禍福weal and woe

 　男が妻から別居を切り出されたのは夏の終わり、八月の二十八日だった。突然のその話を意外にもすんなりと男が受け入れたのは、奇妙な理由だが時期が大きかった。男の人生を振り返ってみたとき、いつも夏が終わる頃ぐらいになると、女たちは突然彼に別れを切り出すのだった。そういうとき、だいたい相手の態度がよそよそしくなりはじめ、「実はーー」と後戻りのできない別れ話がはじまる。そうして出ていった女たちは誰も戻ってくることはない。

　妻の場合も同じだった。そして男の人生に登場したほとんどの女がそうであるように、こういう場合すでに新しく男性がいるのだった。

　妻の場合は、その相手というのが彼の同僚というのがややこしいことだった。同じ部署にいる彼よりも二つ年下の同僚が妻の新しい相手となったのだ。

　同僚は独身で、去年恋人と別れたばかりだった。その彼の話を聞いて励ましてあげようと、妙な親切心を起こしたことがそもそものきっかけだった。

　とある日曜日に、男は自分の地元の町のビールフェスに彼を誘った。町中の公園に十店舗ほどの会社がビールを出店する企画だが、始まって五年が経って規模も大きくなり、そこそこ名物の企画だった。

　野外にしつらえた簡易テーブルに座りながら、男は妻と二人で同僚の話を聞いた。妻を同行させたのは、男だけで話し合うよりも、女性側からの意見もあれば、という程度の軽い考えだった。そんな話は周囲でもよくある話だった。だが男と妻の場合、それは「よくある話」の限度を超えていた。

　何がきっかけだったのか？いつ頃から距離が縮まったのか？いつごろから肉体関係があったのか？いつ会っていたのか？

　深夜の台所で、妻は男の質問に全部答えた。言葉の合間に「ごめんね」と妻は言った。それを誠実さと言えるのかどうか。正直な事実は時として無邪気な暴力と同じだった。つきつめると男が法事のために実家に帰り、親戚に交ざって読経していたその二泊の間が彼等にとっては運命的な日々となったらしい。

　あいつと別れてほしい、とも男は言った。

「もう会わないでおこうと話し合ったこともあるの。でもそのとき、あの人わたしの前で涙を流したのよ」と妻は言った。

　涙がなんだ、と男は思った。涙ぐらいなら自分だって今なら好きなだけ出せそうだったが、男の涙と同僚の涙の価値は妻の中では違うのは明確だった。男がどれだけ泣こうが、妻の方はここを出て行きたがっているのは明白だった。子どももいないし、つまるところこれは恋人同士の別れ話とそう大差はない。

　何よりそれは彼にとっては夏の終わりの別れなのだ。今まで付き合った女性たちが皆、九月を迎える頃に出ていったことを思い出すと、彼は妻を引き留める気がどこかですっと消えて行くのを感じた。

　厄介な話だが、人生にはそういうこともある、と男は案外落ち着いてそのものごとを受け止めた。妻は同じ市内に単身用の部屋を借りた。

　妻の別居が決まるあたりで、同僚の方から彼にコンタクトがあった。少し時間を取って欲しい、と向こうから連絡があり、ふたりは職場の近所のカフェで改めて向かい合った。

「こんなことになってしまって」と同僚は妙に申し訳なさそうな口調で話し出した。　

　その気になれば面と向かって罵倒する事もできたかもしれないが、実際に同僚を前にするときには男にはもうその気も失せていた。

「ああ……」とうなずくと男は、「困ったねえ」と呟いた。

　相手が気にしているのはおそらく慰謝料のことだとは、何となく会話のふしぶしから分かったが、それについては男の方はことを面倒にする意図はなかった。つまりは自分は被害者とも言えたが、それで大げさに騒ぎたてるつもりはないということだ。そういう点では男は冷静だった。

　それよりもふたりの男の会話に現れる妻の扱いが難しかった。男の方はまだ自分の妻のつもりで話すのだが、同僚の方も彼女を自分の所有物のように話した。（二度ほど、同僚が妻のことを名前で呼ぶのが彼の気に障った）

　その一時間ほどの話し合いの中で、男が同僚と交わした約束は、自分と妻の離婚まではもう少し時間をおきたいということと、物事にけりがつくまでは妻と寝るのはやめろということだった。

