Good Mourning

GOOD MOURNING


“Wake up, Kumiko. I won’t call you again. You’ll be late for work.”

Kumiko flings off the blankets and jumps out of bed. “OK, I’ll be down right away.” She tosses her pajamas onto her bed, grabs her clothes, and puts them on in record time. She rushes downstairs while combing her hair then sits down for breakfast.

Her mother puts Kumiko’s lunch box in front of her, “If you’re late for work again, you’ll get fired.”

“Don’t worry I won’t be late. I’ll be leaving in five minutes.” She crams the toast into her mouth, washes it down with half a glass of milk, picks up her lunch, and yells, “Mom, I’m going.”

“Be careful.”

“I will.” Kumiko doesn’t like her job, but she knows with the economy so bad, she can’t be picky. She hurries to the station.

Keith is running to the station. He just couldn’t get up when the alarm clock went off, as so often happens after a thirteen hour day. Maybe he should get a different one, but he’s attached to the plastic egg that hatches and kok-kek-ko-kos every morning; it being just one of many unique and amazing things that made him fall in love with Japan. He gets to the station, whizzes through the gate, and approaches the stairs out of breath.

Hearing the train rumble into the station, he takes the stairs two steps at a time, until the mass of people who’d just gotten off the train bar his way. Now he’s sliding along the wall almost at the top. The bell starts ringing. He’s got to make this train! He runs and jumps on just as the doors are closing, but he doesn’t get all the way in. The doors have closed on his right foot! Keith yanks his foot in and his shoe comes off; he whirls and hits the door, but it’s too late.

Kumiko leaves the station. Yesterday, her boss gave his last warning so she can’t be late again. Jumping out into the street, she’s pushed off the curb by someone in the rushing crowd. One of her high heels gets stuck in the sewer grate and her momentum nearly knocks her down as the heel of her left shoe comes off. Infuriated, she bends down to the gutter and jerks it out. She considers throwing it away, but it’s almost new. Taking out some tissue, she wipes off the dirt and puts it in her bag to get it repaired later.

Hobbling on her toes, she scans for a shoe store, but it’s still too early and only the coffee shops are open. Wondering why her luck is so bad and with eyes stinging in frustration, she heads back to the station. She’s usually cheerful and doesn’t think much about the future, but she knows her parents will be disappointed when she tells them she has lost another job.

As the train slowly accelerates, Keith catches a glimpse of his shoe on the platform. Too embarrassed to curse out loud, he lifts his head and wonders at God’s humor. Turning around, he observes most of the passengers are too polite to even look at him, but a few are smiling, and some seem disgusted. Oh, well, let them be, he’s just a foreigner. He ponders taking off his remaining shoe, but decides he would look even more ridiculous and forlorn carrying it.

The train slows down and stops. He’s at the end of the group getting off and typically those on the platform rush in before his mob gets off. He yowls when his big toe gets kicked. Limping on the outside edge of his shoeless foot, he slowly proceeds in a disjointed walk to the opposite platform to catch the train back. Too absorbed in his predicament, he doesn’t notice the woman following him.

He acts nonchalant and gets into line for the next train, but actually he’s worried and wonders what he’ll do if can’t find his shoe. The passengers, not knowing the sequence of events, look bewildered as they watch him, in his sock and shoe, get on. The woman goes through an adjoining door and watches his reflection in a window. This time he safely gets off the train and goes back to where it all started, but his shoe is gone. He finds a Japan Railway employee, who directs him to the Lost and Found office on the ground floor. He walks down one step at a time, keeping his shoeless foot off the steps, all the while unaware of the stalker.

He enters and asks, “Excuse me, do you have my shoe?”

“Ehh? What sort of shoe?”

Keith points downs, “If possible, one like this.”

“I’m very sorry, honorable guest. We have no such shoe here.”

Keith sighs, turns, and limps out. He decides to call in sick, flips open his phone, and thumbs the number.

“Good morning, Mickey’s Language School, Sato speaking.”

“Hi, this is Keith. Can I speak to Kim?”

“Just a moment, please.”

“What’s up, Keith?”

“I can’t make it in today. The dragon egg is about to hatch.”

“Ha, you were up all night reading Harry Potter and you’re too tired to come in, right?”

“Well, not exactly, I just don’t feel well today.”

“Alright, you can take the day off. In fact, you can take a two week vacation starting now.”

“No, thanks, I’d rather take it in December.”

“Business is slow, we don’t need you now. Take a vacation now or quit.”

“I’ll take the vacation.” Keith cuts the connection. He’s pissed and he needs to cool off. He decides to go to his favorite coffee shop.

The door opens revealing a customer. Mr. Goto, the owner, shouts the standard greeting, “Irasyaimase.” Seeing it’s Keith, he says, “Welcome Keith-san. How are you today?"

“Hi, Goto-san, not too good, but it’s nice to see you. A blend, please.”

“Right away, Keith-san.”

Mr. Goto likes to practice his English and Keith doesn’t mind. “I see only one shoe. Would you like to borrow mine?”

“Oh, no, Mr. Goto, but thank you very much.”

Mr. Goto smiles, bows, and goes to work. He chooses a blue cup, puts it on the counter, and begins the ritual of making coffee. First, he puts some cold water into a small glass globe. Next, he places a container with a long hollow tube over the globe with the tube inside almost touching the bottom. There is a cloth filter sealing the tube at the top. Then he puts ground coffee over the filter and lights a wick inserted in alcohol under the globe. The pressure of the heated water forces the water up the tube to make the perfect cup of coffee. When the flame is removed the coffee reenters the globe to be poured into the cup.

Keith selects a table and sits down. He hears Mr. Goto welcome another guest. A moment later he senses someone in front of him, looks up, and the cutest girl he’s ever seen is smiling at him.

“Good mourning.”

“You got the mourning part right.”

“My name is Kumiko. May I sit down?”

“Sure, I’m Keith. Nice to meet you.”

“Key Sue? Nice to meet you, too. I saw you on the train. You had only one shoe. I followed you here. We should be friends. I think we ah,um, have same problem.” Kumiko shows him her shoe.

Keith’s spirits rise, “Yes, I believe we do. Would you like something to drink and maybe a cake? This shop has a great cheese cake.”

“Yes, I’d love to.”

“Goto-san, another coffee and two cheese cakes, please.”

Mr. Goto changes the cup. He chooses two pale red ones with cherry blossoms on the inside.

An hour and a half later they leave Mr. Goto’s coffee shop arm in arm. They present a curious sight hobbling down the street in unison.

Seven years later.

“Hideyo, hurry or you’ll be late for school.”

As Hideyo puts on her shoes in the genkan, where all the family’s shoes are, she asks, “Mommy, why does Papa keep that shoe, what happened to the other one?”

“Well, one day, Papa got up late...