聞いた話 １stories1
出張先に指定された街は、彼には初めての街で、色々と戸惑うことが多いところだった。彼の住んでいる街と比べると、たとえば駅前は店や施設でごちゃごちゃしているように見えたし、歩いている人はみな自分だけしか興味がなく、なんとなく余裕がなさそうだった。そんな狭い人間に合わせて、街の方は色々と細かな対応をしているのだろうが、いくつもある地下鉄の入り口や、電子決済など、彼には不慣れなシステムが多すぎてどうにも落ち着かなかった。ひとつミスをすると、それがすぐに他の人の迷惑になりそうな、そんな緊張感がいつまでもあった。彼の地元ではもっと時間はゆるやかで、人はのんびりしていた。
何よりも車で来たことが彼には負担に思えてきた。街の構造が複雑すぎて、車をどこに停車すれば良いのかも分からなかったのだ。
いくつか駐車場も見つける事はできるのだが、入ろうとしても道が細すぎてためらってしまうか、つい通り過ぎてから気がつくのだ。それでもなんとか、駅から少し外れた立体駐車場に止めることができた。
相手との約束の時間まではまだもう少し余裕があったので、彼は昼食のために、駅前をうろつき、適当に目についた店に入った。実際、食べたかどうかもわからないような味で、会計を終えると、もう何を食べたのかも忘れてしまうような店だった。
車に戻ろうとした時、どういうわけか彼は駐車場を間違えた。
思っていた場所には彼の車は無かったし、そういえば自分が停めた時の風景とも少し違う気がする。そのとき彼は、壁に〈Ｆ〉と書かれたゾーンで自分の車を探していたのだが、そもそもそんなアルファベットで区分けされたところに行った記憶もなかった。こういうとき、住所を書いた駐車カードでもあると便利なのだが、あいにく停めたところは入り口でナンバープレートを録画して管理するタイプのもので、場所を示す手がかりは何も手元にはなかった。
彼は困った。なんとか記憶を辿ってみた。たしか工事中の高架をくぐったことは覚えている。その先の暗い立体駐車場の四階に停めた。エレベーターで出口に出るのだが、なぜか直通では地上には降りられず、一度地下通路に出てから地上に出るというややこしいものだった。
とりあえず徒歩圏にあるのは確かだから、と彼はもう一度外に出て道を辿ってみたが、それらしいものは視界に入ってこなかった。カラオケボックス・紅茶専門店・立ち飲み屋。雑貨屋などの看板が色々と飛び込んできても、どの風景にも見覚えがない。
もう一度、最初に通った地下通路に戻ろうと思った。たまたま目についたマクドナルドの窓から地下に向かう階段が見えたので、彼は飛び込むようにそこに向かった。注文もせずに階段を下りると、地下はテーブルが並ぶイートスペースだった。うまい具合にイートスペースの反対側には地下街につながっている裏口があるようだった。
うろうろと地下街の中を歩き回っているうちに、そろそろ彼は焦りはじめてきた。このまま迷い続けることは無いだろうとは思うのだが、こんなことをしているうちに出張先に遅刻することだけは避けたい。遅刻の連絡を先方にするのは最終手段として、会う前から相手にマイナスの印象を与えたくなかった。駅前に着いたとき、変な余裕を持って昼食を取ったことを今になって後悔し始めたが、それは余計に自分を追い詰めるだけだった。
いくらか地下街を歩き回っても、何も手がかりがみつからなかったので、彼は今度は昼食を取った店を探そうと思い直した。店をまず見つけ、そこからもう一度引き返せば、記憶のある風景に出くわすかもしれない。
大きなショッピングモールのエスカレーターを登りながら、先ほど立ち寄った店を目で探しているときだった。突然、うしろから若い男が彼に声をかけてきた。その若い男はそれまで隣に並んでいた友達と話をしているようだったが、ごく自然に
「ねえ、あなたもそう思いませんか？」と彼にも話しかけてきたのだった。
若い男だ。
顔つきが濃い。もちろん彼には見覚えもない顔だが、相手は別にそんなこと気にしていないようで、普通に視線を合わせてきた。
「〇〇〇ですよね？」と若い男は共感を促すように彼にまた言った。
ふと、この若い男に尋ねてみようと彼は思った。
記憶をもとに店の特徴を伝えると、その若い男は店を知っているという。ここからすぐですよ、と彼は言う。案内しますよ。
そっちを右、そっちをまっすぐ、と彼の少し後ろを歩きながら、その若い男は道を指示するのだが、なぜか彼の前を歩かないのが奇妙だった。
「たぶんあの店だと思う」
と最終的に男が示した店は全く彼の記憶とはちがった上に、いつの間にか若い男の友達は消えていて、彼とその男だけになっていた。
せっかくだけど、ここは違うな、と彼はお礼を言って別れようとしたが、その若い男はなぜかついてくる。もういいよ、というのだが、もう少し話そう、と言ってその若い男は離れようとしないのだった。
とはいえ何かを売ってくるとか、そういうのでもない。若い男はただ彼の横にいるだけだった。そのあたりで彼は内心で不快を感じてきた。どうしてこの男は離れないのだ。いきなり走り出して逃げるとか、どこかの店に入って誰かに助けを請うとか、若い男から離れようと思えば、その手段はいくらでもあったのに、彼は何もしなかった。ただ男に離れて欲しいと思いながらあちこち歩くだけだった。
傍目には仲良く二人が歩いているように見えたかもしれない。誰も彼等に興味など示さなかったし、ただ彼だけが心臓をドキドキさせながら歩き続けた。
駐車場は全く唐突に現れた。何となく見覚えのある階段があったので、そこを登ると彼の車があった。どういうわけかトランクが開けっ放しになっていて車内灯がついたままになっていたが、彼はそれを不審に思う余裕もなく、さっと車の中に飛び込んでドアを閉めた。
乗せろよ、と若い男は言った。けれども、彼はロックされたドアを無理矢理開けることまではしなかった。ただ運転席の近くで彼のことをじっと見ているだけだった。
彼は車のエンジンを掛けた。もう取引先との遅刻もどうでもよかった。とにかく名前も知らないこの男から離れることが先決だった。
ハンドルを握って出発しようとすると、車の横で男が自分の指を口の中に突っ込んでいるのが見えた。そのまま濡れた指をガラスにべたっと付けた。
The city designated as the destination for his business trip was a new one for him, and he was often confused by many things. Compared to the city where he lives, for example, the area in front of the station seemed cluttered with shops and facilities, and everyone walking around seemed to only be interested in himself, and somehow seemed short on time. The city must have made various small-scale arrangements to accommodate such a small-town person, but there were so many systems that were unfamiliar to him, such as the many subway entrances and electronic payments, that he felt uneasy. There was a constant sense of tension that if he made one mistake, it would immediately become a nuisance to others. In his hometown, time was more relaxed and people were more laid-back.
