Bean bag
My sister and I went on furniture shopping for the new apartment. My sister’s boyfriend, Nobu, came along.
Furniture shopping was done on my sister’s terms. I was picturing a small dining table and chairs in the living room, but she chose a kotatsu table and zabuton to sit on the floor. She also purchased a kitchen cabinet that was more suitable for a bigger house. The TV she picked, which was still box-shaped at the time, took up one side of the sitting space around the kotatsu table.
Nobu insisted we bought a bean bag. I faked my excitement at his idea because I wanted to get along with him now that my sister and I would live together, he might want to visit us. When we got home, Nobu sat on the big bean bag in the best position to watch the TV. I sat without the back support and had to turn my head to the side toward the TV. My sister sat on the side from which she had to turn her body 180 degrees every time she wanted to check what we were laughing about.
The beautiful living room I pictured turned into like a cramped dorm room.