Hiroyuki steeled himself and told Sanae the truth. He told her that while he was a student in Brazil, he had a child and moved in with the child's mother, Maria do Rosario, and that two years later, he came to Japan alone to work.
Sanae listened in silence. Hiroyuki was surprised that she didn't show any anger or upset. Then she took out a box from the dresser drawer and handed the photos inside to Hiroyuki.
"He was an international student from Iran and we met at university. We started dating, but then suddenly his father got ill and he was forced to move back to Iran and end up taking over the family business that had been in business for generations."
"So, Sanae-san, did you go over there?"
"No, I have never been to Iran and have no plans to go."
"They couldn't get married," Hiroyuki thought, but he listened to the rest of the story in silence.
"Both my parents were against the marriage and I later found out that he was engaged back home, so I decided to raise my child on my own. I made my way to this town with little Farid and have been living here for the past nine years without telling anyone about my new address," she said.
Hiroyuki sympathized. Then Sanae decided to step aside and suddenly said in a loud voice, "I want Hiroyuki to be happy. I truly want that! When your wife comes to Japan, I want you to have a long talk and make up for the four years we spent apart."
A few days later, Hiroyuki heard from the apartment manager that Sanae would be spending the New Year's holiday with her son at her parents' home. He felt relieved, but as the days passed, he began to feel more and more lonely.
Hiroyuki, who had worked hard over Christmas, was looking forward to New Year's Eve.
On my first New Year's Eve in Japan, I called my wife who was still in Brazil, but because of the time difference, it was morning in Brazil and she was on her way to the beauty salon. The conversation ended in three minutes. At the end of the following year, I was able to talk to my son on the phone. The year after that, while chatting with my son on Skype, we made faces at each other and laughed out loud at the camera.
However, on the following New Year's Eve, having just lost his beloved son, he spent the night quietly locked in his room.
So, this year on New Year's Eve, I sat down in front of the TV to watch the "Kohaku Uta Gassen" (Red and White Song Battle), a show I often watched in Brazil, when I heard someone shout "Hiro! Hiro está?" outside.
When he opened the door, it was his co-workers Keiji, Toshi, and Silva. All three were completely drunk. They had come to call Hiroyuki. Their destination was a hall on the second floor of an old building.
While Hiroyuki was loitering around the entrance, his colleagues went over to the tables and started chatting away with their friends.
Soon, dancers in colorful costumes began to dance to the rhythm of Pandeiro 2. The three female dancers' dancing reached a climax, and the audience was excited. Then, when one of the three white dancers performed Samba No Pe 3 , the audience erupted in applause. They called out for an encore.
At the end, the dancers introduced themselves, and the white woman introduced herself as "Rose." At that moment, Hiroyuki was taken aback. Maria do Rosario hated her name and had said from the beginning, "Call me Rose." Then, when the dancer named "Rose" left the venue, she was surrounded by a large group of people and had her picture taken. Hiroyuki tried to get closer to her to confirm.
And what caught his eye was the butterfly and flower tattoo on his arm. The tattoo on his right arm was the cause of their first fight. His wife had secretly gotten it, as she had been told not to waste money.
"No doubt about it!" Hiroyuki pushed his way through the crowd and reached out to her, but his hand was grabbed by a large man who looked like a manager.
"Rose" noticed Hiroyuki and said, "Don't worry. He's my ex-husband." She then introduced the man to the surprised Hiroyuki. "This is my manager, Shandy. We live together. We have one more place to go, so ciao!"
Hiroyuki was stunned when his ex-wife simply said, "Ciao," and left him, but he pulled himself together and welcomed New Year's Day.
This year I'm going to be happy!
Note
1. "Hiro! Is Hiro here?"
2. Brazilian tambourine
3. Samba Step Variations
© 2014 Laura Hasegawa
