service he said to Fusako that he would like to scatter Chie’s ashes at
the foot of the Indian lilac tree as he had promised Chie. Fusako was against it.
“As I told you, it’s against the rules to
scatter ashes on someone else’s property,” she said.
“I know, but I have to,” Keiichi said.
“Mr. Morita will be annoyed although he is
your close friend,” Fusako said.
“So, I won’t ask permission.”
“You mean, you will scatter them without his
approval?”
“Yes.”
“What if a botanical garden employee finds
you scattering the ashes? You’re a teacher. People will blame you.”
“They like scandalous deeds about teachers, I
know, but I can’t break my words. She was serious.”
“You should give up. Why not ignore your
promise?”
“No, I won’t. If I scatter them after dark,
nobody will notice.”
“You’re hardheaded like your mother. You won’t
listen to others.”
“Don’t worry, Fusako. They won’t find me.”
When the autumn sun was setting, a
broadcasting announcement was heard over the botanical garden:
“Thank you for coming to the botanical garden.
We will close at five o’clock. Please leave the garden before five through the
nearest exit. We hope you will visit us soon again.”
After the announcement, The “Auld Lang Syne”
melody started over the public address system. Keiichi was standing near the leafless
lilac tree in the garden of the gasshozukuri house. He had a bag which
contained Chie’s ashes.
A staff member of the botanical garden came
to the house and began to close the sliding shutters one after another with a
loud noise. When he saw Keiichi while he was closing the shutters, he said:
“We are closing the garden, Mister. Please
leave the garden as soon as possible.”
“All right,” Keiichi said and left the house
and hid behind the hedge of the garden. He watched the employee through it. The
employee left the house after he finished closing all the shutters. The sun set and it became dark. Keiichi approached the garden of the gasshozukuri house. When he reached the garden, he put his bag on the bench and took out it a small paper bag. Some Chinese characters were written in ink on the front of the bag: “Mrs. Chie Okumura’s ashes. Natural Burial, Seifu-shop.” He went near the lilac tree, and stepped over the fence surrounding the tree. He looked around was about to open the bag, when he heard someone say, “Hey, mister.”
Keiichi reflexively hid the bag behind his
back. The man was an employee for the botanical garden. He wore a cap but some
white hair was showing.
“What
are you doing here? The closing time of the garden has already passed,” he
said.
“Yes,
but….” Keiichi mumbled.
“Why
are you in the enclosure?”
“Well,
I have something to do here.”
“What
do you mean? And what do you have behind your back?”
“Nothing
important.”
“Then,
show it to me.”
Keiichi was driven into a corner. He thought
he would have to show the ashes to the man, but wished, at the same time, that
the employee would not tell about them to Morita.
“Why do you hesitate?”
The employee also entered the enclosure.
“Show it to me,” he said.
Keiichi gave up, and showed the paper bag to
him. The man read the Chinese characters.
“These are ashes, aren’t they?” he said
surprised.
Keiichi drooped.
“Were you going to scatter the ashes?”
“Yes, I was, but I have a situation.”
“A situation? Where do you think this is?
This is a botanical garden. Were you going to scatter ashes in here? Do you
think it is allowed to do so?”
“No, I don’t think so, but, I have a
situation.”
“Well, then. Let me hear the situation.
Please come to the director’s office.”
“The director’s office? Oh, please forgive
me.”
“Why?
You were about to break the rules, weren’t you? Are you going to avoid paying
for what you were going to do?”
“No, I’m not, but I can’t meet the
director.”
“If you have something to say more, say it
to the director. OK? Please get in the car over there.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes, of course.”
Keiichi reluctantly followed the employee
and got in the car and sat in the front passenger seat. The employee got in,
started the engine, and switched on the headlights. They illuminated the dark road
ahead of the car. While he was driving, he telephoned the director with a
cell-phone.
“Hello. This is Nishikawa. Yes. I’ve caught
a suspicious man. He was about to scatter ashes in the garden of the
gasshozukuri house. Yes. Ashes. I’m taking him to you.”
Keiich and Nishikawa did not talk in the
car. Dark trees were illuminated white one after another as the car advanced.
When they reached the office, Nishikawa
knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Morita said without looking up
from the desk. Nishikawa entered the room followed by Keiichi. Morita was
reading some documents. Keiichi prepared himself for the consequence.
There were a table and chairs near the entrance,
and desks for the employees in the back. Some foliage plants stood in the pots.
“Mr. Morita, this is the man I talked about
on the phone,” Nishikawa said and put the paper bag on the table. Keiichi
lowered his eyes.
Morita looked up to find Keiichi.
“Okuoka ! Don’t surprise me,” Morita said.
“Oh, boy, do you know him?” Nishikawa said.
“Yes, he is my classmate from high school.”
“Is that so?” Nishikawa was surprised.
“Were you going to scatter ashes, Okuoka?”
Morita said.
“I’m sorry. I’m ashamed of myself.”
“Well, then, I’ll leave here,” Nishikawa
said.
“Oh,
you don’t have to. Please stay and continue your work. Have you finished making
the pamphlet for the dry-flower exhibition?” Morita said.
“No, not yet.”
