Melons

Adachi-san just turned up at our door. Adachi-san is the local independent builder. We recommend him to everybody because he doesn't rip you off like the big construction companies do here, as a matter of course. He is a lovely man, forty-something, and has missing teeth. Builders in Japan always have missing teeth. It's a Japanese tradition.

He yelled outside for a while, knowing that our doorbell is broken. Eventually I realized the yelling was for us, and yelled back from upstairs. (The broken doorbell has never been fixed - since the earthquake - because we discovered we LIKED not having door-to-door salespeople ringing it daily. The people who know us yell our names.)

I went downstairs.

Adachi-san was there, grinning from ear to ear and carrying a box.

"I know The Man isn't here," he said, "But tell him the kids are really happy. This is for you both. Thank you!"

(Or maybe he said 'the kid' - there is no plural in Japanese.)

I took the box, sagging a little and somewhat dazed by his gapped-tooth grin and his total obliviousness to the unfortunate fact that my Japanese isn't up to his speed or his level of street talk. He burbled on for a while more, cheerfully, and I missed most of what he said except that the kids are REALLY happy, and please thank The Man.

I promised I would thank him, and Adachi-san left, still laughing. He slammed the gate. He always slams the gate. His natural exuberance demands it.

In the box were a couple of melons. I don't know what melons cost right now, but they're never cheap.



What has The Man been up to? He left the house about half an hour before Adachi-san arrived and didn't say anything to me. What has he done? Has he been doing magic tricks for Adachi-san's kids? Has he been telling them tall stories? Giving them presents? (Do they still think he is Turkish or Pakistani? Will he go to hell for telling lies to children to explain why he doesn't seem quite Japanese enough to them?)

I don't have the foggiest idea what's going on, but I do appreciate the melons.


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