More than anything, coming by car seemed like a burden to him. The structure of the city was so complicated that he didn't even know where to park his car.
He was able to find several parking lots, but when he tried to enter, he would hesitate because the roads were too narrow, or he would just pass by and realize it. Still, he managed to park in a multi-storey car park a little outside the station.
There was still a little time before his appointment, so he wandered around the station for lunch and went into a random restaurant that caught his eye. In fact, the food was so tasty that he wasn't even sure if he had eaten it or not, and once he'd paid, he'd forgotten what he'd eaten.
When he went back to his car, for some reason he'd parked in the wrong parking lot.
His car wasn't where he thought it would be, and now that he thought about it, it seemed a little different from when he'd parked it. At the time, he was looking for his car in a zone marked "F" on the wall, but he had no memory of ever being in a zone marked with such an alphabet. At times like this, it would be convenient to have a parking card with the address written on it, but unfortunately the place he parked in was the type that recorded and managed the license plate at the entrance, so he had no clues to where he was.
He was in a bind. He tried to retrace his memory. He remembered going under an overpass that was under construction. He parked on the fourth floor of a dark multi-storey car park beyond. He took the elevator to the exit, but for some reason it didn't take him directly to ground level, so he had to go through an underground passage before he could get out, which was confusing.
Thinking that it was definitely within walking distance, he went outside again and followed the road, but nothing resembling it came into view. There were various signs for karaoke booths, tea shops, standing bars, and general stores, but none of the scenery looked familiar.
He thought about going back to the underground passage he had first passed through. He happened to notice a staircase leading to the basement from the window of a McDonald's, so he ran in. He went down the stairs without ordering anything, and found himself in an eating area with tables lined up in the basement. Conveniently enough, there seemed to be a back entrance to the underground mall on the other side of the eating area.
As he wandered around the underground mall, he began to get anxious. He didn't think he would continue to get lost, but he didn't want to end up late for his business trip while doing this. He wanted to inform the other party that he would be late as a last resort, and didn't want to give them a negative impression before he even met them. When he arrived in front of the station, he began to regret having lunch with an odd sense of ease, but that only made him feel more cornered.
After wandering around the underground mall for a while, he found no clues, so he decided to look for the restaurant where he had lunch. If he could find the restaurant first and then go back from there, he might come across a scene that reminded him of something he remembered.
As he was walking up the escalators of a large shopping mall, searching for the restaurant he had stopped at earlier, a young man suddenly called out to him from behind. The young man seemed to be talking to a friend standing next to him, but then quite naturally
spoke to him, saying, "Hey, don't you think so too?"
It was a young man.
He had a strong look on his face. Of course, he didn't recognize the face, but the other person didn't seem to mind and just met his gaze.
"It's XXX, right?" the young man said to him again, as if to encourage empathy.
Suddenly, he thought it would be a good idea to ask the young man.
He told him the characteristics of the restaurant based on his memory, and the young man said he knew it. It was just around the corner from here, he said. I'll show you the way.
Walking a little behind him, the young man gave directions, saying "go right there, go straight there," but for some reason it was strange that he didn't walk in front of him.
"I think it's probably that store," the man said, and the store he finally pointed out was completely different to the one he remembered, and before he knew it, the young man's friends had disappeared, leaving only him and the man.
He thanked the young man and tried to leave, saying that this wasn't the place, but for some reason the young man followed him. He said that was enough, but the young man said that he wanted to talk a little more and refused to leave.
It wasn't like he was coming to sell him anything or anything like that. The young man just stayed beside him. At this point he began to feel uncomfortable inside. Why wouldn't this man leave? If he had wanted to leave the young man, there were plenty of ways to do so, such as suddenly running away, or going into a store and asking someone for help, but he didn't do anything. He just walked here and there, hoping that the man would leave.
To an outsider, the two of them might have looked like they were walking together happily. No one showed any interest in them, and he just kept walking, his heart pounding.
A parking lot appeared out of nowhere. He saw some vaguely familiar stairs, and when he climbed them, he found his car. For some reason the trunk was open and the interior light was still on, but he didn't have time to think it was suspicious, he just jumped in and closed the door.
Give him a ride, the young man said. However, he didn't go so far as to force the locked door open. He just stood near the driver's seat and stared at him.
He started the engine. He didn't care anymore that he was late to his client's appointment. What mattered most was getting away from this man whose name he didn't even know.
As he got behind the wheel to drive away, he saw the man next to the car stick his fingers in his mouth. He then stuck his wet fingers against the glass.
