Slight Bow

 

              When the pandemic started, some companies closed their buildings in Japan. The employees then gathered in small groups at karaoke clubs and tried to continue their jobs.

              At that time, I visited a karaoke club to enjoy karaoke. In a normal situation, there would be drunks, students, and elderly people in karaoke clubs. Most of them would be relaxed. But during the pandemic, most people in karaoke clubs were in working mode.

              Most Japanese karaoke clubs have designated smoking and non-smoking areas. At the karaoke club I visited, there was a common smoking room. No one could smoke except in the room. Of course, no one could do karaoke there, but it used to be a karaoke room.

              While I was smoking, a worker entered the smoking room. She bowed slightly to me and started smoking. Nobody had ever bowed to me in a karaoke club’s smoking room before. I guess she assumed I was not there to listen to karaoke but an important person at her company whom she didn’t know.

              Naturally, I bowed back to her. She might have been an important person trying to work during the pandemic.

 

Proofreading by Michael W, ProofreadingServices.com

Picture by shrimpgraphic