　意外にも向こうもそのつもりだった。結果がどうなろうとも、ああいうことになったからには責任を持つ、と同僚は言った。同僚の両親はすでにどちらも他界していて、結婚に関してはややこしい事はない。あくまでも男の側さえ片付けば問題はない、ということだった。同僚の言葉の節々には、年上である男に対して少しでも弱みを見せまいとする変な意地が見えた。

　妻が見つけてきた部屋は、同じ市内のワンルームだった。男も一度だけ見に行ったことがあったが、そこで妻は独身に戻ったようだった。本棚や、洗面所に堂々と同僚の私物らしいものが点在しているのを目にするなり、吐き気がして彼はすぐに部屋を出た。このぶんだと同僚との約束などあやしいものだった。

　伸ばしに伸ばしたスライムが切れるように、年が明けて二月に入る頃には、とうとう本当に離婚が決定した。その頃には妻の荷物はほとんど家には残っておらず、食器棚の奥から彼女のウェッジウッドの小さなカップが見つかった程度だった。花を模した形の、洗うにも飲むにも使いにくい、ただ美しいカップだが、男はそのカップだけはそのままにしておいた。

　四月の初めには同僚が再婚したという話がすぐに伝わってきた。

　相手が相手なので、職場の何人かは男に対して言いづらそうにその件を話したが、四月から同僚の方は異動になり本社勤務からは外れていた。おそらく人事課の配慮なのだろうが、全体的に男に対して同情的な措置だと言えた。

　異動とはいえ同じ会社なので、ごくまれに男も本社に立ち寄っている同僚を見かけることもあった。おそらく向こうもそうなのだろうが、視界にお互いの姿が入るだけで緊張した空気が流れた。もちろん話す事もなかった。

　いつの間にか金色の結婚指輪が同僚の指にあった。それは分かっていたし、覚悟もついていたつもりだったが、胸がむかむかして、その日は早めに会社を出た。

　土曜日と日曜日には男は散歩をする癖がついた。家の中に一人いると、どうしても同僚と妻のことを想像してしまう。思い出す妻の笑顔や振る舞いの隣に、同僚がいると思うだけで、時間は耐え難いものとなった。にもかかわらず、彼にはその苦しみをなんとかできるような方法も浮かばなかった。それならまだ外に出ている方がましだった。

　普段なら車で通り過ぎるだけだった風景を、一つ一つ確かめるように歩くと色々な発見があった。知らなかったラーメン屋があり、再開発ののち団地になる公園があり、新婚時に通っていた会員制のプールはいつのまにか移転していた。

　歩くためにそうなるのか、鬱屈しているのでそうなるのか、いずれにせよ男は痩せ始めた。それまで少しぽっちゃりとしていたのが、大学生頃の体型に戻りつつあった。その反面では白髪も何本か見つけたが、男は特にそれを気にする様子もなかった。月曜日から金曜日はスーツを着て普通に働き、土日はラフな格好に変えて散歩する。その移動範囲だけがどんどん広がっていった。

　半年経つうちに行きつけの店ができた。いかにも地元という街中華の店で「八千代飯店」という名前だった。店は角に面していて、隣はシャッターの閉まった電機屋だった。道を挟んだ向かいには配送業者の荷物集配所があり、帽子を被った作業着姿の男たちが出入りする姿がよく見られた。

店の暖簾は新しいが、新しいのはそこだけで、扉を押して中に入ると気さくな年寄りの夫婦が店を切り盛りしていた。テーブルが五つに、二人がけのカウンターが一つ。白いテーブルに緑色のパイプ椅子という、昔ながらの店構えだった。カウンターの上のたぬきの置物も、すっかり黒ずんで貫禄がある。

　不思議なことに八千代飯店の客はいつでも四人を越えたことはない。男がいつ行ってもテーブルに数名か、あるいは男だけの時もあり、繁盛している様子はなかった。セルフ式の水を自分で汲むと、男はいつものように天津飯と餃子を頼む。それから、ぼんやりと付けっぱなしのテレビに目を向ける。たいがいはニュースか、ドラマの再放送だった。

