“I wonder what happened?” she said, not taking her eyes off Sedge. “Weren’t you a good husband to her?”
Sedge withered at her words. “I was very good to her. Better than she was to me, ultimately.”
She blinked once and turned away.
“I’d just like to know she’s all right. Safe and happy, wherever she is. Is it true she took your money?”
“I’d like to know she’s all right, too,” Sedge said, ignoring her question.
“Let’s not talk about her,” Takahashi said. Awkwardly he added, “Did I tell you that Sedge is teaching English to the staff at our ryokan? By all accounts, he’s done an excellent job so far.”
As his mother reached for her teacup, her hand started to shake and tea spilled onto the floor. Takahashi found a box of tissues, and without mentioning what had happened he mopped up the spilled tea. He changed the subject again, asking what she needed to do before visiting the care home.
Ten minutes later, after Sedge had washed their teacups and plates, and after Takahashi had made a phone call, they led Sedge’s mother-in-law to the car.
When they drove past the care home, Takahashi’s mother spoke in alarm. “Where are you going? Otōsan is back there.”
“I’m dropping Sedge off closer to the city. We’ll turn around at Higashi-chaya.”
Takahashi’s mother glanced to the back seat where Sedge was sitting, then turned to Takahashi. In a low voice that wasn’t low enough to keep Sedge from overhearing she said, “Why hasn’t he divorced her yet?”
“We’ve talked about this before, Mother. There’s no need to bring it up again now.”
“But I don’t understand. Must we still treat him as part of the family? Nozomi’s leaving means they’re finished, doesn’t it?”
Takahashi sighed. When his mother tried to speak again, he silenced her.
“I can walk from here,” Sedge said. They were a few blocks from Higashi-chaya.
When he stepped out of the car, he returned Takahashi’s parting nod and watched them drive away. A group of tourists bumped into him, and he started walking in the direction of Korinbō.
The side of the road below Kenrokuen was aflame with red azaleas. Above him a walking bridge crossed the road, and to his right Ishikawa Gate loomed, followed by tiers of long stone walls. They were fronted by cherry trees that, for the first time since moving to the city, he’d not bothered to see this spring. Tourists and students on bicycles drifted past as he gazed toward Kanazawa Castle.
After passing Imori Moat and Ishigaki Corridor, he crossed over to Fourth High School Memorial Park. The only thing between him and his old apartment was the Daiwa department store, and after cutting through it and making his way across Hyakumangoku Street, he saw that nothing had changed in the city block where he once lived.
The building custodian, one of two who always worked there, emerged from the lobby onto the sidewalk and began sweeping up leaves and dust. He didn’t recognize Sedge immediately, but when Sedge blocked his way he looked up and smiled with a brightness and warmth Sedge had rarely witnessed in him before.
“It’s been a long time,” the custodian said.
“It has been, yes. How are things here?”
“Not so different from when you and your wife were tenants. How are you both?”
Sedge had never told him about Nozomi’s disappearance. He was amazed the custodian hadn’t guessed what had happened. Perhaps he assumed she’d only gone away to work or had left to care for her parents. “We’re both fine.”
“Where did you move to?”
“Kaga,” Sedge said, which wasn’t a lie; Yamanaka Onsen was part of Kaga City.
“There are nice onsen around there.”
Sedge nodded and smiled back. “Since I’m in Kanazawa again, I thought I’d stop by to ask if my wife or I had received any mail or packages after we left.”
“Nothing has come for either of you.”
“Also, Nozomi thought she left a pair of earrings when we moved out. I suppose she hasn’t come back to inquire about them?”
“Not while I’ve been working.”
“I see. So you haven’t seen or heard from her?”
The custodian looked at Sedge without replying. Sedge knew it was an odd question, but the custodian would probably think the oddness came from Sedge’s foreignness, fluent though he was in Japanese. “Not once,” he finally said. “This is the first I’ve seen either of you since you left.”
Sedge removed an old business card he still kept in his wallet. Pointing to the mobile phone number there he said, “On the off-chance you need to get in touch with either of us, please call me.”
The custodian took Sedge’s card and inspected it. “Of course. Thank you.”
“You may have Nozomi’s number, but she often forgets to return people’s calls. Please contact me if there’s anything for either of us.”
The custodian nodded.
“I miss Kanazawa,” Sedge told him. “But my dream is to live here again one day. Please take good care of these apartments.”
An hour later, on the train to Kaga Onsen, Sedge wondered how long Nozomi’s parents would remain his in-laws. Had she finally begun divorce proceedings? Was she expecting him to? Or did she think she could come back to him whenever she wanted, and their marriage would be unchanged? No one he knew was in contact with her or could tell him where she was. That she hadn’t notified him of her intention to divorce him felt like a secret promise that she would come back one day.
As the train left the station and eventually met farmland, Nozomi faded in his mind the way Kanazawa faded into the increasingly rural landscape. And in her place, Mariko appeared. They were to have their first English class tonight, but the trip had drained him, and all he wanted to do was return to the ryokan. She had given him her phone number if for any reason he needed to cancel. He took out his phone and sent a message asking to reschedule their class for next weekend.
