scarf from the shop at the Base, it's Lanvin."
"You'd do it again? Me, I'm really worn out."
"Yeah, well, it did get kind of rough, but if there's another party I guess I'd go, there aren't really many times you can have fun, are there? When nothing's fun anymore, I'll just get married."
"Huh? You plan to get married?"
"Sure, of course, you thought I didn't?"
A truck made a wild right turn at the intersection, and dust whirled up around us.
Fine sand had gotten into my eyes and mouth. I spit it out. Damn driver, muttered the postman who'd gotten off his bicycle and was rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, Ryū, it's about Yoshiyama, keep an eye on him, because he beats up Kei a lot. When he gets drunk he's really mean, kicking her and stuff. Talk to him about it, O.K.?"
"He really means it? He doesn't really mean it, does he?"
"What are you talking about? One time she got a tooth broken. I don't know about that Yoshiyama, because he's like a different guy when he's drunk.
Anyway, watch out for him."
"Are your folks O.K., Moko?"
"Yeah, well, my dad's been kind of sick, but my brother— hey, don't you know about him, Ryū?—he's just too straight. That's why I've ended up like this, but these days they're kind of resigned about it, you know, and when I said my photo's in An-An, my mother was glad, so I guess it's O.K."
"Hey, it's already summer, hasn't been much rain though, has there?"
"Yeah, Ryū, it's about that movie Woodstock but—did you see it?"
"Sure, why?"
"Don't you want to see it again, now? I wonder if it would be a letdown to see it now or not, what do you think?"
"Sure it'd be a letdown, but Jimi Hendrix would be great, he was really great."
"Yeah, it would be a letdown, wouldn't it? But maybe we'd feel something after all, but then afterwards it'd probably be a letdown, but I'd like to try and see it."
Yelling Yahyahyah, Tami and Bob flew past in a yellow sports car. Moko laughed, waved, and crushed out her cigarette with the slender high heel of her shoe.
"Have ya got any right to talk like that? What do ya mean to do, it's not just because we're not married or anything, what should Ah do, what do ya want?
Ya want me to say Ah love ya? Is that it? Sure Ah'll say it, but just keep your hands off of me, and stop hassling me, Ah'm asking ya."
"Kei, it's not like that, don't get mad, it's not like that, what I'm saying is, you know, let's stop wearing each other out, right? We're just wearing each other out all the time, right? Let's stop, you know? You hear me, Kei?"
"Ah hear ya, hurry up, get it over with."
"I don't want to break up with you. I'll work on the docks, you know, in Yokohama I can get ¥6000 a day so it's really something, right? I can really make it and not use your bread anymore, I don't care if you mess around with other guys, I didn't say anything even about those black guys, right? Anyway let's just stop wearing each other out, it's just no good fighting like this, right? I'll go to work, tomorrow even, I'm real strong."
Kazuo's arm lay on Kei's shoulders. She didn't try to remove it. Right there in front of Yoshiyama, Kazuo crunched and swallowed two Nibrole pills and sneered at the two fighting.
Wearing just his pants, steam rising from his body, Okinawa sat on the kitchen floor and shot up with heroin.
Twisting her face, Reiko stuck the needle into the palm of her hand. Hey, Reiko, when did you learn to shoot up like that? Okinawa asked. Flustered, Reiko looked at me and winked. Why, Ryū showed me, of course.
"You're getting kind of stretched down there, Reiko."
"Don't talk funny. Me, I hate sex, don't you believe me? I don't have it with anybody but you."
Kei stood up, put on the Boz "First Album," and turned up the volume really high.
Yoshiyama said something but she pretended not to hear. He stretched out his hand to the amp to lower the sound and said, I've got something to talk over with you.
"There's nothing to talk over, Ah want to listen to Boz, hey, make it
"You'd do it again? Me, I'm really worn out."
"Yeah, well, it did get kind of rough, but if there's another party I guess I'd go, there aren't really many times you can have fun, are there? When nothing's fun anymore, I'll just get married."
"Huh? You plan to get married?"
"Sure, of course, you thought I didn't?"
A truck made a wild right turn at the intersection, and dust whirled up around us.
Fine sand had gotten into my eyes and mouth. I spit it out. Damn driver, muttered the postman who'd gotten off his bicycle and was rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, Ryū, it's about Yoshiyama, keep an eye on him, because he beats up Kei a lot. When he gets drunk he's really mean, kicking her and stuff. Talk to him about it, O.K.?"
"He really means it? He doesn't really mean it, does he?"
"What are you talking about? One time she got a tooth broken. I don't know about that Yoshiyama, because he's like a different guy when he's drunk.
Anyway, watch out for him."
"Are your folks O.K., Moko?"
"Yeah, well, my dad's been kind of sick, but my brother— hey, don't you know about him, Ryū?—he's just too straight. That's why I've ended up like this, but these days they're kind of resigned about it, you know, and when I said my photo's in An-An, my mother was glad, so I guess it's O.K."
"Hey, it's already summer, hasn't been much rain though, has there?"
"Yeah, Ryū, it's about that movie Woodstock but—did you see it?"
"Sure, why?"
"Don't you want to see it again, now? I wonder if it would be a letdown to see it now or not, what do you think?"
"Sure it'd be a letdown, but Jimi Hendrix would be great, he was really great."
"Yeah, it would be a letdown, wouldn't it? But maybe we'd feel something after all, but then afterwards it'd probably be a letdown, but I'd like to try and see it."
Yelling Yahyahyah, Tami and Bob flew past in a yellow sports car. Moko laughed, waved, and crushed out her cigarette with the slender high heel of her shoe.
"Have ya got any right to talk like that? What do ya mean to do, it's not just because we're not married or anything, what should Ah do, what do ya want?
Ya want me to say Ah love ya? Is that it? Sure Ah'll say it, but just keep your hands off of me, and stop hassling me, Ah'm asking ya."
"Kei, it's not like that, don't get mad, it's not like that, what I'm saying is, you know, let's stop wearing each other out, right? We're just wearing each other out all the time, right? Let's stop, you know? You hear me, Kei?"
"Ah hear ya, hurry up, get it over with."
"I don't want to break up with you. I'll work on the docks, you know, in Yokohama I can get ¥6000 a day so it's really something, right? I can really make it and not use your bread anymore, I don't care if you mess around with other guys, I didn't say anything even about those black guys, right? Anyway let's just stop wearing each other out, it's just no good fighting like this, right? I'll go to work, tomorrow even, I'm real strong."
Kazuo's arm lay on Kei's shoulders. She didn't try to remove it. Right there in front of Yoshiyama, Kazuo crunched and swallowed two Nibrole pills and sneered at the two fighting.
Wearing just his pants, steam rising from his body, Okinawa sat on the kitchen floor and shot up with heroin.
Twisting her face, Reiko stuck the needle into the palm of her hand. Hey, Reiko, when did you learn to shoot up like that? Okinawa asked. Flustered, Reiko looked at me and winked. Why, Ryū showed me, of course.
"You're getting kind of stretched down there, Reiko."
"Don't talk funny. Me, I hate sex, don't you believe me? I don't have it with anybody but you."
Kei stood up, put on the Boz "First Album," and turned up the volume really high.
Yoshiyama said something but she pretended not to hear. He stretched out his hand to the amp to lower the sound and said, I've got something to talk over with you.
"There's nothing to talk over, Ah want to listen to Boz, hey, make it
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