Nishikawa went to his desk and opened the
cover of a computer. There were no other employees in the room.
Morita looked at the Chinese words written
on the paper bag.
“Your mother’s ashes, aren’t they? I
remember meeting her once. How old was she?”
“86.”
“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know she had died.
So, why were you going to scatter the ashes at the foot of the lilac tree?”
“I’m sorry, but my mother insisted.”
“You said it had been planted on the
occasion of your parents’ marriage.”
“Yes. I was surprised at the vitality of the
tree. It has grown big and blooming. There are a lot of pink blossoms these
years.”
“Exactly. The visitors here are amazed at
the beautiful blossoms.”
“My mother loved the tree very much.”
“Oh, did she?”
Nishikawa stopped working and listened to
their conversation.
Keiichi continued:
“The tree reminded her of her deceased
husband. You see, my mother, father, and the tree lived together for 60 years.
She often told me that they were one united body.”
“You mean your parents and the tree were one?”
Morita said.
“Yes. When the tree was burned down, my
mother was greatly disappointed.”
“Was she?”
“And five years ago, the tree with new
shoots were replanted here from Shirakawa Village with your permission.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Since
then, my mother had become healthy and vigorous. She came to see the tree
almost every week for the past five years.”
“I see. The tree was the source of her
vitality.”
“Yes. It was her life.”
“That’s why she wanted to scatter her ashes
by the tree.”
“Yes. It’s against the rules to scatter
ashes in someone else’s property. So, I was going to do so without your
permission.”
“As you say, I’m sorry I can’t give you the
permission. I could help you in any other way, though.”
“I know. I’m sorry for the trouble.”
Keiichi looked out of the window. It was
dark.
“Oh, I’m sorry to have interrupted you.”
“That’s all right.”
Morita stood up, picked up the paper bag,
and handed it to Keiichi. He then looked at Nishikawa.
“Nishikawa-san, will you fetch some of the flower
bulbs we are going to deliver to the visitors next week?”
“All right,” Nishikawa said. He disappeared
into an adjacent room and soon appeared with a net bag of flower bulbs in his
hand. He handed it to Morita.
“Tulip
bulbs for you,” Morita said to Keiichi.
“Thank you.”
“Nishikawa-san,
please drive him to the main gate,” Morita said.
“Thank you.”
Keiichi looked around and said:
“Oh, no.
I left my bag at the bench.”
“Which bench,” Morita said.
“In the garden of the gasshozukuri house.”
“I see.”
“Nishikawa-san, he’s left his bag in the gasshozukuri-house garden.
Please drive him to the house first.”
“All right.”
“Thank you,” Keiichi said.
“See you later,” Morita said.
“Thank you for everything,” Keiichi said and left the director’s room.
Nishikawa got in the truck and Keiichi sat in the passenger’s seat. It
ran along a road in the botanical garden in the dark.
“I’m sorry to trouble you so many times, Nishikawa-san,” Keiichi said.
“I’m sorry, too. I was rude. I didn’t know you were the director’s
classmate.”
“That’s all right.”
Both of them kept silent looking ahead at the illuminated road. Tall trees
on either side of the road extended their branches making a branch-tunnel. The
full moon was covered with clouds. The dim moonlight could be seen through it.
Nishikawa broke the ice after a long silence.
“Your mother’s name was Chie, wasn’t it? My mother’s name is also Chie.”
“Oh, it’s a coincidence,” Keiichi said.
“She lives alone in a mountain village in Gifu-prefecture.”
“Is that so?”
Keiichi
said bluntly. He was not interested in talking with Nishikawa. He was thinking
of the failure of scattering the ashes. He couldn’t repeat the same mistake. He
did his best, so Chie wouldn’t blame him. He had to give up the plan.
The truck soon arrived at the gasshozukuri-house. Nishikawa stopped the
motor and turned off the headlights. It was silent except for the sound of the autumn
insects in the grass. They got off the truck. Nishikawa walked toward the house
shining the flashlights on the road followed by Keiichi with the bag of ashes
in his hand. Reaching the bench in the garden, he shone the flashlight on it. The
bag was illuminated.
“There it is. I’ve found it,” Nishikawa said.
“Oh, good. Thank you.”
Keiichi walked to the bench, opened the bag, and put the bag of ashes
into it. When he turned around, he found Nishikawa standing inside the fence of
the lilac tree. Keiichi stepped over the fence and stood beside Nishikawa. He looked
at the tree.
“Please hand over the ashes to me,” Nishikawa suddenly said to Keiichi.
“The ashes?” Keiichi said not knowing why he wanted the ashes.
“Yes. Just to fertilize the tree,” Nishikawa said.
After a moment, Keiichi took out the bag of ashes and handed it over to
Nishikawa, who opened the bag, pinched some ashes with his fingers, and
scattered them at the foot of the tree. He then turned to Keiichi.
“Your turn,” Nishikawa said and returned the bag to Keiichi.
Keiichi took the bag, looked at the tree for a second, and began to
scatter the ashes.
“Mother, you’re at last with Toku-san” Keiichi said to himself.
After scattering all the ashes, he joined his hands in prayer.
The full moon broke out of the clouds.
