murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood
murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood
whisky. Itoh said I could spend the night there, but I told him I had to do something, thanked him for the whisky and left his flat before nine. On the way back to my place I called Midori from a phone box. Much to my surprise she actually answered. "Sorry," she said, "but I don't want to talk to you right now." "I know, I know. But I don't want our relationship to end like this. You're one of the very few friends I have, and it hurts not being able to see you. When am I going to be able to talk to you? I want you to tell me that much, at least." "When I feel like talking to you," she said. "How are you?" I asked. "Fine," she said, and hung up. A letter came from Reiko in the middle of May. Thanks for writing so often. Naoko enjoys your letters. And so do I. You don't mind if I read them, do you? Sorry I haven't been able to answer for such a long time. To tell you the truth, I've been feeling a bit exhausted, and there hasn't been much good news to report. Naoko's not doing well. Her mother came from Kobe the other day. The four of us - she and Naoko and the doctor and I - had a good, long talk and we reached the conclusion that Naoko should move to a real hospital for a while for some intensive treatment and then maybe come back here depending on the results. Naoko says she'd like to stay here if possible and make herself well, and I know I am going to miss her and worry about her, but the fact is that it's getting harder and harder to keep her under control here. She's fine most of the time, but sometimes her emotions become extremely unstable, and when that happens we can't take our eyes off her. There's no telling what she would do. When she has those intense episodes of hearing voices, she shuts down completely and burrows 308
inside herself. Which is why I myself agree that the best thing for Naoko would be for her to receive therapy at a proper institution for a while. I hate to say it, but it's all we can do. As I told you once before, patience is the most important thing. We have to go on unravelling the jumbled threads one at a time, without losing hope. No matter how hopeless her condition may appear to be, we are bound to find that one loose thread sooner or later. If you're in pitch blackness, all you can do is sit tight until your eyes get used to the dark. Naoko should have moved to that other hospital by the time you receive this. I'm sorry I waited to tell you until the decisions had been made, but it happened very quickly. The new hospital is a really good one, with good doctors. I'll write the address below: please write to Naoko there. They will be keeping me informed of her progress, too, so I will let you know what I hear. I hope it will be good news. I know this is going to be hard for you, but keep your hopes up. And even though Naoko is not here any more, please write to me once in a while. Goodbye. I wrote a huge number of letters that spring: one a week to Naoko, several to Reiko, and several more to Midori. I wrote letters in the lecture hall, I wrote letters at my desk at home with Seagull on my lap, I wrote letters at empty tables during my breaks at the Italian restaurant. It was as if I were writing letters to hold together the pieces of my crumbling life. To Midori I wrote: April and May were painful, lonely months for me because I couldn't talk to you. I never knew that spring could be so painful and lonely. Better to have three Februaries than a spring like this. I know it's too late to be saying this, but your new hairstyle looks great on you. Really cute. I'm working at an Italian restaurant now, and the cook taught me a great way to make spaghetti. I'd like to make 309
- 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 302 and 303: even noticed that my hairstyle had
- Page 304 and 305: Saturdays and Sundays: waiting on t
- Page 306 and 307: of letters like this, but from Naok
- 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
- Page 352 and 353: TRANSLATOR'S NOTE Haruki Murakami w
whisky.<br />
Itoh said I could spend the night there, but I told him I had to do<br />
something, thanked him for the whisky and left his flat before nine.<br />
On the way back to my place I called Midori from a phone box. Much<br />
to my surprise she actually answered.<br />
"Sorry," she said, "but I don't want to talk to you right now."<br />
"I know, I know. But I don't want our relationship to end like this.<br />
You're one of the very few friends I have, and it hurts not being able<br />
to see you. When am I going to be able to talk to you? I want you to<br />
tell me that much, at least."<br />
"When I feel like talking to you," she said.<br />
"How are you?" I asked.<br />
"Fine," she said, and hung up.<br />
A letter came from Reiko in the middle of May.<br />
Thanks for writing so often. Naoko enjoys your letters. And so do I.<br />
You don't mind if I read them, do you?<br />
Sorry I haven't been able to answer for such a long time. To tell you<br />
the truth, I've been feeling a bit exhausted, and there hasn't been much<br />
good news to report. Naoko's not doing well. Her mother came from<br />
Kobe the other day. The four of us - she and Naoko and the doctor and<br />
I - had a good, long talk and we reached the conclusion that Naoko<br />
should move to a real hospital for a while for some intensive treatment<br />
and then maybe come back here depending on the results. Naoko says<br />
she'd like to stay here if possible and make herself well, and I know I<br />
am going to miss her and worry about her, but the fact is that it's<br />
getting harder and harder to keep her under control here. She's fine<br />
most of the time, but sometimes her emotions become extremely<br />
unstable, and when that happens we can't take our eyes off her.<br />
There's no telling what she would do. When she has those intense<br />
episodes of hearing voices, she shuts down completely and burrows<br />
308
Change language