Strangers
Early evening in downtown Tokyo, I make my usual stop after a long day at the office. The bartender knows me and I know him. He pours a glass of sake on the bar in front of me as I sit on a stool. I put the glass to my lips and take a sip. The taste is pleasurable and I begin to relax and unwind.
An attractive young lady dressed in modest business attire sits on the stool next to me. She seems upset. I offer to buy her a drink and she accepts. The bartender pours a glass of sake in front of her. She takes a sip and makes a face. I can tell she's not used to drinking alcohol. She takes another sip but without the grimace. I lean my elbows on the bar.
"She just won't listen," the young lady suddenly blurts out, angrily, "and it's because of that b… um… I mean… never mind."
She drinks the rest of her sake in one gulp. I signal the bartender to pour her another which he does. The young lady thanks me with a little bow of her head and a tight-lipped smile.
"Who won't listen?" I ask, my curiosity piqued.
"My sister."
I take another sip of sake and wait for her to continue.
"We used to do everything together." she says, sadly. "Now we hardly ever see each other, and when we do… we fight."
"It's a sad thing when sisters fall out." I say, trying to be agreeable.
The young lady does not respond. She only sips her sake and stares at the bottles lined up on the wall behind the bar. I finish my sake and ask for another. I notice a tear roll down the young lady's cheek.
"Is there no way to reconcile?" I ask, sympathetically.
The young lady sighs.
I watch the bartender pour sake into a glass in front of me.
"She used to be such a quiet and sweet little girl." she says, softly, into her drink. "I looked out for her, you know? I did everything for her. Now she won't listen to me at all."
"Perhaps…"
The young lady suddenly turns on me and says, emphatically. "I know what you're going to say. I'm the one at fault. I'm overbearing. I'm a stubborn hard-headed control-freak."
"I assure you, I was not…"
Her shoulder's sag and she closes her eyes.
"I know," she whispers, "but that's what she says."
Another tear rolls down her cheek.
She takes another sip of sake and I do the same.
"So," I say, "what is the issue?"
"The issue?" she says, angrily, through gritted teeth. "The issue? She dropped out of college, ran away from home, moved in with some… friend and is working at a café. A café, of all places."
"And…?"
"I know a dead-end when I see it."
"Perhaps…" I begin but think better of it.
She finishes her drink and I signal the bartender to give her another. I listen to the chatter around me as I watch him pour. The place is filling up with people. The young lady and I sip our sake simultaneously.
She casts a sidelong glance at me.
"What were you going to say?"
"I don't wish to intrude."
"Please?"
"Well," I begin, hesitantly, "I've seen a bit of life. Perhaps if you give her some room she'll come to the same conclusion."
The young lady downs her drink, hops off of the stool and adjusts her clothes.
"Thank you for the drinks, sir." she says, with a little bow.
"I hope I haven't offended…"
"No sir, you haven't."
She turns and makes her way across the room. A man just coming inside the bar opens the door for her and lets her out. I leave the money for the drinks on the bar and follow her. She is about fifty meters ahead of me when I reach the sidewalk outside the bar. Her posture is straight and proud and she walks quickly and purposefully. She doesn't seem to notice the people around her.
She arrives at a train station and takes her place among the crowd near the track. I lean on a nearby pillar, light a cigarette and watch her. She has an intense expression on her face as she stares at some point across the track. I may be wrong, but I get the idea she's used to having her way. I wouldn't want to face her across a bargaining table or in a court of law. I'm feeling sympathy for her sister.
The train arrives and she boards.
I finish my cigarette, drop the butt on the ground and stamp it out.
The End