murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood
murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood
made myself a cup of tea with a tea bag. A Spanish woman recited example sentences: "I have never seen such terrible rain!", "Many bridges were washed away in Barcelona." Nagasawa read the text aloud in Spanish. "What awful sentences!" he said. "This kind of shit is all they ever give you." When the programme ended, he turned off the TV and took another beer from his small refrigerator. "Are you sure I'm not in the way?" I asked. "No way. I was bored out of my mind. Sure you don't want a beer?" "No, I really don't," I said. "Oh, yeah, they posted the exam results the other day. I passed!" "The Foreign Ministry exam?" "That's it. Officially, it's called the "Foreign Affairs Public Service Personnel First Class Service Examination'. What a joke!" "Congratulations!" I said and gave him my left hand to shake. "Thanks." "Of course, I'm not surprised you passed." "No, neither am I," laughed Nagasawa. "But it's nice to have it official." "Think you'll go abroad once you get in?" "Nah, first they give you a year of training. Then they send you overseas for a while." I sipped my tea, and he drank his beer with obvious satisfaction. "I'll give you this fridge if you'd like it when I get out of here," said Nagasawa. "You'd like to have it, wouldn't you? It's great for beer." "Yeah, I'd like to have it, but won't you need it? You'll be living in a flat or something." "Don't be stupid! When I get out of this place, I'm buying myself a big fridge. I'm gonna live the high life! Four years in a shithole like this is long enough. I don't want to have to look at anything I used in this place. You name it, I'll give it to you - the TV, the thermos flask, the radio. .." 240
"I'll take anything you want to give me," I said. I picked up the Spanish textbook on his desk and stared at it. "You're starting Spanish?" "Yeah. The more languages you know the better. And I've got a knack for them. I taught myself French and it's practically perfect. Languages are like games. You learn the rules for one, and they all work the same way. Like women." "Ah, the reflective life!" I said with a sarcastic edge. "Anyway, let's eat out soon." "You mean cruising for women?" "No, a real dinner. You, me and Hatsumi at a good restaurant. To celebrate my new job. My old man's paying, so we'll go somewhere really expensive." "Shouldn't it just be you and Hatsumi?" "No, it'd be better with you there. I'd be more comfortable, and so would Hatsumi." Oh no, it was Kizuki, Naoko and me all over again. "I'll spend the night at Hatsumi's afterwards, so join us just for the meal." "OK, if you both really want me to," I said. "But, anyway, what are you planning to do about Hatsumi? You'll be assigned overseas when you finish your training, and you probably won't come back for years. What's going to happen to her?" "That's her problem." "I don't get it," I said. Feet on his desk, Nagasawa took a swig of beer and yawned. "Look, I'm not planning to get married. I've made that perfectly clear to Hatsumi. If she wants to marry someone, she should go ahead and do it. I won't stop her. If she wants to wait for me, let her wait. That's what I mean." "I have to hand it to you," I said. "You think I'm a shit, don't you?" 241
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made myself a cup of tea with a tea bag. A Spanish woman recited<br />
example sentences: "I have never seen such terrible rain!", "Many<br />
bridges were washed away in Barcelona." Nagasawa read the text<br />
aloud in Spanish. "What awful sentences!" he said. "This kind of shit<br />
is all they ever give you."<br />
When the programme ended, he turned off the TV and took another<br />
beer from his small refrigerator.<br />
"Are you sure I'm not in the way?" I asked.<br />
"No way. I was bored out of my mind. Sure you don't want a beer?"<br />
"No, I really don't," I said.<br />
"Oh, yeah, they posted the exam results the other day. I passed!"<br />
"The Foreign Ministry exam?"<br />
"That's it. Officially, it's called the "Foreign Affairs Public Service<br />
Personnel First Class Service Examination'. What a joke!"<br />
"Congratulations!" I said and gave him my left hand to shake.<br />
"Thanks."<br />
"Of course, I'm not surprised you passed."<br />
"No, neither am I," laughed Nagasawa. "But it's nice to have it<br />
official."<br />
"Think you'll go abroad once you get in?"<br />
"Nah, first they give you a year of training. Then they send you<br />
overseas for a while."<br />
I sipped my tea, and he drank his beer with obvious satisfaction.<br />
"I'll give you this fridge if you'd like it when I get out of here," said<br />
Nagasawa. "You'd like to have it, wouldn't you? It's great for beer."<br />
"Yeah, I'd like to have it, but won't you need it? You'll be living in a<br />
flat or something."<br />
"Don't be stupid! When I get out of this place, I'm buying myself a big<br />
fridge. I'm gonna live the high life! Four years in a shithole like this is<br />
long enough. I don't want to have to look at anything I used in this<br />
place. You name it, I'll give it to you - the TV, the thermos flask, the<br />
radio. .."<br />
240
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