"From here, I may want to go to a chic town."
"Yes, that would be nice. Go enjoy yourself. Keiko will show you the way," said Nakahata. Despite being terribly thin, his wit was as quick as ever. My aunt's family in Goshogawara lives in a fashionable town. When I was young, this town was called Hikara (Trendy Town) but now appears to go by another name, Omachi (Big Town). As I said in the introduction, I have many memories of my youth in Goshogawara. Four or five years ago, I published the following essay in a Goshogawara newspaper.
My aunt lives in Goshogawara and I've been visiting there since I was little. I went to the opening of the Asahi-za theater. I think I was in third or fourth grade. Sauemon definitely performed. His portrayal of Ume no Yoshibei made me cry. That was the first time I saw a revolving stage and was so surprised I jumped to my feet. Soon after that Asahi-za burned down in a fire. I clearly saw that fire from Kanagi. They say the fire broke out in the projection room. Ten grammar school students there to watch a movie were burned to death. The projectionist was charged with the crime of negligent homicide. In my child's heart, I could not forget the charge against the projectionist or his fate. I heard the rumor the theater burned down because the name Asahi-za contained the kanji character for fire in its name. This incident happened twenty years ago.
When I was seven or eight, I was walking through the bustling Goshogawara and fell in a ditch. It was pretty deep and the water reached my neck. It may have been three feet high. It was night. A man above me held out his hand and I grabbed it. I was pulled up and stripped naked in public. That was a problem. We were right in front of a secondhand clothes dealer. I was quickly dressed in old clothes from that store. It was a girl's yukata summer kimono. The obi was a heko obi sash. I was mortified. My aunt with her face drained of color came running. I grew up being spoiled by this aunt. I've never been good-looking. I was teased and became a little distrustful. This aunt was the only one who said I was a fine boy. When others made fun of my looks, she actually got mad. These are all memories from long ago.
Kei-chan, Nakahata's only daughter, and I left his house.
"I'd like to see the Iwaki River. Is it far?"
She said it was near.
"Well, let's go."
Guided by Kei-chan, I think we walked through the town for five minutes and came to a big river. I remember my aunt taking me a number of times to the riverbank but remember it being further away. With a child's legs, even this way probably feels very long. Also, I was afraid to go out and stayed inside, so when I went outside, I got tense and dizzy. It seemed so far away. There's the bridge. I definitely remember the long bridge I see now.
"I think that's called Inui Bridge."
"Yes, it is."
"What is the kanji character for inui? Is it the kanji for the direction northwest?"
"Yes, that's it," she said smiling.
"You don't look confident, are you? That's all right. Let's cross."
I leisurely crossed the bridge resting one hand on the handrail. The view was great. This river looked most like the canal of the Arakawa River in the suburbs of Tokyo. Haze rose from the grasses at the edge of the riverbanks and dazzled the eyes. The Iwaki River flowed a brilliant white while lapping the grasses at the edges of both shores.
"In the summer, everyone cools off here. There's nowhere else to go."
I thought the people of Goshogawara loved to have fun and that was probably lively.
"The new building over there is the Shokondo Shrine for the war dead," said Kei-chan and pointed upstream along the river. She quietly smiled and said, "Shokondo is the pride of my father."
The building looked magnificent. Nakahata was a leader of the war veterans. To rebuild this Shokondo, he no doubt ran around displaying his customary chivalry. We crossed the bridge and stood at its foot talking for a short time.
"The apple trees have been cut a little to thin them. I've heard that after the cutting, potatoes or something else is planted."
"Doesn't it differ depending on the soil? That's what they say around here."
There are apple fields in the shadows of the banks of the big river. Their white flowers were in full bloom. The sight of the flowers of the apple trees reminded me of the scent of face powder.
"I received many apples from Kei-chan, too. Next, you'll receive a groom."
"Yes," she calmly said and thoughtfully nodded.
"When? Will it be soon?"
"The day after tomorrow."
"Really?" I was surprised, but she was unmoved like it was someone else's affair, "We should go back. You're probably very busy."
"No, not at all," she said too calmly. I silently admired the only daughter getting married in order to continue the family line. There's something different about her, although she's a young nineteen- or twenty-year-old woman.
"Tomorrow, I'm off to Kodomari," I replied and crossed the long bridge again and added, "I think I'll go see Take."
"Take. The Take who appeared in the novel?"
"Yes. Her."
"You must be very happy."
"Well, seeing her will be nice."
This time, I came to Tsugaru intent on seeing a certain person. I think of that person as my mother. I cannot forget that person's face although it's been close to thirty years. My whole life may have been decided by this person. Below is a passage from Memories.
I clearly remember turning six or seven. A nursemaid called Take read books to me. We read many books together. Take
