murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood
murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood
"I can leave," I said. "No," said Hatsumi. "Please stay. It's better with you here." "At least have dessert," said Nagasawa. "I don't mind, really." The three of us went on eating in silence for a time. I finished my fish. Hatsumi left half of hers. Nagasawa had polished off his duck long before and was now concentrating on his whisky. "That was excellent sea bass," I offered, but no one took me up on it. I might as well have thrown a rock down a deep well. The waiters took away our plates and brought lemon sherbet and espresso. Nagasawa barely touched his dessert and coffee, moving directly to a cigarette. Hatsumi ignored her sherbet. "Oh boy," I thought to myself as I finished my sherbet and coffee. Hatsumi stared at her hands on the table. Like everything she wore, her hands looked chic and elegant and expensive. I thought about Naoko and Reiko. What would they be doing now? I wondered. Naoko could be lying on the sofa reading a book, and Reiko might be playing "Norwegian Wood" on her guitar. I felt an intense desire to go back to that little room of theirs. What the hell was I doing in this place? "Where Watanabe and I are alike is, we don't give a shit if nobody understands us," Nagasawa said. "That's what makes us different from everybody else. They're all worried about whether the people around them understand them. But not me, and not Watanabe. We just don't give a shit. Self and others are separate." "Is this true?" Hatsumi asked me. "No," I said. "I'm not that strong. I don't feel it's OK if nobody understands me. I've got people I want to understand and be understood by. But aside from those few, well, I feel it's kind of hopeless. I don't agree with Nagasawa. I do care if people understand me." "That's practically the same thing as what I'm saying," said Nagasawa, picking up his coffee spoon. "It is the same! It's the difference 250
etween a late breakfast or an early lunch. Same time, same food, different name." Now Hatsumi spoke to Nagasawa. "Don't you care whether I understand you or not?" "You don't get it, do you? Person A understands Person B because the time is right for that to happen, not because Person B wants to be understood by Person A." "So is it a mistake for me to feel that I want to be understood by someone - by you, for example?" "No, it's not a mistake," answered Nagasawa. "Most people would call that love, if you think you want to understand me. My system for living is way different from other people's systems for living." "So what you're saying is you're not in love with me, is that it?" "Well, my system and your - " "To hell with your fucking system!" Hatsumi shouted. That was the first and last time I ever heard her shout. Nagasawa pushed the button by the table, and the waiter came in with the bill. Nagasawa handed him a credit card. "Sorry about this, Watanabe," said Nagasawa. "I'm going to see Hatsumi home. You go back to the dorm alone, OK?" "You don't have to apologize to me. Great meal," I said, but no one said anything in response. The waiter brought the card, and Nagasawa signed with a ballpoint pen after checking the amount. Then the three of us stood and went outside. Nagasawa started to step into the street to hail a taxi, but Hatsumi stopped him. "Thanks, but I don't want to spend any more time with you today. You don't have to see me home. Thank you for dinner." ,,Whatever," said Nagasawa. "I want Toru to see me home." "Whatever," said Nagasawa. "But Watanabe's practically the same as me. He may be a nice guy, but deep down in his heart he's incapable 251
- Page 200 and 201: her body in my hands. In the darkne
- Page 202 and 203: "You see what?" "Nothing. Just "I s
- Page 204 and 205: I'd make lots of babies for you as
- Page 206 and 207: "Hmm ..." "And I'm just spacing out
- Page 208 and 209: Midori came for me at 9.30 on Sunda
- Page 210 and 211: "I don't know, I've never done it w
- Page 212 and 213: like the subjunctive case and diffe
- Page 214 and 215: somehow to the East India Company?'
