The other Sunday, I suddenly received an incoming call on my smart phone.
When the phone rang, I thought it was from work, but when I looked at it, it was from an old friend.
He asked me if I could meet him tonight, even though it was sudden.
When I told him that I had to work today and could not make it until after 8:30 p.m., he said that would be more convenient, so we decided to have a drink for the first time in a while.
I asked him if he wanted to stay at my house, and he said he wanted me to book a hotel near my house, so I got a room at the Ryugasaki Plaza Hotel.
I have known this friend for over 25 years.
We hit it off at an izakaya next to my apartment in Omorimachi, Tokyo, where I was living at the time, and I often drank with his other friend.
Even after I was transferred from Omorimachi to Kumamoto, he still came to visit me from time to time, as his job was to audit stores all over Japan.
Staying at Kikuchi hot springs in Kumamoto and having breakfast at my aunt's house were also good memories.
After that, I was transferred to Izumi City in Kagoshima Prefecture and then to Fukuoka City, but each time he came to visit me, and he would stay at my house.
This time, his uncle in Chiba had passed away and he was here to clean up after him, so he dropped by before returning to Morioka.
My wife and I went to "Uotami" in front of the Ryukesaki station.
Due to the Corona disaster, the hours of operation were shortened in Tokyo and other cities, and liquor could not be served.
Fortunately, Ibaraki Prefecture is exempt from the Corona disaster, so we were able to relax and enjoy our meal and drinks.
My friend was stationed in Paris when he was young, so his French is good, but he can only speak a little English.
Even so, he did his best to talk with my wife.
I think it was partly because my uncle had passed away, but you never know when a person's life will end. I think that's why he suddenly contacted me and came to see me, because he didn't want to miss the chance to see me, and we talked about it over drinks.
Yu Wu-ling, a poet of the Tang Dynasty in China, wrote a five-word poem called "Kang Shu".
I think Masuji Ibuse's translation is more famous in Japan.
I want you to accept this cup.
Please allow me to fill your cup to the brim with sake.
When the flowers bloom, the rain and wind can be strong.
"Sayonara（Good-bye.）" That's life.
The evening was capped off with a generous pour of sake.
We parted with a promise to meet in Morioka next time.
My friends, thank you for coming. We will meet again!
