The Pain of the Needle・針先の苦痛
A story in The Chronicle of Beauty.
「肩が痛いのですか」
母親を亡くしてから三か月程経ったある日、志磨のイオンスーパーで赤ワインボトルを選んでいた美紀のところに、突然小綺麗な女性が近寄ってきた。それも、「肩が痛いのですか」と尋ねるのだ。
堪え難い針先の苦痛を、一と月も二た月もこらえねばならなかった。大きなお世話だった。
美紀は返事もしなければ、この珍妙な一件のこともすぐにすっかり忘れてしまったが、その二週間後、馬出病院キャンパス近くのゆめタウンスーパーで再び赤ワインボトルを選んでいたところに、同じ小綺麗な女性がやってきた。やっぱり、「肩が痛いのですか」と尋ねるのだ。
猶更大きなお世話だ。
いったい何事だ、と当時毎日密かに涙していた浅田ちゃんは不審に思った。
その女性は看護師か医者かなにかで、本当に利他的に助けたいと思っていたのか。でなければ客引きか、それか単に美紀を誘惑しようとしていたのか。
三度目に声かけられたとき、淑女のアドバイスへの好奇心から美紀はついに肩の痛みを認めた。
ディドロ夫人は一言も発さずに、ただガールズバー「メランコ」の名刺を渡し、さよならと頷いた。
[Do You Have Pain in Your Shoulders?]
One day, about three months after her mother died, Miki was choosing a red wine bottle at Shima’s AEON Supermarket when a well-groomed woman suddenly approached her and asked, “Do you have pain in your shoulders?”
She had to endure the pain of the needle for a month or two. It was none of her business.
Miki didn’t reply and soon forgot completely about this episode, but two weeks later, at the YouMe Town Supermarket she was again choosing a red wine bottle when the same well-groomed woman suddenly came near and asked, “Do you have pain in your shoulders?”
It was even less of her business.
What’s up with this, wondered little miss Asada, who was at that time secretly sobbing every day.
Did the woman really want to help altruistically, being a nurse, or perhaps a doctor? Or was she instead trying to seek a customer, or just looking to seduce Miki?
When she was called out for the third time, Miki finally admitted to the pain in her shoulder, out of curiosity for the lady’s advice.
Without uttering a single a word, Madame Diderot just gave her a business card of the Melancho girls bar and nodded goodbye.
