Revised Edition 12 ☑
(Recollection, two months later)
At Ren’s temple, the grounds were open to children on weekdays from around 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. One day, I took a half-day off in the morning and went there, only to find that eight little girls from the lower grades had come to play. Somehow, at my age, I ended up joining them in a game of Hanai-ichimonme.
Ren also joined the circle.
He was always the first to be chosen by either team, a popular favorite.
I couldn’t help but find the whole scene amusing. I held back my laughter as I watched Ren and the children, and enjoyed playing along.
It struck me as strange.
There I was—the woman who had cried and raged because her husband was stolen away by another woman—yet now I was sitting peacefully, gazing fondly at a monk and eight beloved little girls.
From time to time, ships passing in the distance caught the corner of my eye. It was such a tranquil, leisurely afternoon.
I came to realize something through lived experience:
Even if one suffers pain and sorrow from another person, it is also through other people that one can be healed and regain peace of mind.
It felt as if I were slowly floating outside of myself—not exactly astral projection, but as if I were learning to objectively observe my own place and existence.
When evening came and the children went home, the chief priest’s wife emerged from the back and treated me to handmade ohagi.
Since it was my first time meeting her, I was a little startled by the gesture.
“I’m sorry to appear out of the blue. Ren-san told me you often help with cleaning the main hall, so I wanted you to try some of the ohagi I made. Please, go ahead!”
“Thank you very much. If anything, I should apologize for always imposing, being allowed into the hall and even into the residence. The truth is, I had some troubles and ended up shouting inside that big drainage pipe, and that’s where I met Ren-san. Since then, I’ve been in his care.”
“Oh my, in the drainage pipe, you say?”
“Yes, in the pipe…”
‘In the pipe… oh, that’s just too embarrassing. Ughhh.’
“That pipe has been sitting there forever, and it’s always been a favorite with the children. And now even you’ve made use of it! There was some talk of removing it, but I’ll be sure to tell my husband to keep it there… fufu.”
That day, I left with a warm, happy feeling in my chest—having not only deepened my bond with Ren, but also having met the children and even the chief priest’s wife.
