Solo at Bizen
...written on 05.22.02, @ 1:59 p.m.
#2 of 3 posted on:
Wed May 22, 2002
I bowed low under the short curtain attached to the top of the door and emerged into Bizen to shouts of "Kimu!" Yoko-chin hugged me with a slap on the back and I was greeted all around with the inquiry, "Hittori?" (Alone?)
Now, just typing that reminds me of a story . . .
I had been living in Georgia for a little while and working grueling hours as a chain bookstore manager. My social life was almost nil and I hadn't made any friends yet, so I would often go out alone to eat.
One night, after an intense internal monologue about how I should go out more and meet people, I decided to go out to eat. I went to a BBQ place. I walked in and the hostess said "Just one?". I nodded a curt "yes" and was seated. A little while later the waiter came by and said, "Only you tonight?" and with another affirmative nod from me, he scooped up the extra place setting of silverware and went off to get my drink. Then, as I was waiting for my food to arrive, the people at the table next to me asked me if they could have the only other chair at my table.
I'm giggling as I remember this now, but it was a little painful back then. I had gone out plenty of times before solo with no problem, but that night was getting difficult.
Then, the waiter, who was mighty good looking, began to bestow upon me many of his kind attentions. In fact, each time he came to my table to deliver food, a napkin, a refill, to check up on me, etc. was like a caress that got warmer and warmer. It was so enjoyable that I left him more than a 50% tip.
I rose from the table and looked around but didn't see my waiter. With a sad shrug, I walked out of the restaurant alone into the pouring rain.
As I was unlocking my car I thought I heard a voice and I turned around to see my waiter huddled under the eave of the side door to the restaurant, clutching his body for warmth. "THANK YOU!", he shouted. I smiled and waved, got into my car and cried.
I wrote a poem that night when I got home. It was about being alone. I don't have it with me here in Japan. Someone asked me if I wrote poems recently and I said not very often because I only tend to write them during intense painful episodes and luckily I haven't had many of those. In fact, I can only count three that I have written in my entire adult life.
So, back to Bizen . . .
I sat with the regulars and chatted. I, using pidgin Japanese, and they using pidgin English. It was good to go by myself without John or Brian. I had a great time. Takagi-san and Sakamaki-san both contributed to the payment of my food and drink, so I had a free dinner as well.
Yuko, the bar owner will be celebrating Bizen's 15th birthday in June with an all you can eat and drink night for $25. The regulars at Bizen are a rather tight group. They go out and play golf together, celebrate birthdays together, and in April, we had a big picnic on the banks of the river in Tarui, under 300 flying carp flags.
Hmmm, I guess I wasn't so solo at Bizen after all.