murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood

what's Naoko doing now? I think she was supposed to be working on
new paint and wallpaper. I forget. There are a few jobs like that that
don't finish till five."
Reiko walked into the building marked "C-7", climbed the stairs at the
far end of the hallway, and opened the door on the right, which was
unlocked. She showed me around the flat, a pleasant, if plain, fourroom
unit: living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bath. It had no extra
furniture or unnecessary decoration, but neither was the place severe.
There was nothing special about it, but being there was kind of like
being with Reiko: you could relax and let the tension leave your body.
The living room had a sofa, a table, and a rocking chair. Another table
stood in the kitchen. Both tables had large ashtrays on them. The
bedroom had two beds, two desks and a closet. A small night table
stood between the beds with a reading lamp on top and a paperback
turned face down. The kitchen had a small electric cooker that
matched the fridge and was equipped for simple cooking.
"No bath, just a shower, but it's pretty impressive, wouldn't you say?
Bath and laundry facilities are communal."
"It's almost too impressive. My dorm room has a ceiling and a
window."
"Ah, but you haven't seen the winters here," said Reiko, touching my
back to guide me to the sofa and sitting down next to me. "They're
long and harsh. Nothing but snow and snow and more snow
everywhere you look. It gets damp and chills you to the bone. We
spend the winter shovelling snow. Mostly you stay inside where it's
warm and listen to music or talk or knit. If you didn't have this much
space, you'd suffocate. You'll see if you come here in the winter."
Reiko gave a deep sigh as if picturing wintertime, then folded her
hands on her knees.
"This will be your bed," she said, patting the sofa. "We'll
sleep in the bedroom, and you'll sleep here. You should be all right,
don't you think?"
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