Irreversible Process

8

"I am awfully sorry!"

Sakurada-san was a rather plump woman of about fifty. We met at a coffee shop. Looking at her business card, she seemed to be the head of Takaoka-san's department. Sakurada-san kept her head bowed across the table.

"Uh, ...... please raise your head. Can you explain what this is all about?" I said.

　Her story was like this.

　It was around September of this year that Takaoka-san approached her about the possibility that her fiancée was having an affair. She referred Takaoka-san to the same inquiry office she had used in her own divorce. The investigation clearly showed that her fiancée had an affair with other party, so Takaoka-san broke off the engagement and filed a claim for alimony against her (ex-)fiancé and the other party with whom he had been having an affair. The amount of compensation was apparently very small, though.

　Takaoka-san seemed depressed for a while, but recently she had regained her smile. At that time, Sakurada-san heard that the son of the president of a business partner's company was looking for a marriage partner. She knew the son well personally and thought it would be a good fit, so she told Takaoka-san that she should meet with the son. At first Takaoka-san did not seem very interested, but when Sakurada-san told her that she could refuse if she did not like the idea, she agreed.

　However.

　Since the day after the meeting with the son, Takaoka-san has been absent from work on sick leave. When Sakurada-san tried to ask her what had happened, Sakurada-san could not get a hold of her. When Sakurada-san spoke to the son, he was very depressed and said,

　"That girl had a boyfriend ......"

　That's the first I've heard of such a story, Sakurada-san thought, but actually Takaoka-san's "boyfriend" happened to appear when Takaoka-san and the son were together. The son, who liked Takaoka-san, was drunk and embraced her in front of her "boyfriend". The "boyfriend" then ran away, and when the son caught Takaoka-san trying to chase after the "boyfriend" and said "You should go out with me instead of that guy", the son was punched in the face by Takaoka-san.

.......

　I am sure that the "boyfriend" of Takaoka-san that Sakurada-san refers to is me. Her story is completely consistent with the facts I have seen. However, I can't help but feel that her story is too plausible.

"He was so mad at the moment she hit him that he stared at her and said, "What the hell are you doing?" He glared at Takaoka-san, but then she ...... started yelling and crying like a child. Then he woke up, or rather, he thought he had done something wrong. I'm sure he's not a bad person at heart. Actually, today he wanted to go with me to apologize you, but I stopped him because I thought it might upset you. Instead, I took his card just in case."

　Saying this, Sakurada-san handed me a business card. The picture of his face is exactly the man I saw at that time. He is an employee of a local company that I know too. The company name matches his last name.

"I went to Takaoka-san's house this time" Sakurada-san said," And found her very out of shape. She couldn't get any food down her throat. I asked her why she agreed to meet him even she liked Nagasaka-san so much. She said that she was caught up in the fact that he was the son of the president of a business partner company....... Yes, that's my fault. My explanation is not so good that Takaoka-san trapped into such a thought. But I think she was planning to turn him down. And you haven't even held hands with her yet, have you? If that's the case, I don't think you're in a position to proudly call her your girlfriend."

　I'm going to be depressed. Sakurada-san is right. I certainly didn't do anything that could be called Takaoka's boyfriend,....... So maybe I had no right to blame her.......

"But," Sakurada-san said, looking a little apologetic, "I knew she really likes you. She said, 'Considering Nagasaka-san's past, it must be quite natural for him to do that.' So, she thought she would take her time and nurture the relationship with you slowly. But...... due to my carelessness, the relationship between you and Takaoka-san has cracked...... I'm really, really sorry."

　Sakurada-san bowed her head again.

　......Wait. Surely she said that Takaoka-san knew my past.

"It's impossible." I pointed out,"I have never talked to Takaoka-san about my past love life. I didn't want to be reminded of it."

"......!" Sakurada-san's face lost a color.

"What do you mean?　How does she know about my past?" I pressed her, and she nodded her head as if she had given up.

"I'm sorry,...... she kept me from telling you...... but I can't help it. What I'm about to tell you may be hard to believe, but it's all true."

　After prefacing her story with these words, Sakurada-san began to speak.

"Your ex-girlfriend was Sachi Shimizu, right?"

　......!

　That's right. Why does she know that name ...... ?

"The person with whom Sachi Shimizu was having an affair had a fiancée." She continued to talk, "That fiancée was ...... Takaoka-san."

"!"

　I lost words.