Crisis of loyalty
When my relocation was announced a couple of months before my move, the men started to warn me of becoming “acchi no hito” – “a person on the other side.” […]
Stumbling start
I arrived in rainy Germany. It had only been a month since the last visit, but the day had much shortened, and the heatwave was a long-gone memory. I didn’t […]
September 2005
September 2005 was a whirlwind. The company would pay the moving cost of up to 30 boxes, but there were just 17 boxes when I finished packing. I felt a […]
The rest of the trip
My flight to Germany was not until the evening, so Stuart and I spent the Sunday afternoon wandering about Hyde Park. I had put on a bright yellow-green camisole with […]
Progress
After our day out in Tokyo, Stuart and I corresponded with each other more frequently, and the topics of conversation became more intimate. When there was a medium-size earthquake in […]
Two-year-crush
The excitement of relocation had me suppress the memory of that night with Mr. N. I flew to Germany again for the year-end sales conference and the office Christmas party […]
What was it?
Mr. N’s eyes weren’t on me, fortunately, but were staring into the room as he was finishing a sentence, and I held my breath, counting three, two, one. The moment […]
That night
I sensed relocation to Germany was going to be a stepping stone rather than a destination. I was 27 years old single woman who’d coil at a sight of a […]
The last of Miss Sasaki
I called Miss Sasaki on Saturday and asked her if we could talk. She asked if I wanted to come to her neighborhood for a drink. She lived near Waseda, […]
The last of Mr. Saito
I asked Mr. Saito to see me as I needed his advice. He agreed and invited me to an Italian restaurant in Yebisu. I had never dined with Mr. Saito […]