by Hiro Arikawa
LONG TIME NO see.
So began the email.
It was from Satoru Miyawaki, a childhood friend of Kosuke’s who had moved away when he was in elementary school. He had moved around quite a bit after that, but they never completely lost touch, and even now, when they were both past thirty, they were still friends.
Sorry this is out of the blue, but would you be able to take my cat for me?
It was his precious cat, which ‘unavoidable circumstances’ were preventing him from keeping any longer, and he was now looking for someone to take care of it.
What these unavoidable circumstances were, he didn’t say.
He’d attached two photos. A cat with two spots on his forehead forming the character hachi – eight.
‘Whoa!’ Kosuke couldn’t help saying. ‘This cat looks exactly like Hachi.’
The cat in the photo looked just like the one Satoru and Kosuke had found that day so many years ago.
Kosuke scrolled to a second photo, a close-up of the cat’s tail. A hooked tail like the number seven.
Aren’t cats with hooked tails supposed to bring good fortune? thought Kosuke.
He tried to recall who had told him that. Then he sighed, realizing it had been his wife, who’d gone to live with her parents for a while. Kosuke had no clue when she’d be back.
He was beginning to get the faint sense that maybe she never would.
The ridiculous thought crossed his mind that perhaps if they’d had a cat like this, things might have been different.
With a cat hanging around the house, a cat with a hooked tail to gather in pieces of happiness, maybe they’d be able to live a simpler, more innocent life. Even without any children.
Might be good to have the cat, he was thinking. The cat in the photo was good-looking, a lot like Hachi, with the hooked tail and everything. And he hadn’t seen Satoru for a long time.
A friend asked me to take his cat for him, so what do you think? Kosuke emailed his wife, and she answered: Do whatever you like. A tad cold, he thought, but since she hadn’t replied to a single email since she’d left, it felt good to hear from her, at least.
He began to wonder if his wife, a true cat lover, might actually come home if he took in the cat. Perhaps if he told her he had adopted the animal but didn’t know how to look after it and begged her to help, perhaps she would come back solely out of sympathy for the cat.
No. Dad hates cats, so that won’t work. He caught his own knee-jerk reaction; he was worrying, as usual, about what his father might think.
This was exactly why his wife had got fed up with him. Kosuke was the one running the business now, and there was no need to worry about how his dad would feel about things. Yet still he did.
So, partly as a reaction against his dad, he threw his name – Kosuke Sawada – into the ring as a candidate willing to take in his childhood friend’s cat.
Satoru wasted no time coming over to Kosuke’s place, arriving on Kosuke’s day off the following week in his silver van, along with his beloved cat.
When he heard a car engine outside his shop, Kosuke wandered out to find Satoru pulling into the shop’s parking lot.
‘Kosuke! It’s been ages!’
Satoru took his hands off the wheel and waved out of the open driver’s-side window.
‘Just hurry up and park,’ Kosuke urged. He was excited to see Satoru. The guy hadn’t changed at all since he was a kid.
‘You should have parked at the end. It’s easier.’
There were three parking spaces for customers right in front of the shop and Satoru had pulled into the spot furthest from the entrance, where a small shed and piles of boxes made it a tight fit.
‘Ah, is that right?’ Satoru said, scratching his head as he got out of the van. ‘I didn’t want to take up a space in case a customer needed it. Well, it’s done now.’ He took the cat basket from the back seat.
‘Is that Nana?’
‘Yep. I sent you a photo so you could see how his tail is shaped like a seven. Great name, don’t you think?’
‘I don’t know if I’d call it great, exactly … You always choose kind of quirky names … Like Hachi.’
Kosuke ushered them into his living room and tried to get a good look at Nana’s face, but all Nana did was give a moody growl and turn himself around. When Kosuke peered inside the basket, all he could make out was the black hooked tail and white rear end.
‘What’s the matter, Nana? Nana-chan …?’
Satoru tried to coax Nana out, but eventually gave up.
