Status Updates From A Perfect Day to Be Alone

I didn’t know what dreams I was supposed to have for the future, or what people meant when they talked about meeting the love of their life. But those were the kind of things I found myself vaguely longing for.

I’d have liked to stay young, to lead a quiet life sheltered from all the drama of the world. But it seemed that wasn’t an option. I was braced for my fair share of hardship. I wanted to try being an ordinary person, living an ordinary life. I wanted to become as thick-skinned as possible, to turn myself into someone who could survive anything.

I sold newspapers, chewing gum and bottled tea to a steady stream of customers. My memory was sharp enough that I’d soon learned the prices of most of the items thrust in front of me, and I was a handy shelf-stocker too.

In early summer the world’s colors were bright and simple, like one of the drawings in the Miffy books... People started dressing in more colorful clothing, and even the salarymen bustling around would take their jackets off, revealing bright white or blue shirts, so that the platform at rush hour was a flood of color.

I took a fruit knife and began cutting the yokan into thin, even slices, like I was cutting up a crab stick. All of a sudden, I felt in better spirits. If only everything could be resolved with this little fuss, I thought. With such clean, decisive strokes.