murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood
murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood
even noticed that my hairstyle had changed, did you? I've been working on it forever, trying to grow it out, and finally, at the end of last week, I managed to get it into a style you could actually call girlish, but you never even noticed. It was looking pretty good, so I thought I'd give you a little shock when you saw me for the first time after so long, but it didn't even register with you. Don't you think that's awful? I bet you can't even remember what I was wearing today. Hey, I'm a girl! So what if you've got something on your mind? You can spare me one decent look! All you had to say was "Cute hair", and I would have been able to forgive you for being sunk in a million thoughts, but no! Which is why I'm going to tell you a lie. It's not true that I have to meet my sister at the Ginza. I was planning to spend the night at your place. I even brought my pyjamas with me. It's true. I've got my pyjamas and a toothbrush in my bag. I'm such an idiot! I mean, you never even invited me over to see your new place. Oh well, what the hell, you obviously want to be alone, so I'll leave you alone. Go ahead and think away to your heart's content! But don't get me wrong. I'm not totally mad at you. I'm just sad. You were so nice to me when I was having my problems, but now that you're having yours, it seems there's not a thing I can do for you. You're all locked up in that little world of yours, and when I try knocking on the door, you just sort of look up for a second and go right back inside. So now I see you coming back with our drinks - walking and thinking. I was hoping you'd trip, but you didn't. Now you're sitting next to me drinking your Coke. I was holding out one last hope that you'd notice and say "Hey, your hair's changed!" but no. If you had, I would have torn up this letter and said: "Let's go to your place. I'll make you a nice dinner. And afterwards we can go to bed and cuddle." But you're about as sensitive as a steel plate. Goodbye. PS. Please don't talk to me next time we meet. 302
I rang Midori's flat from the station when I got off the train in Kichijoji, but there was no answer. With nothing better to do, I ambled around the neighbourhood looking for some part-time work I could take after lectures began. I would be free all day Saturday and Sunday and could work after five o'clock on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; but finding a job that fitted my particular schedule was no easy matter. I gave up and went home. When I went out to buy groceries for dinner, I tried Midori's place again. Her sister told me that Midori hadn't come home yet and that she had no idea when she'd be back. I thanked her and hung up. After eating, I tried to write to Midori, but I gave up after several false starts and wrote to Naoko instead. Spring was here, I said, and the new university year was starting. I told her I missed her, that I had been hoping, one way or another, to be able to meet her and talk. In any case, I wrote, I've decided to make myself strong. As far as I can tell, that's all I can do. There's one other thing. Maybe it's just to do with me, and you may not care about this one way or another, but I'm not sleeping with anybody any more. It's because I don't want to forget the last time you touched me. It meant a lot more to me than you might think. I think about it all of the time. I put the letter in an envelope, stuck on a stamp, and sat at my desk a long while staring at it. It was a much shorter letter than usual, but I had the feeling that Naoko might understand me better that way. I poured myself an inch-and-a-half of whisky, drank it in two swallows, and went to sleep. The next day I found a job near Kichijoji Station that I could do on 303
- 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
- Page 300 and 301: ago. My sister helps out there thre
- Page 304 and 305: Saturdays and Sundays: waiting on t
- Page 306 and 307: of letters like this, but from Naok
- Page 308 and 309: whisky. Itoh said I could spend the
- Page 310 and 311: it for you soon. I went to the univ
- Page 312 and 313: "I've been really lonely these past
- Page 314 and 315: you don't know the answer to someth
- Page 316 and 317: eak, without a sound, soaking her h
- Page 318 and 319: "But really, Watanabe, you don't wa
- Page 320 and 321: her bed. I had no doubts about thos
- Page 322 and 323: The fourth thing I have to say is t
- Page 324 and 325: Reiko wrote to me several times aft
- Page 326 and 327: nails being driven into the lid of
- Page 328 and 329: The wind tore along the sand beach
- Page 330 and 331: However I might phrase it, though,
- Page 332 and 333: On the train out to Kichijoji, Reik
- Page 334 and 335: tiny flowers in the grass, the subt
- Page 336 and 337: "The jacket and trousers are hers,
- Page 338 and 339: her why she was burning stuff like
- Page 340 and 341: stroked her hair. "Don't worry,' I
- Page 342 and 343: amount of cash. So don't worry. I w
- Page 344 and 345: the point. I can't forgive myself.
- Page 346 and 347: "So play it terribly." I brought ou
- Page 348 and 349: myself inside her. "You're not goin
- Page 350 and 351: you: you'll do fine wherever you go
I rang Midori's flat from the station when I got off the train in<br />
Kichijoji, but there was no answer. With nothing better to do, I<br />
ambled around the neighbourhood looking for some part-time work I<br />
could take after lectures began. I would be free all day Saturday and<br />
Sunday and could work after five o'clock on Mondays, Wednesdays<br />
and Thursdays; but finding a job that fitted my particular schedule was<br />
no easy matter. I gave up and went home. When I went out to buy<br />
groceries for dinner, I tried Midori's place again. Her sister told me<br />
that Midori hadn't come home yet and that she had no idea when she'd<br />
be back. I thanked her and hung up.<br />
After eating, I tried to write to Midori, but I gave up after several false<br />
starts and wrote to Naoko instead.<br />
Spring was here, I said, and the new university year was starting. I<br />
told her I missed her, that I had been hoping, one way or another, to be<br />
able to meet her and talk. In any case,<br />
I wrote, I've decided to make myself strong. As far as I can tell, that's<br />
all I can do.<br />
There's one other thing. Maybe it's just to do with me, and you may<br />
not care about this one way or another, but I'm not sleeping with<br />
anybody any more. It's because I don't want to forget the last time you<br />
touched me. It meant a lot more to me than you might think. I think<br />
about it all of the time.<br />
I put the letter in an envelope, stuck on a stamp, and sat at my desk a<br />
long while staring at it. It was a much shorter letter than usual, but I<br />
had the feeling that Naoko might understand me better that way. I<br />
poured myself an inch-and-a-half of whisky, drank it in two swallows,<br />
and went to sleep.<br />
The next day I found a job near Kichijoji Station that I could do on<br />
303
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