Reikichi Kawamura: Tamekichi
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Quotes
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Tamekichi : [curious about Tashiro's work, which involves fortunetelling] Does fortunetelling work?
Tashiro : Of course it does. Nothing works better.
Tamekichi : Really? The other day you left home wearing rain boots, but the day turned out to be sunny.
Tashiro : Weather isn't my specialty. The weather forecast on the radio works well for that.
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Tamekichi : Why are you crying? You didn't much care for the kid from the beginning. Still, you miss him?
Otane : I'm not crying because I'm sad, but because I'm thinking how happy he must be. He wasn't abandoned, after all. His father wasn't heartless as I had imagined, but was a really good father. He went looking everywhere for his son. And he finally found him. When I thought that they can be together now and how happy they must be, I couldn't stop myself from crying.
Otane : [pauses to sob a bit more, then continues] His father was a nice man. He knew all the proper courtesies. He was rather refined in his manner and seemed kind. The boy should be happy with him.
Tamekichi : I see. That's good.
Otane : The boy was just a child, after all. He forgot all about the nails and cigarette butts he had collected when he saw his father, and left them behind.
Tamekichi : I see.
Otane : The father and son had a special bond. I was happy for them. I wish I had treated the boy with more kindness and love. I was hard on the poor innocent boy and pushed him around instead. Come to think of it, our mindset is very different from before. We've grown to care only for ourselves. You know, even when we get on a train we shove people aside. We don't care if other people starve as long as we get our fill. We're the ones who've become petty and careworn.
Tamekichi : Yeah, when you put it like that, I have to agree with you. You're right. I feel ashamed.
Otane : Having a child around is a blessing. The boy lived with me for only a week. But he made me rethink a lot of things. I wish he could have stayed with me for a couple of months.
