From Izumi, With Love…

Izumi came by yesterday, after two weeks of absence. She went back to Japan to visit her grandparents, who believe or not are already in there 90’s. There was so much for us to talk about, her vacation, places she went to, her grandparents and childhood sweetheart back home. She would turn red everytime I would mention this ex-lover friend.

Along with Izumi was a red box, that she handed over to me and said Merry Christmas, Ihara! She’s been calling me that since we became friends and when I asked her why she calls me Ihara. She said that he’s a Japanese poet back in the days and one of her most favorite, so I guess she favors me among her other friends. Hahahah! I was very surprised to receive an early christmas present. I politely thanked her for her kindness, Domou arigato gozaimasu, Mimi! I then opened the box and inside was a book, a card with a handpainted cat and a light switch plate. There’s a story behind these items she gave me.

The Oystercatcher Book. I’ve already red this book when Izumi saw it in my book case at home. She red the outside cover and told her she can borrow it if she wants. Later that week, she had to go to city and accidentally misplaced the book in the train. Needless to say, it was beyond recovery. She phoned me that day to apologize and told her not to worry about it. But I guess the incident still bothered Izumi to this day and so for this Christmas, she has decided to buy me this book as a kind present. Hoping that she won’t have any more of those sleepless nights.

The Handpainted Kitty Card. Izumi knows my fascination for anything cats. So she bought this card slash bookmark from Chiba (her hometown). I love it, that I used it right away as a marker on the book I am currently reading.

The Light Switch Plate. One time during lunch hour, Izumi and I drove to my house for lunch. The microwave at the office wasn’t working, and decided to just heat our food at home. You see, I live only five minutes and one exit away from work. Very convenient! I was trying to open the front door but my key wasn’t working. So we ended using the key I hid somewhere around the house (in case of an emergency and this incident counts). By that time I was already pissed,  that when the key finally work, I kicked the door hard and the knob accidentally hit the light switch. The plate was shuttered into pieces. Hahahah! Sorry, it was just one of those bad days. Anyhow, Izumi remembered that I haven’t replace the plate to this day and got me this one from her trip. Now, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t fixed the light switch soon as I had the chance.

ありがとう、イズミ あなたを愛しているあなたの友人を覚えていてください。

Thanks so much, Izumi! Remeber your Tomodachi loves you always…