Hidemi's Rambling No.356

My once archrival at the private abacus school, Junko, was from outside the old families that dominated the neighborhood. Although we started the school at the same time and practiced an abacus sitting on the floor side by side sharing one long low wooden desk twice a week, I had never talked with her. I ignored her because I was a detestable brat from one of the ruling old families and looked down on her. Also that the neighbors always talked about how pretty she was contributed to my hostility toward her, since I was ugly. One evening at the abacus school, I had a nosebleed during a timed session preparing for a certificate examination. As an exam simulation, the timed sessions were serious battles with time, and of course, with other students. I couldn’t afford the time to treat my nosebleed but it was impossible to continue the session. I had to withdraw the session and was in trouble finding neither tissues nor a handkerchief in my bag. While I was in the mess, I felt sure that Junko must have been so happy to see me like this and to beat me on this session. But suddenly, I heard her abacus reset abruptly next to me. She put her abacus aside and began to rummage through her bag. She gave up a sure win on the session by withdrawing for me, and handed me tissues gently. I couldn’t believe how she could be this kind to someone constantly evil. Shortly after that, I began to talk to her and we became best friends. In her notebook, I often found a date written in the margin, which she said was the day I first spoke to her. She had cherished the day as one of her happiest moments. At elementary school, she would rush to me as soon as she saw me arrive at the school and help me carry my bag. We were so close. But because I went on to a private junior high school while she did to a public one, and I quit the abacus school, we drifted apart. Then I heard her family had moved out. I don’t know where she went and haven’t heard anything of her...