「お兄ちゃん、大学生？」半年経った十月の日曜日、料理を運びにきた店主が不意に声をかけてきた。そんなことは一回も無かったことだった。

「まさか」と男は否定した。「ぼく、もう四〇前ですよ」

「ああ、そうなんだ」と主人はうなずいた。「最近の人は若く見えるからなあ。俺から見たらみんな同じに見えるよ。いつもありがとうな」

　そういうと主人は天津飯を男の前に置いた。

　男は別にそのやりとりが嫌でもなかったので、その次の土曜日も「八千代飯店」に足を運んだ。主人は男になにかれとなく話しかけるようになり、その様子を奥の厨房で微笑みながら奥さんが聞いているのだった。

　十二月のある日、頼んでもいないのにビールが出た。男がそれを言うと主人は、年末いっぱいで店を閉めることになった、と答えた。

「こいつがちょっと足を悪くしてね。もうお互いに歳だから何があってもおかしくないし。それでこの店も閉めて、名古屋の息子夫婦のところに行くことになってね」

　主人はそう言うと厨房の妻を指さした。たぶん話は聞いているに違いないのだが、奥さんは皿を洗う手を休めずにいながら、いつものように黙っていた。

　男の出身も名古屋だというと、主人はその偶然を喜んだ。

　主人は名古屋の息子夫婦の住所を教えた。名古屋で店をやっているという。言われるままに店の名前をスマホで調べてみるとパン屋だった。茶色と白のシンプルな店の佇まいに、絵本のイラストのような可愛らしい四人組のパンの看板が印象的な店だった。

〈近所の散歩で良く買いますが、東京で修行した主人のクロワッサンは香ばしくてぱりぱりしていて絶品〉と地元の人らしい口コミも載っていた。

　八月の終わり、男は実家に帰省した。離婚したことについて家族はなにも言わなかった。寂しくなるね、と母が一言言っただけだった。実家に戻って自分の部屋やリビングを改めて見回すと、出て行った妻を思わせるものはなにひとつなかった。まるで結婚なんて最初からなかったかのようだった。

　週末を実家で過ごし、いつもよりも早めに家を出たのは、あの中華屋の主人の話を思い出したからだった。店は男の地元駅から電車で五つめの駅だった。駅を降りて、両隣に古本屋や歯医者の並ぶ坂を上り、店のある住宅街まで歩くと、めざすパン屋はなかった。代わりに何をしているのかわからない店があった。

　店構えは前に写真で見た通りだったので、男はそのまま店の中に入った。少し薄暗い店内にはカウンターがあって、中には年齢が掴みにくい女性がひとりタブレットを眺めていた。

　女性の方も突然入って来た男に驚いたようだった。ここはどんな店なのか男が訊ねると、それがまだ決まっていない、と女性は意外なことを口にした。親戚の伝手でここの店を任されることになっただけで、今日はその下見に来ただけだ、ということだった。女性はついこの間までニュージーランドにいて先月帰ってきたばかりだという。

　男は礼を言って店を出ようとしたが、女性はそれを引き留めた。そうして占いをしていかないか、と妙なことを言った。実は占いとカウンセリングを交えたようなものを考えている。ここにもっと落ちつけるようなソファをしつらえて、照明も工夫してみればそれらしくなるのでは、と女性はまるで男が仕事の相手であるような口調で言った。

　女性には確かに人懐っこいところがあった。結局、男は女性に言われるままカウンターの前に座った。

「あなたが最初のお客ということで。なんか誰か来るような感じはあったんだよね」

　女性はカウンターのポットで湯を沸かし、それで男にコーヒーを出した。そうして自分のバッグから、使い古した本とノートを取り出した。

　占いといっても女が訊ねたのは男の生年月日ぐらいだった。これだけはズレちゃうと困るから絶対に正直に答えてね、と女は言った。それから好きな色と、苦手な動物を訊ねて、それで終わりだった。値段は特別に半額でいい、と言われたが占いの相場など分からない男は言われるままに四千円支払うと、女はしばらくカウンターから離れてどこかへ行ってしまった。

