My balcony window is open, outside thunder rumbles in the distance, mixed with the sound of traffic streaming past on the big road outside. I have another interview soon, but I dont want to get nervous so I think about the past as rain begins to pelt the ground, making an off-beat rhythm as it hits the rail on my balcony.
About 6 years ago. Me and my good friend Taro had hitch hiked to Joetsu, the week-long experience is well worth a story. Sleeping under bridges, mountain tops, crazy typhoons. I got to tell that story again sometime, but not now. We were almost home, tired and wiped out. Only about 5 hours from the nearest train to take us home. (A very bright flash of lightning interrupts my memories. The rain is pouring down now. The drops falling so fast it almost sounds like natural whitenoise. I try to refocus on the memory.) We stand just past the entry to a highway. A car stops but they are just looking at us, they drive away. The hot sun was beating down on us, sweat pouring down and making our clothes sticky. Finally an old man stops to give us a ride in his mini SUV. He's the first one during the whole trip who can speak any English, so I talk to him as we speed down the road. It turns out that in the 1970s when he was in his early 20s, he had flown to America and took Greyhound bus all around the country for a few months. I was surprised and interested to hear his stories. We stoped at a rest area and he said "Just a minute, I need to go fishing." It takes me a second to realize he means that he wants to go pee. I smile, and me and Taro laugh while he's gone. I've never heard that one before, but it makes sense. Finally we get to a faraway train station. We put in about 400YEN and collapse, as the train takes us home.
2 years ago