‘Sorry about that. He must be nervous about being in a different house. Give it some time and I’m sure he’ll settle down …’
They left the basket door open and sat on the sofa together to reminisce over old times.
‘You’re driving, so alcohol’s no good. What would you like to drink? Coffee? Tea?’
Kosuke brewed two cups of coffee. Satoru took his carefully and asked, innocently enough, ‘Is your wife here today?’
Kosuke had intended to avoid the issue but, after an awkward silence, failed to come up with a plausible excuse.
‘She went back to her parents’ place.’
‘Oh …’
Satoru’s face was hard to describe. A sorry I didn’t realize that was such a sore point kind of look.
‘Is it okay for you to make a decision about the cat on your own? Won’t you two quarrel about it when she comes home?’
‘She likes cats. In fact, taking the cat might lure her back.’
‘Yeah, but not everybody likes the same type of cat.’
‘I forwarded those photos of Nana to her and asked her what she thought, and she said I should do whatever I like.’
‘That doesn’t sound like she’s on board with the idea.’
‘It’s the only time since she left that she’s answered one of my emails.’
Taking the cat might lure her back – Kosuke had said it as a joke, but he was actually hoping it might be true.
‘She’s not the type of woman to chuck out a cat. And if she never comes home, then I’ll look after it myself. Either way, I don’t see any problem.’
‘I see,’ Satoru said, backing down. Now it was Kosuke’s turn to ask the questions.
‘But tell me, why can’t you keep the cat any more?’
‘Well, it’s just that …’
Satoru gave a perplexed smile and scratched at the thinning hair on his head.
‘Something came up, and we can’t live together any more.’
Something clicked. Kosuke had known something was awry when Satoru, who had a nine-to-five job, had offered to work around Kosuke’s day off and come over in the middle of the week.
‘Have you been laid off?’
‘Not exactly, well – in any case, we just can’t live together any more.’
Kosuke didn’t pursue it, since Satoru seemed reluctant to talk about it.
‘Anyhow, I’ve got to find a home for Nana, and I’ve asked a couple of friends.’
‘I see. That can’t be easy.’
It made Kosuke want to take the cat even more. As an act of kindness. And besides, it was for Satoru.
‘What about you? Are you okay? Your – plans for the future, and everything?’
‘Thanks for asking. As long as I can get Nana settled, I’ll be fine.’
Kosuke sensed he shouldn’t probe any further. Resisted the if there’s anything I can do, let me know line.
‘You know, when I saw the photo, I was amazed. Nana’s the spitting image of Hachi.’
‘Even more so when you see him in the flesh.’
Satoru glanced back at the basket still sitting on the floor, but it didn’t look like Nana was intending to show his face any time soon.
‘When I first saw him, I was surprised, too. For a second I thought it was Hachi.’
That was impossible, of course, but the memory saddened him, nonetheless. ‘What happened to Hachi?’ Kosuke asked.
‘He died
when I was in high school. His new owner got in touch, told me it was a traffic accident.’
Even now, this must have been a painful memory for Satoru.
‘It’s nice that they let you know, though.’
At least the two of them, who had both loved the cat, could mourn together. Satoru must have cried alone many times since.
‘Sorry, I seem to be getting sadder and sadder here,’ Satoru said.
‘Don’t apologize, you idiot.’
Kosuke made as if to lightly punch him and Satoru playfully swayed to avoid it.
‘Time goes by before you know it,’ Satoru said. ‘It seems like yesterday when you and I found Hachi. Do you remember?’
‘Remember? How could I forget?’ Kosuke smiled, and Satoru gave a little embarrassed ahem laugh.
A SHORT WALK from the Sawada Photo Studio, up a gentle slope, was a housing complex. Twenty-five years ago, this was considered an up-and-coming area, with rows of model showroom-like houses and fashionable condo units.
Satoru’s family lived in a cosy condo in the neighbourhood. Satoru and his parents: the three of them.
