Тосикадзу Кавагути (Toshikazu Kawaguchi)I
The Lovers
Oh gosh, is that the time? Sorry, I have to go, the man mumbled evasively, as he stood up and reached for his bag.
"Eh?' the woman said.
She glared with uncertainty. She hadn't heard him say it was over. But he had called her - his girlfriend of three years - to come out for a serious conversation ... and now he had suddenly announced he was going to work in America. He was to leave immediately - in a few hours. Even without hearing those words, she knew now that the serious conversation was about breaking up. She knew now it was a mistake to have thought - to have hoped - that the serious conversation might have included 'Will you marry me?' for example.
"What?' the man responded dryly. He didn't make eye contact with her.
'Don't I deserve an explanation?' she asked.
The woman spoke using an interrogative tone the man particularly disliked. They were in a windowless basement cafe. The lighting was provided by just six shaded lamps hanging from the ceiling and a single wall lamp near the entrance. A permanent sepia hue stained the cafe interior. Without a clock, there was no way to tell night and day.
There were three large antique wall clocks in the cafe. The arms of each, however, showed different times. Was this intentional? Or were they just broken? Customers on their first visit never understood why they were like this. Their only option was to check their watches. The man did likewise.
While looking at the time on his watch, he started rubbing his fingers above his right eyebrow while his lower lip began to protrude slightly.
The woman found that expression particularly exasperating.
'And why are you looking like that? Like I'm the one being a pain?* she blurted out.
'I'm not thinking that,' he replied sheepishly.
'Yes you are!' she insisted.
With bottom lip again protruding, he evaded her stare and offered no reply.
The man's passive behaviour was infuriating the woman more and more.
She scowled. 'You want it to be me who says it?'
She reached for her coffee, from which all heat had now gone. With the sweetest part of the experience lost, it sent her mood plummeting further.