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murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood

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At 11.30 Nagasawa was ready to give up. "Sorry I dragged you around<br />

for nothing," he said.<br />

"No problem," I said. "It was worth it to me just to see you have your<br />

off days sometimes, too."<br />

"Maybe once a year," he admitted.<br />

In fact, I didn't care about getting laid any more. Wandering around<br />

Shinjuku on a noisy Saturday night, observing the mysterious energy<br />

created by a mixture of sex and alcohol, I began to feel that my own<br />

desire was a puny thing.<br />

"What are you going to do now, Watanabe?"<br />

"Maybe go to an all-nighter," I said. "I haven't seen a film in ages."<br />

"I'll be going to Hatsumi's then," said Nagasawa. "Do you mind?"<br />

"No way," I said. "Why should I mind?"<br />

"If you'd like, I could introduce you to a girl who'd let you spend the<br />

night."<br />

"Nah, I really am in the mood for a film."<br />

"Sorry," said Nagasawa. "I'll make it up to you some time." And he<br />

disappeared into the crowd. I went into a fast food place for a<br />

cheeseburger and some coffee to kill the buzz, then went to see The<br />

Graduate in an old rep house. I didn't think it was all that good, but I<br />

didn't have anything better to do, so I stayed and watched it again.<br />

Emerging from the cinema at four in the morning, I wandered along<br />

the chilly streets of Shinjuku, thinking.<br />

When I tired of walking, I went to an all-night café and waited with a<br />

book and a cup of coffee for the morning trains to start. Before long,<br />

the place became crowded with people who, like me, were waiting for<br />

those first trains. A waiter came to ask me apologetically if I would<br />

mind sharing my table. I said it would be all right. It didn't matter to<br />

me who sat across from me: I was just reading a book.<br />

My companions at the table turned out to be two girls. They looked<br />

about my age. Neither of them was a knockout, but they weren't bad.<br />

Both were reserved in the way they dressed and made up: they were<br />

98

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