“Yes, I’d like that.”
“Let’s have a nice talk, okay?”
Ichiko was staring directly at her, so Takako laid a hand on the collar of
her cardigan and turned away. Ichiko was really only looking at Takako’s
face, but it must have seemed that her gaze penetrated into the farthest
reaches of the sitting room. Ichiko’s nearsightedness wasn’t really very bad
—Takako had never seen her wearing glasses and had no idea she wore
them.
“This weather is so nice I can hardly sit still. I was thinking I might go
somewhere, so I came up here to get myself ready, and then all of a sudden
I found myself wanting to talk to you. You’ll come over?” said Ichiko.
“Al right.”
“You know, I ran into your husband a few days ago—in Ginza. Did he
tell you we’d met?”
“No”
“He didn’t?”
Ichiko had assumed that Hirata would mention their meeting to Takako
when he got back, almost as a matter of course.
“We went to a French restaurant that my husband likes. I’d been trying to
decide what to do, since I couldn’t eat alone, and the timing was perfect.”
“You must have treated him, then—1 hope he didn’t cost you too much.
I’d have thanked you sooner, only he didn’t say anything.”
“Oh, you don’t need to thank me” Ichiko said, laughing brightly.
Takako went around to the gate of the Chibas’ house and stood waiting at
the front door, but Ichiko called down from upstairs, “Takako, you can just
come in.” Takako waited a little, but Ichiko didn’t come down.
“Taneko!—Taneko!” Ichiko called the maid. “Show Takako in, please.”