Satoru and Kosuke had started going to the same swimming club in second grade. Since he was little, Kosuke had struggled with skin allergies, and his mother, convinced that swimming would make his skin tougher, had made him go, but Satoru had a different reason for going. He was such a fast swimmer people said he had webbed hands, and the teachers at his school had recommended he learn to swim properly.
Always a bit of a joker, Satoru, when they had free swimming time, would pretend to be a salamander and crawl along the bottom of the pool, then playfully pop up and pounce on the other pupils. ‘What are you, some kind of kappa?’ the swimming instructor had said, irritated, and the nickname Kappa – a kind of mythical water imp – stuck. Depending on the instructor’s mood, he sometimes called him Webfoot, too.
Once lessons began, though, Satoru was in the advanced class for kids who could swim fast, while Kosuke was in the ordinary class that included all the kids like him with allergies.
Despite all the Kappa and Webfoot antics, when Satoru swam at speed down the lane he looked incredibly cool. Kosuke and Satoru were good friends, but at those times Kosuke found Satoru a little annoying. If only I could be like him, he thought enviously.
But one day he saw Satoru clowning around, diving into the water and cracking his forehead on the bottom, and he was no longer so envious.
It was early summer, and they had been going to the swimming club for two years.
They always met up at the bottom of the slope below the housing complex to walk to swimming club together, and on this day Kosuke was the first to arrive. Which is why he was the one to discover the box first.
A cardboard box had been left below the post with the map of the housing complex on it. And the box was meowing. Hesitantly, Kosuke opened the lid and saw two white balls of downy fur. With a sprinkling of tabby patches here and there.
He stared silently at them. Such helpless, soft little things, he thought. They were so tiny he hesitated even to touch them—
‘Wow! Cats!’
From above him, Satoru’s voice rang out.
‘What’s up?’ he said, crouching down beside Kosuke.
‘Somebody just left it here.’
‘They’re so cute!’
In silence, the two boys timidly stroked the fluffy fur for a few moments, then Satoru spoke.
‘Do you want to hold him?’
You have allergies, so don’t ever touch animals – Kosuke could hear his mother’s scolding voice in his head, but he couldn’t just stand and watch Satoru give them a stroke. Kosuke had been the one to find them, after all.
He scooped one of them up in his hands and placed it on his palm. It was so light!
He wanted to carry on stroking them, but they were going to be late for swimming. Reluctantly, they peeled the kittens off them and returned them to the box.
They agreed that they would look in on the kittens on the way back, and raced down the road to the swimming club. They were a few minutes late for class and the instructor slapped them both on the head.
After class, they fell over themselves to get back to the bottom of the slope below the housing complex.
The box was still there, under the sign, but to their dismay, now there was only one kitten inside. Someone must have taken the other one.
It seemed to them that the fate of the remaining kitten lay in their hands. A kitten with tabby patches on its forehead in the shape of the character hachi. And a black hooked tail.
The two of them sat down on the grass beside the box and gazed at the little kitten curled up in it, sleeping soundly. How could any child not want to take this tiny, soft little creature home?
What would happen if we did take it home? Each boy knew exactly what the other was thinking.
Kosuke knew his mum would be against it because of his allergies, plus his dad wasn’t so keen on animals.
In contrast to Kosuke, Satoru was quick to come to a decision.
‘I’ll ask my mum.’
‘That’s not fair!’
Kosuke’s reaction was fuelled by something that had happened at swimming club a few days before. A girl Kosuke was keen on saw Satoru swimming in the advanced class and murmured, ‘He’s pretty cool.’
Satoru could swim fast, he didn’t have any allergies, and his father and mother were both kind people, so if he took the cat home they were sure to accept it. So not only did the girl Kosuke liked praise Satoru, but now he would get to keep this soft, tiny creature – that just wasn’t fair, was it?
When Kosuke told him this, Satoru looked hurt, as if he’d been slapped. Kosuke felt ashamed.