- Page 216 and 217: comes we have to treat them to sush
- Page 218 and 219: Watanabe." "Glad to meet you," I sa
- Page 220 and 221: "No, I guess not. It's complicated,
- Page 222 and 223: "I really can't say until the time
- Page 224 and 225: know if I can keep going to univers
- Page 226 and 227: At 1.30 she left the hospital to do
- Page 228 and 229: "After I do my laundry tomorrow mor
- Page 230 and 231: ed and held it by the tip of his pe
- Page 232 and 233: make people get really vicious all
- Page 234 and 235: worry, I'd take care of both you an
- Page 236 and 237: "Will you really take me to a porno
- Page 238 and 239: stolen bases. After noon I went bac
- Page 240 and 241: made myself a cup of tea with a tea
- Page 242 and 243: "I do." "Look, the world is an inhe
- Page 244 and 245: Eventually a waiter came and took o
- Page 246 and 247: "What do you mean "that kind of tal
- Page 248 and 249: "You know, Toru," she said, "I have
- Page 252 and 253: of loving anybody. There's always s
- Page 254 and 255: "Do you know somewhere we could pla
- Page 256 and 257: "Or is it that you don't like being
- Page 258 and 259: anybody's said to me in the past ye
- Page 260 and 261: quadrangle. I began by telling Naok
- Page 262 and 263: There was no sign of Midori at the
- Page 264 and 265: I sipped my whisky and soda, then s
- Page 266 and 267: open a pistachio, "the whole time I
- Page 268 and 269: "You know," she said, "I have this
- Page 270 and 271: "There aren't any trees around here
- Page 272 and 273: early." "Wait a minute, I thought y
- Page 274 and 275: "Me, too," I said. "Every once in a
- Page 276 and 277: situation conducive to sexual excit
- Page 278 and 279: eyond the window cast a soft white
- Page 280 and 281: so painful for me to write letters.
- Page 282 and 283: Thinking back on the year 1969, all
- Page 284 and 285: shovelling snow when there was time
- Page 286 and 287: over this, and then climbed into he
- Page 288 and 289: great couple." "Yeah, right!" I sai
- Page 290 and 291: I went to a phone box and dialled h
- Page 292 and 293: gardeners in the area and because h
- Page 294 and 295: you to one of our sessions if possi
- Page 296 and 297: A letter came from Midori on 6 Apri
- Page 298 and 299: eginning of October." "Whew! That c
etween a late breakfast or an early lunch. Same time, same food,<br />
different name."<br />
Now Hatsumi spoke to Nagasawa. "Don't you care whether I<br />
understand you or not?"<br />
"You don't get it, do you? Person A understands Person B because the<br />
time is right for that to happen, not because Person B wants to be<br />
understood by Person A."<br />
"So is it a mistake for me to feel that I want to be understood by<br />
someone - by you, for example?"<br />
"No, it's not a mistake," answered Nagasawa. "Most people would call<br />
that love, if you think you want to understand me. My system for<br />
living is way different from other people's systems for living."<br />
"So what you're saying is you're not in love with me, is that it?"<br />
"Well, my system and your - "<br />
"To hell with your fucking system!" Hatsumi shouted. That<br />
was the first and last time I ever heard her shout.<br />
Nagasawa pushed the button by the table, and the waiter<br />
came in with the bill. Nagasawa handed him a credit card. "Sorry<br />
about this, Watanabe," said Nagasawa. "I'm going<br />
to see Hatsumi home. You go back to the dorm alone, OK?" "You<br />
don't have to apologize to me. Great meal," I said, but<br />
no one said anything in response.<br />
The waiter brought the card, and Nagasawa signed with a ballpoint<br />
pen after checking the amount. Then the three of us stood and went<br />
outside. Nagasawa started to step into the street to hail a taxi, but<br />
Hatsumi stopped him.<br />
"Thanks, but I don't want to spend any more time with you today. You<br />
don't have to see me home. Thank you for dinner."<br />
,,Whatever," said Nagasawa.<br />
"I want Toru to see me home."<br />
"Whatever," said Nagasawa. "But Watanabe's practically the same as<br />
me. He may be a nice guy, but deep down in his heart he's incapable<br />
251
Change language