　そのまま五分ほどひとりで放っておかれて、いいかげん男がコーヒーを飲み終わる頃になると女はやっと戻って来て、次にいつ来るか訊ねた。

「読み解くのにはしばらく時間がかかるのよ。少なくとも三日はかかるかな。星が動くその流れを見てみないと、わからないこともあるから」

　女の説明は男にはよく理解できなかったが、男は事情を説明してしばらくは名古屋に帰る予定などない事を伝えた。困ったわねえ、と女性はさして困ってなどいない様子で呟いたが、返金するという考えはないようだった。

「じゃあ結果を紙に書いて送って欲しい」ふと思いついて男はそう言った。自分のメールアドレスを教えると何か面倒になるかもしれないと思って、彼は結局自分の住んでいるアパートの住所を女性に教え、店を出た。そのとき初めて自分の名前を書いた、とそんなことに遅れて気づいた。

　占いの事はすっかり忘れていた。帰省してから二ヶ月ほどして、郵便受けに入っていた手紙でやっと思いだしたぐらいだった。封筒の送り主を見ると「占いカフェ　珊瑚」と手作りのスタンプが押されていた。どうも店としてオープンしたようだった。

しかしずいぶん適当だな、とあの女性の事が思い出されて苦笑いした。

　Ｂ４サイズの大きさの紙に、男には分からない表と、記号のようなものが印刷されていた。その上から、女の字で何か書き込みがいくつかあった。その紙の左側の余白に男の占いの結果が書いてあった。

　あなたは、両親に大切にされて育ちました。両親は何か商売に携わっています。店か不動産かなにかあるはず。両親はあなたの意思を尊重する姿勢を見せていましたが、本当はあなたにお父さんの仕事をついで欲しいとも思っていたようです。あなたは３２〜３５歳の間に結婚しましたが、それは難しい。そのときの奥さんは別の人と結婚しますが、それはもう考えなくてもよいことです。

　４２〜４４歳まではお金の流れがよいです。新しい人があなたの前に現れますが、たぶんそれは夏の終わりです。知っている人がまた戻ってきますが、前の奥さんではありません。そのあたりで新しく仕事を始めるかもしれません。転職しても問題はないでしょう。

　喉のあたりが弱いので注意すること。５０歳頃にふたたび良くなりますので、そのときに老後に備えておきましょう。

　六年が過ぎた頃、男は新しい妻に占いの話をした。そういえば、と引き出しの中に入れたままだった紙を思い出したのだった。

　新しい妻は鷹揚な性格で、男が前に結婚していたことも受け入れていた。彼女の方も再婚だった。これから先、たぶんふたりには子どもは現れないままだろうが、それでも案外仲良くやっていけるような予感がどちらにもあった。

「お互いに色々あったんもんね」とふたりはよく口にしたが、その言葉がちょうどいい緩衝材になっていた。

　占いは今見直すと当たっているところとそうでないところがあった。男には金回りが良かった記憶は無かったが、夏の終わりに彼女が現れたのは確かだった。新しく仕事を始めたのも当たっていたが、転職というよりも異動だった。結婚を機に東海地方の支社に移転することになったのだった。あの同僚の方はもう仕事を辞めていた。

「その占い、今度行ってみようよ」と新しい妻が言った。「打率で言えばだいたい六割ぐらいの的中率なんだからなかなかのもんじゃないの。それにわたしも占ってもらいたいし」

　場所は覚えていたから、その次の日曜日にふたりで行った。坂の両脇に見える歯科医院も古本屋もそのままだったが、店があった場所はもう更地になっていて、前に立ち入り禁止の張り紙とロープが張られていた。

　むき出しの瓦礫の横には黒猫が二匹いて、やって来た彼等に気付くと、さっと側溝の隙間に身体を潜らせて見えなくなった。

　その場所も数年経つうちには、また新しく店が入り、ふたりが新居の引っ越しのために車でその前を通り過ぎた時には、もう白い六階建てのマンションに変わっていた。

It was the end of summer, on August 28th, when the man's wife asked him to separate from her. The reason he accepted the sudden proposal so readily was, for some strange reason, the timing. Looking back on the man's life, women would always suddenly break up with him around the end of summer. When this happened, the other woman would usually start to become distant, and then the irreversible break-up talk would begin, with a "actually...". None of the women who left like that ever came back.

The same was true for his wife. And like most women who appeared in the man's life, in these cases there was already a new man.