He’d simply been getting something off his chest, that was all.
‘I mean, I found him first,’ he finally blurted out.
To which Satoru, honest to a fault, said, ‘I’m sorry. Yes, you did find him first, Kosuke, so he’s your cat.’
Kosuke regretted having snapped at his friend, but all he could manage was a small nod. They parted a little awkwardly, and Kosuke carried the cardboard box with the kitten inside it home.
His mother, surprisingly, wasn’t against keeping the kitten.
‘Perhaps it’s because of the swimming, but you haven’t had any allergic reactions lately, so as long as we keep the house really clean, I think it should be okay.’
The main obstacle was his father.
‘No way! A cat? Are you insane?’
That was his immediate reaction, and he refused to change his mind.
‘What if he scratches everything with his claws? Looking after a cat costs money, you know! I’m not running a photo studio to feed some cat!’
Kosuke’s mother supported her son, but that seemed to make his father even more resistant to the idea. Before they had dinner, he ordered Kosuke to take the cat back where he’d found it.
So Kosuke, on the verge of tears, trudged back to the slope below the housing complex with the cardboard box held tightly to his chest.
But put the box back under the sign? He couldn’t bring himself to do that. And so he found himself heading for his friend’s house.
‘My dad said I can’t keep the cat.’ Standing at the door sobbing, Kosuke finally managed to get the words out.
‘I get it,’ Satoru said, and nodded. ‘Leave it to me. I have a great idea!’
Satoru disappeared inside the house. Kosuke waited at the door, guessing that he was going to ask his mother if he could keep the cat, but then Satoru reappeared, with his swimming bag slung across his shoulder.
‘Satoru, where are you going with that?’ his mother called out from the kitchen. ‘We’re going to have dinner as soon as your father gets home!’
‘You go ahead and eat!’ Satoru called out, slipping into his trainers at the entrance. ‘Kosuke and I are going to run away from home for a while!’
‘What?’
Satoru’s mother was always so
graceful and gentle. Kosuke had never heard her sound so stern.
She seemed to be in the middle of deep-frying tempura, so although she wasn’t happy about it, she couldn’t come to the front door. Instead, she just popped her head out from the kitchen.
‘Ko-chan, what is he talking about?’ she asked.
But Kosuke was equally clueless.
‘Come on,’ Satoru said. He pulled Kosuke by the hand and they ran out of the house.
‘I read this book at school the other day,’ Satoru explained. ‘A boy found a stray puppy and his father got angry and told him to take it back where he had found it, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it so he ran away from home. In the middle of the night, his father came looking for him and, in the end, he said he would let him keep it, as long as he looked after it himself.’
Satoru rattled on excitedly.
‘What we’re doing is exactly the same, Kosuke, so I’m sure it’ll work out! The only difference is it’s a stray cat, not a dog. And you have me to help you.’
Apart from it being a kitten, not a puppy, Kosuke had the feeling that his situation was quite different from the one in the book, though he was, admittedly, quite attracted by the idea of his father feeling sad and giving in if he ran away.
He decided to go along with the plan. The first thing they did was go to a small supermarket and buy some cat food. ‘We’d like food for a kitten,’ they told the man at the cash register, and the man, whose hair was dyed red, said, ‘Try this,’ and handed them a can of paste-like meat. The man had looked intimidating at first but turned out to be unexpectedly kind.
Then they had dinner in the park of the housing complex. Satoru had grabbed some bread and sweets from his house, and the two of them made do with that. They opened the can of cat food for the kitten.
‘So, by “middle of the night”, I’m guessing we need to hang out here until about twelve.’
Satoru had prudently packed an alarm clock in his bag.
‘But won’t my father have a total fit if I stay out that late?’
Kosuke’s father seemed friendly enough outside the house, but with his family he was an obstinate man with a short fuse.
‘What are you talking about? We’re doing it for the cat, aren’t we? And besides, he’ll forgive you in the end, so it’ll all work out.’