When Father saw his old friend Stella on his way to lunch, it suddenly occurred to him to ask her to accompany him. Stella was a nurse half Father’s age, someone he used to call his hospital daughter. When they would meet in the past, she would greet Father and then playfully say hello to his tie, which had imprints of Mickey Mouse all over it, but Father had become so busy with his hospital reform considerations that the most they did nowadays was just smile in passing. A few weeks had gone by since the administration vetoed his suggestions, and Father felt like he deserved a second chance. He wasn’t used to presenting his ideas to other people, not knowing what to emphasise and what to downplay. Stella was of another generation, and Stella was good at networking, so it came to Father’s mind that it would be a good idea to treat her to a meal and get her thoughts. When he offered, Stella replied as she did in the past, by wrapping her arm around his and flamboyantly waving to the people around them.
.
They chose the Chinese restaurant because it was on the other side of the street. Otherwise there was nothing special about it. Honestly, it was barely a Chinese restaurant. It was four wooden benches, and a handwritten menu on one of the walls, while two people on the other side of that wall cooked. Various people were sitting around, not doing much, and it was hard to tell who was a customer, who was working, and who was part of the restaurant owner’s family. The only thing Chinese about the restaurant were the characters on their advertising. Father felt comfortable here because the food they served wasn’t so different from what people ate at home, and he generally liked the taste.
Stella took her seat on the other side of the bench and gave Father one of her bubbly smiles.
Father noticed that Stella had a new tattoo on her arm. He pointed towards it, asking in Tuvaluan, 'What is this?'
Stella explained in English. 'It’s a picture of a rising sun. One of the national symbols in Japan, but not why I chose it. I like the rising sun because it reminds me to look up and live every day like it’s my last.'
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