To make matters more complicated, in his wife's case, that other man was his colleague. A colleague who was two years younger than him and worked in the same department became his wife's new partner.

The colleague was single, and had just broken up with his girlfriend last year. The whole thing started when he listened to his story and felt a strange kindness to encourage him.

One Sunday, the man invited him to a beer festival in his hometown. The project was for about ten companies to set up beer stalls in a park in town, and in the five years since it began, it had grown in scale and become quite a popular project.

The man and his wife listened to their colleague's story while sitting at a simple table set up outdoors. The reason he had brought his wife along was because, rather than just the men discussing it, it would be nice to hear a woman's opinion. Such stories were common among the people around him. But in the case of the man and his wife, it went beyond the bounds of "common stories."

What was the trigger? When did they get closer? When did they start having physical relations? When did they meet?

Late at night in the kitchen, the wife answered all of the man's questions. In between words, she said "I'm sorry." Can that be called sincerity? Honest truth was sometimes the same as innocent violence. Ultimately, it seemed that the two nights when the man returned to his parents' house for a memorial service and recited sutras with his relatives were fateful days for them.

The man also said that he wanted to break up with her.

"We had talked about not seeing each other again, but then she cried in front of me," his wife said.

What's with the tears? The man wondered. He felt he could cry as much as he wanted at this point, but it was clear to his wife that the man's tears and his colleague's tears had different values. No matter how much the man cried, it was clear that his wife wanted to get out. They didn't have any children, so in the end, this was not so different from a couple breaking up.

Above all, for him, it was a breakup at the end of summer. When he remembered that all the women he had dated up until then had left around September, he felt his desire to keep his wife disappear somewhere.

It was a troublesome story, but that's just how life goes, the man thought, and accepted the situation rather calmly. His wife rented a single room in the same city.

Around the time that his wife's separation was decided, one of his colleagues contacted him. He contacted her and asked her to give him some time, so the two of them met again at a cafe near the workplace.

"It's come to this," the colleague said in a tone that sounded strangely apologetic.

If he had wanted to, he could have scolded her to her face, but when it came to actually being in front of his colleague, the man nodded and muttered, "That's a problem."

It was clear from the tone of the conversation that the other person was probably worried about the compensation, but the man had no intention of making things complicated about that. In other words, he could be said to be the victim, but he had no intention of making a big fuss about it. In that respect, the man was calm.

More than anything, it was difficult to deal with the wife who appeared in the conversation between the two men. The man still spoke to her as if she were his wife, but the colleague spoke of her as if she were his property. (On two occasions, he was annoyed that his coworker called his wife by her name.)

In the hour-long discussion, the man and his coworker agreed that he wanted to wait a little longer before divorcing his wife, and that he would stop sleeping with her until things were settled.

Surprisingly, the coworker was also willing to do the same. Whatever the outcome, he said, he would take responsibility for what had happened. Both of his coworker's parents had already passed away, so there were no complications with the marriage. As long as the man's side was settled, there would be no problem. In every word he said, he could see a strange stubbornness in his coworker's mouth, not wanting to show even the slightest bit of weakness to the older man.

The room his wife had found was a one-room apartment in the same city. The man had gone to see it once, and it seemed that his wife had returned to being single. As soon as he saw what appeared to be his coworker's personal belongings scattered openly on the bookshelves and in the bathroom, he felt nauseous and quickly left the room. At this rate, any promises he made with his coworker seemed suspicious.

Like slime that has been stretched too long, by the time February rolled around, the divorce was finally decided. By that time, almost none of his wife's belongings were left in the house, and all that was found was a small Wedgwood cup she had made at the back of the cupboard. It was a beautiful cup, shaped like a flower, and difficult to wash or drink from, but the man left it there.

At the beginning of April, word spread quickly that his coworker had remarried.

Because of who he was, some people at work seemed reluctant to tell him about it, but his coworker had been transferred and was no longer working at the head office since April. This was probably due to the consideration of the human resources department, but overall it was a sympathetic measure towards the man.

Even though he had been transferred, they were still in the same company, so the man would occasionally see his coworker stopping by the head office. They probably felt the same way, but just seeing each other in their field of vision created a tense atmosphere. Of course, they never spoke.

