2003-01 – オータム イン ニユーヨーク – Autumn in New York

Autumn in New York
Translation by mike_s_6

I thought I went into a refrigerator. I flew alone to New York in late autumn, coming from Hawaii where summer is everlasting.

The driver of the yellow New York taxi this time was a big black man. There were scraps of crackers at the foot of the passenger seat.

The wind was strong. The yellowed leaves desperately clung to the branches, but there were various things that fell from the top of a building that was under construction. Objects which looked like blue sponges and wires fell. The crane that stacked the raw materials was aimless, and was indefinitely wandering around. It looked dangerous.

The airplane was awfully unsteady during landing, and all the passengers complained about how unskilled the pilot was. But in such a strong wind, turbulence would be natural. It is hard to do for the pilot.

I have also visited this city many times this year. I boasted that I am an honor student in that my luggage has never been opened by the customs. But since the terrorist attack, even females traveling alone were not spared. When my passport was checked, I was asked, “What were you doing last year on September 11?” I was surprised. I promptly answered in broken English, “I watch TV”… I should have at least answered in past tense.

The driver carelessly threw my travel luggage into the trunk, and each time he would put on the brakes, I heard it tumble around. It was a drab sound.

I came here many times to work. But even now, when I ride the subway, I feel a hesitance that is different from fear. Even in Japan, I dislike trains and crowds. I think that there’s s a mistake in the life I live now, and in passing by someone with the same breath, I feel like I am returned to reality. I can not work in New York, not to mention, I can not proudly fire instructions to someone foreign to me.

Having thought of that, I knew that I have been overly blessed. My advantageous life is greedy, probably because I had an air of self-importance.

I thought about many things inside the yellow taxi.

At any rate, the taxi has completely stopped upon entering Manhattan. The traffic congestion was a bit strange. The street was closed about 5 to 6 blocks from the hotel. Man it’s hopeless, go down ‘n walk, he said like that, and I was thrown out with my suitcase at an unexpected place. In this case, should I give a tip? The road blockage was not his fault but…

Now, only a tourist who doesn’t know the reason for a road blockade stands and looks up at the sky. A salary man with a trench coat in strange quietness, passes through the wide carless road with an ordinary, quick pace. He has two cups of coffee on one hand.

I had to drag my suitcase to the hotel. Certainly embarrassing to watch.