Spent most of today socializing. It should be made criminal to meet at 0830 on a Saturday. But then again, I couldn't get back to sleep after I got up at 0700, so I shouldn't complain.
I met Keiko at the Takiyacho bus stop today, then we went to Koganei to meet Eriko. We drove to Oyama for the strawberries farm "Ichigo no sato," stuffed ourselves to the brim with fresh and warm strawberries; idled in the gift shop for a bit, then headed to the Coco farm again.
It was my request to go to Coco farm, so I feel a bit guilty that we didn't do anything extraodinary there. I was bouncing up the steep slope of vines, but felt really KY (geez, KY as in
kukiyomenai, you pervert!) when I realized the other ladies were making a beeline to the giftshop. So I ran back down to join them. Maybe this is why I can't sleep; I've been dreaming up trip plans and great advantures in the sea, with adrenaline surging through my blood and too much energy with nowhere to spend. (ha! this from a kindergarten teacher chasing little tykes and monkeys all day!)
At the giftshop, I picked up some shiitake seasonings and a crystal dolphin wine bottle stopper. So my souvenirs for the DCC is set, but how about for Danny...? Is he ever going to forgive me? This isn't going to end well. If he decides his club is better without me; I will lose a lot of good friends whom I enjoy and admire. If he takes me back in, I have no doubt he will do everything in his power to put me in tears for being such an ungrateful little prat. It's just like that nasty chinese saying, "without a big heart, he is not a gentleman; without venom, he is not a man."
Anyway, after the souvenirs-hunting, I sat down at the table like a civilized human being, and we chatted as we had lunch. We talked for a long time, mostly we talked about the economy, about travelling, about racism, about family, and I talked briefly about the sea, but I might as well be bleating to the deaf.
At some point I noticed the sky begins to darken and felt that irrational pang of fear again. We have to sit indoor this time, the weather is fine, except for the unpredictable gusts of very strong wind that kept whipping up the leaves at intervals. I wondered how I would do if I were on the water today; wondered if I would capsize if the gust were to catch me offguard from the beam; and whether I would be able to make a re-entry if I were to capsize and fail to roll.
After much talking, we finally left for the Kurida Museum; it's a lofty place so I was getting a bit chilled. They have a lot of over-priced pottery stuff in the gift shop, and I paid an arm and a leg for two hankerchiefs with
ukioe-like prints of waves, a junk boat, and the map of feudal Japan. The exhibition of artifacts from Incas were interesting, but the Japanese clay cups and bowls just didn't capture my fancies. Don't get me wrong, there are some Japanese potteries arts/ cups/ bowls that I *really really* liked (like the ones in the Kyoto exhibition), but the ones in Kurida seem too polished, too perfect, too shinny, and too symmetric. Even their most ridiculously expensive cup did not appeal to me at all.
On our way back to Koganei, I asked to stop at a Bookoff shop to pick up a few books for my mom; afterwards, we were supposed to go to a Bali restaurant, but Eriko had decided to spoil us with her home cookings instead. I can honestly say I'm glad we did. Her husband works in Korea now; she stays home alone in a pretty big house. It must be frighteningly... lonely.
But I am glad not because I thought she would be lonely; her cooking is excellent. We had a 5 course meal served on beautiful, artsy plates and crystal wine glasses. We talked some more, about everything, and then suddenly I realized everything built up to a silent, unspoken goodbye. I will probably never see Eriko again.
I guess it's a bit lonely to think of it like that. She has been so good to me. But I take what I can have; and let the rest go. We live in two different worlds, a different planet all together. She is married, meticulous, classy, professional woman; I am just a sea-monkey pretending to be a teacher...
To give me something to remember her by, though, she made me coffee at the end. And I drank it. I mean, I get insomnia just from a cup of Earl Grey... it's so interesting to find out what a cup of coffee would do to me!
Last mission of the day: I finally found the postcard that I promised to sent. Ocean views are out of season, and I couldn't find any photo postcard at all. At the end, I settled for some
ukioe-like prints, composed a silly haiku, I will mail it first thing tomorrow. I wonder if the silly village postoffice can read enough English to understand the postcard is meant for Hong Kong.