Tokyo Fiancee Page #3

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May l pick you up Thursday?

For a lesson?

Yes, a lesson.

And to show more Japan things.

And to show you more Japanese things.

My literary career was less successful

than my meteoric assimilation

into Japanese life.

l just needed patience.

Patience, patience in the blue air,

each atom of silence is

the chance of a ripe fruit.

Then came a period when French classes

morphed into a guided tour of Tokyo.

Rinri's Tokyo,

always somewhat baffling.

Here is old stadium.

Ever bring a girlfriend here?

l have no girlfriend.

l don't have a girlfriend.

l'm sorry.

Stop apologizing.

You're here to learn.

What's he doing?

Singing practice.

He sings over the trains.

Yes, so he does not disturb.

What do you want?

To speak French.

Yes, but later? l mean, in life.

-And you?

-Me?

l want to be a writer.

-Not Japanese?

-l am Japanese.

And you? Use a sentence.

l want my death to disturb

as little as possible.

He led me into a night-time Japan

that was stranger still.

More troubling, too.

l never knew what he thought.

He never commented.

He just showed me.

l loved it.

-Do you want to go home?

-No.

Simply water them a bit. These,

once a week, not too much.

That one's very fragile. Be careful.

You can remove dead leaves

if you see any. Okay?

lt's easy, there's almost nothing to do.

-Yes, l understand.

-Okay.

-Make yourself at home.

-Thanks.

-Don't forget my plants.

-No.

-Promise?

-l won't.

Bye!

Christine,

the Quebecer, right.

She's in Montreal for a month.

l'm looking after her place.

l can finally give lessons at home.

How's the apartment?

Not bad.

You'll see at Monday's class.

Monday far. Can l come tonight?

Yes.

l'll bring supper.

Are you moving in?

No, it's to cook.

Cook?

Do you like Swiss fondue?

Swiss fondue?

This way?

This process imitates perfectly

cheese strings, right?

Absolutely. lt's a tour de force.

Great, for plastic cheese.

No.

Tell me something, Rinri.

You're using "tu"?

Over a fondue like this, yes.

l'm sorry.

Stop apologizing all the time.

l'm...Sorry.

Wine?

Why?

What are you doing? lt's burning hot!

l'm playing.

Take it off. lt sticks!

Yes, that's what's fun.

Look, it's fun. Beautiful.

No!

lt really is plastic cheese.

Well,

alright.

Rinri?

Belgian custom requires the man

to leave before dawn.

The sun rose long ago.

l'm sorry.

Does Belgian custom allow us

to see each other again?

Yes, it does.

Tomorrow?

After my Japanese class.

"l've dreamed of it so long"

"A Japanese man has come along"

"l'm 20, and so is he.

Oh, oh! His name's Rinri"

"When in Tokyo l arrived"

"l was a caterpillar, but l did decide"

"l'd be a butterfly in the skies above.

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