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  3 - Away from her

  For about a month I concentrated and spent all day long every day except when to eat and sleep translating from English into Japanese some 180 pages filled with IT related technical jargon on `Maritime Navigation and Communication`. I'm no IT man and not strong at all in this sphere. 

  20 days or so into the work I felt something going wrong with me and, one night, I woke up in the middle of the darkness and struggled out of futon bed in vain. I tried to stand up and the next moment found myself upside down, damaging my right shoulder heavily. But I was lucky enough to have my head intact on the shoulder!

  Long story short.

  How I felt happy you just don't know when I got paid for the work. The amount was roughly half a year's worth of what I got from the school I used to work for.

  I concealed the money from my wife. If I'd told her honestly that I earned such extra money, she would've asked me, and then, finally demanded it be spent for living expenses. I was sure of it and also sure that I'd have given in. I'm a henpecked husband, I admit.

  The money was a blessing from heaven to celebrate my 70th birthday with. I said to myself - I'll spend it in whatever way I like and - I was determined - I won't give a penny to my wife's name.

  When you become 古希, by the way, you start seriously thinking about the departure from this world. In other words, every day becomes the arrival of the very first day of the rest of your life. Oh, I think I should live anew each day.

  How long more can I live?  I look around and immediately see in my mind three of my not so many friends who have recently passed away. One died from diabetes and the other two of cancer. In the past in Japan, incidentally, the number one killer was a stroke too much daily regular intake of salt was responsible for.

  Now, Mahatma Gandhi is great in saying, "Live as if you're to die tomorrow."  Great poeple must've all realized it early in life and lived with their mortality sense at all times. As for me, it is 古希 that made me truly realize this fact. I'm mortal, amn't I.

  Before I kick the bucket, I have to fullfil at least a few of my dreams that've been denied me. I was always busy engaging in various jobs since I turned 50, when I was made redundant, which was unthinkable in my father's days as lifetime employment was the order of the day. Thus, I'd lived always occupied with managing the household under my demanding wife.