The Winter Project

24. Minoru

They had been driving for hours and it was so dark outside that Minoru could only see his own reflection in the car windows. Hideki had stopped at a 711 and Minoru was waiting in the car, slowly drifting in and out of sleep as the car journey had lulled him into being comfortably tired. When Hideki returned, he threw a large bag full of something heavier than food and told Minoru that they would be stopping at the beach. Minoru assumed he was joking, as he didn't even consider Tokyo or the surrounding areas as somewhere that would have beaches, but soon enough they had pulled up in a car park and when Minoru got out of the car he could already hear the waves and smell the saltwater.

Hideki waved at some people walking towards the car and introduced them to Minoru. A young Japanese woman called Misake first introduced herself, and Minoru could instantly tell that she had a good sense of humour and a playful energy to her. He liked her immediately. Secondly, a Japanese guy who introduced himself as Kaz. Kaz was more reserved than Misake and only nodded at Minoru when he was introduced to him by Hideki. Thirdly, a man called Ricco who Minoru guessed was Italian from his first name and his accent.

The five of them all walked to a nearby restaurant and Minoru allowed Kaz to pick his selections for him as a way to try and bond with him and get him to speak up more. Kaz was polite and reserved and only made suggestions after Minoru prompted him several times. Minoru thought about how typically Japanese he was, considerate of Minoru's feelings and so courteous that it was difficult to start a flowing conversation. Misake was flirtatious and confident, but the more she flirted the less interested he became in her. Normally, he would love the attention. Maybe it was too soon after Stephanie, or maybe he was just tired from the car ride and would be more invested in her tomorrow. Ricco was the real life and soul of the party in Minoru's eyes; he made jokes and shared stories of his trips around the world and each story was more farfetched than the last. Minoru was fascinated by Ricco's positivity and ability to laugh at almost everything. He also enjoyed meeting someone else who could speak perfect English; and it was nice to be able to make jokes with someone without having to explain it slowly and carefully afterwards.

After eating until he was convinced he would never need to eat again, they all headed back towards the beach and Hideki opened up the bag from 711, which turned out to be full of fireworks. Minoru laid on the beach and stared at the stars as they were interrupted by bursts of bright multi-coloured lights. He felt happy about his time in Japan, but as he neared the end of his trip back to Tokyo, he thought again about the rest of the world and whether he should explore it.

He would have fallen asleep right there on the beach had it not been for Ricco interrupting his thoughts by perching next to him, a wide smile on his tanned face. Ricco assumed that Minoru lived in Japan, but was pleasantly surprised to hear that Minoru was simply travelling for the sake of travelling.

"You should come to Italy," he said as he lit up a cigarette. He offered one to Minoru, which he gratefully accepted. "It is so beautiful all of the time. Winter, Summer, any time of the year. I love my country so much."

"You talk about Italy the way I talk about Japan," Minoru said with a smile.

"But Japan is not your country," Ricco replied matter-of-factly. "England is your country! You don't love England?"

"I don't have much to love about it," Minoru thought out loud. "My job sucks, I just broke up with my girlfriend so I'm living at my Dad's place. I like London, but it's got nothing on Japan."

"My friend, the grass is always greener. You love Japan now, but after one year or maybe less you will love England. We take for granted always what we cannot see because we are blind to it. I have travelled for so long that I forgot everything I did not love about Italy, and now my heart aches for my home."

Minoru felt that Ricco spoke so poetically that it was impossible to argue with him.

"When are you going back?" Minoru asked.

"In two days." Ricco smiled and then his smile turned into a laugh of joy rather than one of humour. "I am going home to my beautiful family and this time I think I will stay forever."

Minoru asked Ricco to tell him stories of Italy. Ricco told him about growing up in Verona with his mother and father who had retired to a town called Sirmione as they grew older. He told stories of hiking mountains, swimming in the lake and exploring the countryside with his friends. He talked a lot about food, and Minoru felt his stomach rumble despite the amount of food he had not long ago forced down. Ricco talked mainly about his family and the woman he was clearly so deeply in love with. He told Minoru that they had always been madly in love, but Ricco had wanted to travel. She had gone to South America and he had come to Asia, and now they were going to reunite back home.

"I am going to marry her the first day I see her," Ricco said, his white teeth shining through the darkness as he smiled uncontrollably. "True love, my friend! It waits forever."

Minoru thought that Ricco was blinded by love. He didn't feel that love truly existed and he wasn't particularly interested in disproving his theory. But Ricco's story was sweet, and he enjoyed seeing his fast friend gush about his hometown.

I'd like to visit Italy," Minoru decided out loud.

"My friend! You must come. My house will always be open to friends!" Ricco shouted with excitement. "I will show you the lake and the beauty of Italia!"

Minoru decided in that moment that even if he had no interest in Italy at all, he would still visit just to hear the happiest man on Earth talk, because it was infectious.

As they drank beers and watched the rest of the fireworks fizzle out into the darkness, Minoru decided for a fact that his time in Japan was coming to an end. The five of them took photos together and Hideki promised he would post them online so that Minoru wouldn't forget what had turned it to be his favourite night yet.

The next morning, Hideki drove Minoru back to Tokyo and he booked himself into a hotel for a few more nights while he decided what he was going to do next. He was exhausted and mainly wanted to sleep and watch television as all of the travelling had tired him out over the last month, and the novelty of travelling had worn off just enough that he wouldn't feel guilty for spending some time alone doing nothing in his hotel room. He briefly left the hotel room to go and buy some dinner to take back to the hotel, and couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen Stephanie walk right past him in the street. When he turned back, she was gone. Part of him wondered if he just missed her, but that theory didn't seem logical because he truly never thought about her anymore. Another part of him thought about the possibility of her following him to Japan, but the idea was so crazy that it only made him laugh for a moment, and then he had forgotten her all over again.