Before he knew it, his colleague had a gold wedding ring on his finger. He knew it would happen, and thought he'd prepared himself for it, but he felt sick and left work early that day.

The man had gotten into the habit of taking walks on Saturdays and Sundays. Whenever he was alone at home, he couldn't help but imagine his colleague and his wife. Just thinking about his wife's smile and behavior next to his colleague made the time unbearable. Despite this, he couldn't think of any way to deal with the pain. It would have been better to stay outside.

As he walked, checking out the scenery that he usually just drove past, he made many discoveries. There was a ramen shop he hadn't seen before, a park that would become a housing complex after redevelopment, and the members-only pool that he had been using as a newlywed had moved without him realizing it.

Whether it was because of the walking he was doing, or because he was depressed, the man began to lose weight. He had been a little chubby until then, but he was starting to lose weight again. On the other hand, a few gray hairs were starting to become noticeable, but the man didn't seem to mind it. From Monday to Friday I would work normally in a suit, and on weekends I'd change into casual clothes and go for walks. The range of my movements just kept expanding.

After six months, he found a regular place. It was a typical local Chinese restaurant called Yachiyo Hanten. The restaurant was on a corner, next to a closed electronics store. Across the street was a delivery center for delivery companies, and men wearing hats and work clothes were often seen coming and going.

The shop's noren was new, but that was the only new thing. Pushing the door open and going inside, he found a friendly elderly couple running the place. There were five tables and a two-seater counter. The shop had an old-fashioned look, with white tables and green metal chairs. The raccoon figurine on the counter was also completely blackened and imposing.

Strangely, Yachiyo Hanten never had more than four customers at any one time. Whenever the man went there, there were only a few people at the tables, or sometimes only the man, so it didn't seem like it was thriving. After filling his own water from the self-service dispenser, the man ordered his usual Tianjin rice and dumplings. Then, he would turn his eyes absentmindedly to the TV that was still on. Most of the time it was the news or a rerun of a drama.

"Hey, are you a college student?" Six months later, on a Sunday in October, the restaurant owner suddenly called out to him as he brought the food. This had never happened before.

"Of course not," the man denied it. "I'm almost 40."

"Oh, I see," the owner nodded. People look younger these days. From my perspective, everyone looks the same. Thank you as always."

With that, the owner placed a bowl of Tenshinhan in front of the man.

The man didn't particularly mind the exchange, so he went to Yachiyo Restaurant again the following Saturday. The owner began to talk to the man about random things, and his wife listened to him with a smile in the kitchen at the back.

One day in December, he was served beer even though he hadn't ordered it. When the man said that, the owner replied that the shop would be closed at the end of the year.

"He's got a bit of a leg problem. It's not surprising considering we're both getting older. So we're closing this shop and going to live with our son and daughter-in-law in Nagoya."

The owner pointed to his wife in the kitchen. She must have heard what he was saying, but she kept silent as usual, even as she continued to wash the dishes.

When the man said that he was also from Nagoya, the owner was pleased with the coincidence.

The owner told him the address of his son and daughter-in-law in Nagoya. He did as he was told and looked up the name of the shop on his smartphone, and found that it was a bakery. The simple brown and white shop had an impressive sign with a cute group of four breadmakers, like an illustration in a picture book.

There was also a review that sounded like a local saying, "I often buy croissants when I'm walking around the neighborhood, and the croissants made by the owner, who trained in Tokyo, are fragrant, crispy and delicious."

At the end of August, the man returned to his parents' home. His family didn't say anything about his divorce. His mother just said, "It's going to be lonely." When he returned and looked around his room and the living room again, there was nothing that reminded him of his wife who had left. It was as if he had never been married to begin with.

The reason he spent the weekend at his parents' home and left the house earlier than usual was because he remembered the story of the Chinese restaurant owner. The restaurant was the fifth train stop from the man's local station. He got off the station, walked up a hill lined with second-hand bookstores and dentists on either side, and walked to the residential area where the restaurant was located, but there was no bakery. Instead, there was a store that he didn't know what it was doing.

The store's appearance was just as he had seen it in the photo before, so the man went inside. There was a counter in the slightly dimly lit store, and inside was a woman, her age was unclear, looking at a tablet.

