Conversation Partner

 

 In 1998, I studied in California.

My university had a conversation partner system. Each overseas student introduced a local student who wants to study foreign language. We taught our own language to our partners.

My conversation partner was Ms. V. She was a beautiful girl.

One day, she invited me to a wedding ceremony because she would be a veil girl. Of course I attended. I was so excited to attend a wedding ceremony abroad. I bought a new formal suit for it.

Most Japanese love wedding ceremonies in churches. But most of the time, the church is not a real church. Even more, the priest is not a real priest in Japan. Sometimes, the priest is a foreign actor who pretends to be a priest. So I believe that was my first time to attend the real wedding in a real church with a real priest. It was a great experience.

Finally, the bride and groom arrived in the church. Behind the bride, Ms. V followed. But I was confused. There were two Ms. Vs behind the bride.

I didn’t know she had a twin sister.

 After the ceremony, I told Ms. V, “I didn’t know you were twins.”

 Surprisingly, she denied it. “No. We are not twins.”

 I couldn’t understand what she was talking. She continued, “We are triplets.”

 She introduced her two sisters to me. I was surprised twice.

Picture by Kintomo

 

Local Newspaper versus National Newspaper

 

In the beginning of 2000, I had a unique hobby. In those days, we could already read newspaper articles on the Internet. On Japanese newspapers, we can read a short essay on the front page. I didn’t buy any newspaper, but I could read the front page essay for free. Then it became my hobby. I read two essays every morning. One essay was from the local newspaper’s front page, and the other was from the national newspaper’s front page. I compared them and personally decided which one was more interesting.

I had continued this hobby for a year. As a result, the winner was the local newspaper’s essay. The local beat the national by a score of 6–4. It was just my opinion. It was a completely personal hobby. I didn’t tell the result to anybody, except one person, my father.

Since my father worked for a local newspaper company, I believed he might be happy to hear the result.

When I returned to my hometown, I told him the result. But instead of being happy, he got mad. He said, “The guy who writes the essays is writing just one short essay a day! That’s why he can write a good essay!”

I guess he didn’t like the person who wrote the front-page essay.

I was a stage actor. Let’s think about this in the context of the theater world. If a member of my family would come and see my performance, after the show, he or she would praise the actor whom I hate. The family member would say,

“It was a wonderful show. This was better than what I watched in Tokyo. Actor X was especially wonderful!”

We are hostile a near enemy than a remote enemy.

Picture by Igor Sapozhkov