Light and dark

[81]

O-TOKI BURST into the room in giggles, her sleeve to her mouth, scarcely able to get the name out. Standing in front of O-Nobu, she writhed in her struggle to choke back her hilarity. It took her considerable effort to say merely, “Kobayashi.”

O-Nobu had no idea how to handle this unexpected caller. In the middle of tying a thick obi, she was unable to go straight to the entrance. Nevertheless, it would be improper to keep him waiting there forever as if he were a bill collector. Standing in front of the full-length mirror, she arched her eyebrows in perplexity. In the end she had no choice but to have him shown in, advising him, however, through O-Toki that she was on her way out and had little time to spare. But when she went down to greet him, she saw that his face was not entirely unfamiliar and found herself unable to ask him to leave as soon as he had explained his visit. For his part, Kobayashi, whose natural-born ignorance of consideration or reserve was the equal of any man’s, appeared to have persuaded himself, though he knew that O-Nobu was pressed for time, that sitting there as long as he liked was not a problem so long as his companion betrayed no sign of impatience.

Kobayashi knew all about Tsuda’s illness. He explained that he had found employment and was on his way to Korea. As he described it, the position was of sufficient importance to allow for a hopeful future. He also spoke of being followed by a detective. Mentioning that this incident had occurred on the evening when he and Tsuda were returning from the Fujiis’, he observed the surprise on O-Nobu’s face as though amused. He appeared proud of having been followed by a detective. He went so far as to explain that he had likely been targeted as a socialist.

Portions of his story were shocking to a woman of faint heart. O-Nobu had heard none of this from Tsuda; listening tremulously, she was swept up and ended by squandering important time. Even so, if she continued listening compliantly, it appeared there would be no end to what he had to say. In the end she was left with no choice but to take the lead and prompt him in the direction of quickly bringing up the nature of his errand. Looking a little uncomfortable, he finally explained. It turned out to be about the overcoat O-Nobu and O-Toki had been cackling about the night before.

“Tsuda-kun promised to give it to me.”

What he had in mind was trying the coat on so that if it appeared to fit him badly he would have time to have it altered before he left the country.

O-Nobu was inclined to remove it from the bottom of a chest of drawers and hand it over straight away. But she had heard nothing of this from Tsuda.

“I don’t imagine he’ll be wearing it again—” O-Nobu hesitated, well aware it was in her husband’s temperament to be unexpectedly testy about this sort of thing. A scolding for carelessness on account of an outgrown overcoat would be mortifying.

“I’m sure it’s fine. He definitely said he’d give it to me. I wouldn’t lie about it.”

A refusal to hand the coat over would be making a liar of Kobayashi.

“I may have been blind drunk, but I knew what was going on. You won’t find me forgetting about something that’s coming to me.”

O-Nobu made up her mind.

“If you’ll just wait a minute. I’ll have the maid phone the hospital.”

“I didn’t realize you were so cautious,” Kobayashi said and laughed. But O-Nobu discovered in his face no sign of the displeasure she had secretly feared. Even so, she couldn’t help adding a word of justification as a precaution against giving offense.

“Just to be sure. I’d hate to receive a scolding afterward.”

O-Toki hurried off, and until she returned from the public telephone with Tsuda’s reply, they remained seated. Awaiting her return face to face, they chatted. When the conversation took an unexpected turn, glinting in the light of her surprise, O-Nobu’s heart began to pound.