Bedtime Stories Online
Memories and Chances Part 1

Memories and Chances Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

“I had the chances. He gave me lots of them but I never had the courage to do so.”

I met her one Sunday afternoon in mid-October when red leaves hanged on the trees aligned by the road and one gust of wind was all it takes to send the leaves flying into the sky. The air gave off a certain gentle scent that changed my image of a dusty Tokyo city into a more rustic place.

I was waiting for a friend at a nearby Starbucks just two streets away from my apartment in Shinjuku. It was my first time there as I am not much of a coffee person and would only drink it whenever the time calls for it. This might sound disappointing to Starbucks or coffee lovers but that's the truth.

When I was there, I understood why others raved so much about Starbucks. The place provided a relaxing ambience with a strong coffee aroma in every corner of the shop. The service crew showed smooth movements even when the shop was crowded. They would bring the customers’ orders to them with a smile before striding away at the beat of the bossa nova music in the background.

However, I noticed a problem. Like any other things which seemed perfect, there is a problem or rather; there should be a problem somewhere along the road. As I sat near the window, I got a nice view of the whole shop including their regular patrons. Most of them are in their late-twenties wearing expensive coats, well-ironed long sleeve shirts or blouses and newly-polished leather shoes. Each of them gave out an air of sophistication not only in the way they dressed but also in the way they talked. Only a handful of people were dressed in casual wear, including myself. Somehow, it felt like there was a barrier between the two groups of differently dressed people and it was kind of suffocating. It made me felt anxious. Starbucks seemed to have built a frightening gap between two different groups of people. Nevertheless, this was only my personal opinion.

As my eyes continued to wander around, I noticed a girl about my age sitting on a couch. She was tapping her fingers on her knees along with the beat of the music. She had her dark brown hair in a loose ponytail and wore a small light-blue tank top over a white t-shirt and brown pants. She laughed as another girl talked to her. I was about to look away when she noticed that I was looking at her. Our eyes caught each other for a brief moment before I turned away. A few minutes later, I saw her wave goodbye to her friend at the door before making her way to my table.

“Hey.” She greeted and I looked up to meet her eyes.
It was then I finally realized who she was. She was Hanezawa Kana, a friend of a close friend back in high school. I guess she looked a little different from what I remembered five years ago and that was why I didn't recognize her initially. She had grown her hair and ditched her glasses. To put it simply, she looked more beautiful. The last time I saw her was during our common friend's party after high school graduation.

I offered her the seat in front of mine.

“Thanks.”
She smiled and tapped both hands on the table as if signalling that she was about to say something. I guess she liked tapping.
“So, I bet you don't remember me, right?”
I shook my head to indicate that I do remember her. She smiled again.
“And correct me if I'm wrong. You’re Motoharu, right?”
I nodded, suppressing a grin. She remembered me.
“Uh, Motoharu… Jin?”
“Actually, it's Jun.”
“S-Sorry. I can only recall surnames of people I knew back then.” Hanezawa apologized and then smiled sheepishly.
“I should have stopped with Motoharu.”
“It's okay.” I said, shrugging the topic off. I often don't remember the names of people too, so that makes it even.
“So Hanezawa, you need to talk about something?”

From the expressions on her face, it seemed that she was a bit surprised by my question. I guess no matter how you look at it, I was too straightforward. She was the one who approached me so I assumed she wanted to talk. I didn't know how to put it in a nicer way but that was how I felt.

Memories and Chances Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6