Along
the way I stopped into a coffee shop. All around me normal, everyday city types
were going about their normal, everyday affairs. Lovers were whispering to each
other, businessmen were poring over spread sheets, college kids were planning
their next ski trip and discussing the new Police album. We could have been in
any city in Japan. Transplant this coffee shop scene to Yokohama or Fukuoka and
nothing would seem out of place. In spite of which – or, rather, all the more
because - here I was, sitting in this coffee shop, drinking my coffee, feeling
a desperate loneliness. I alone was the outsider. I had no place here.
Of
course, by the same token, I couldn't really say I belonged to Tokyo and its
coffee shops. But I had never felt this loneliness there. I could drink my
coffee, read my book, pass the time of day without any special thought, all
because I was part of the regular scenery. Here I had no ties to anyone. Fact is,
I'd come to reclaim myself.
― Haruki
Murakami, [Dance Dance Dance].
No comments:
Post a Comment