The woman also seemed surprised by the man's sudden entrance. When the man asked what kind of shop it was, the woman said something unexpected: she hadn't decided yet. She had just been put in charge of the shop through a relative's introduction, and today she was just here to check it out. The woman had been in New Zealand until recently and had only just returned last month.

The man thanked her and tried to leave, but the woman stopped him. She then said something strange: would she like to go and do some fortune telling? In fact, she was thinking of doing something that combines fortune telling and counseling. She said it would be more appropriate if she put a more relaxing sofa here and tried some creative lighting, the woman said, speaking as if the man was a business partner.

The woman was certainly friendly. In the end, the man sat at the counter as she told him to.

"You're the first customer, you see. I had a feeling that someone was coming."

The woman boiled water in the pot on the counter and served the man coffee. Then she took out a worn book and a notebook from her bag.

Although she said it was a fortune telling, all the woman asked was the man's date of birth. She said it would be a problem if she got this wrong, so she had to be absolutely honest. She then asked what his favorite color was and what animal he didn't like, and that was it. She said she'd make the price half price as an exception, but the man, not knowing the going rate for fortune telling, paid 4,000 yen as she was told, and the woman left the counter for a while and went somewhere.

After being left alone for about five minutes, when the man had finally finished his coffee, the woman finally returned and asked when she would come again.

"It takes a while to interpret it. At least three days. There are some things you can't understand until you see the flow of the stars."

The man didn't quite understand what the woman was saying, but he explained the situation and told her that he had no plans to return to Nagoya for a while. "That's a problem," the woman muttered, not seeming particularly bothered, but she didn't seem to be thinking of refunding the money.

"Then I want you to write the results down on paper and send them to me," the man said, as if it had just occurred to him. Thinking that giving her his email address might cause some trouble, he ended up telling her the address of his apartment and left the shop. It was only then that he realized, belatedly, that he had written his name.

I had completely forgotten about the fortune telling. It was only about two months after I returned home that I finally remembered when I found a letter in my mailbox. When I looked at the sender on the envelope, it had a handmade stamp that read "Fortune Telling Cafe Coral." It seemed like they had opened a shop.

But it was pretty random, and I chuckled wryly, remembering the woman.

On a B4-sized piece of paper, there was a table that the man couldn't understand and some kind of symbol printed on it. On top of that, there were some writings written in a woman's handwriting. In the left margin of the paper, the man's fortune telling results were written.

You were raised by your parents and were treasured by them. They are involved in some kind of business. They must have a store or real estate or something. Your parents respected your wishes, but in reality, they wanted you to take over your father's business. You got married between the ages of 32 and 35, but that was difficult. Your wife will marry someone else, but that's something you don't need to think about anymore.

Your money will flow well from the ages of 42 to 44. A new person will appear before you, probably at the end of summer. Someone you know will return, but it won't be your ex-wife. You may start a new job around that time. There won't be any problems if you change jobs.

Your throat is weak, so be careful. It will get better again around the age of 50, so prepare for your retirement at that time.

After six years, the man talked to his new wife about his fortune telling. He remembered the piece of paper he had left in the drawer.

The new wife was easygoing, and accepted that the man had been married before. She was also remarrying. They probably wouldn't have children in the future, but they both had a premonition that they could get along quite well.

"We've both been through a lot," they often said, but that was just the right buffer.

Looking back at the fortune now, there were some things it was right about and some things it wasn't. The man didn't remember having a lot of money, but he was sure that she had shown up at the end of summer. It was also right about him starting a new job, but it was more of a transfer than a job change. He was moving to a branch in the Tokai region after getting married. That colleague had already quit her job.

"Let's go get that fortune told sometime," his new wife said. "In terms of batting average, it's about 60% accurate, so it's pretty good. Plus, I want to have my fortune told, too."

She remembered the place, so the following Sunday they went together. The dental clinic and second-hand bookstore that could be seen on both sides of the hill were still there, but the place where the store used to be was now a vacant lot, with a rope and a sign saying "No trespassing" in front.

There were two black cats standing next to the exposed rubble, and when they noticed them approaching, they quickly ducked into a gap in the gutter and disappeared from sight.

A few years later, a new shop opened in that spot, and when the two passed by it in their car on their way to their new home, it had already been transformed into a white six-story apartment building.