فصل 04

Chapter four

City centre

The next Saturday Ikuko woke up early. She looked out of her window and saw the sun for almost the first time, shining on the trees in the garden next door. What a beautiful morning! ‘A whole day free,’ she thought. ‘I really should be a bit braver. I’ve not really seen anything of Birmingham yet.’ She decided to go and explore.

An hour later she was waiting for the bus. When it arrived she asked for a ticket to the town centre and sat down in an empty seat near the front. The doors closed, but there was the sound of running steps and the doors opened again to let one more person on. Ikuko saw a red jacket and recognised the deep voice speaking to the driver. ‘Thank you. City centre, please.’

He had almost walked past Ikuko when she suddenly heard herself say, ‘Bernard?’

He looked up, surprised. ‘Oh, Ikuko. I didn’t see you,’ he said as he sat down next to her. She could feel him very close in the narrow bus seat. They were quiet for a moment, then they both started talking at the same time.

‘Are you…’

‘I haven’t seen you…’

They laughed. ‘Go on,’ said Bernard.

‘I haven’t seen you… are you still staying in the hostel?’

‘Sure. But I get up earlier than most people. I’m usually the first person at breakfast.’

‘You’re not studying at the language centre, are you?’

‘No, I’m in the Department of Education. I’m doing a teaching diploma. So I’m over at the university most of the day - and I eat at the university in the evenings, too.’

‘Is your course difficult?’ she asked him.

‘Yes, there’s a lot of work. But I’m used to hard work. At home I’m a teacher already. But I got a scholarship from the government to pay to come here and do the diploma.’

She wondered what his life was like, back in Zambia. ‘Do you live in the capital?’ she asked.

‘No. I come from the north of Zambia, a small town called Mungwi. There’s just a school and a few shops. We don’t even have a hospital. No big buildings at all. Not like Birmingham.’ He smiled, the crooked smile she’d noticed before. ‘And what are you going to do in Birmingham this morning? Are you going shopping?’

‘No,’ Ikuko replied. ‘I just wanted to have a look at Birmingham.’

‘It’s a fine city. I like it,’ he said. ‘Lots of people complain about it. But it’s alive. It’s always growing, always changing.’

Around them now were tall buildings shining in the sun. Then the bus went down a narrow street and stopped.

‘This is where we get off.’ They followed the other passengers off the bus. Then Bernard turned to her. ‘If you want… I could show you a bit of Birmingham.’

‘Yes, please,’ said Ikuko. ‘I’d like that a lot.’

They walked together through the centre of Birmingham, in the middle of the Saturday crowds. Bernard showed her the little cathedral in its tiny green garden, the art gallery, and the new shops and restaurants built where the old factories had once stood. They talked about what they saw, about Birmingham and their own countries. Ikuko hardly noticed her tired feet or the cold wind.

Then Bernard looked at his watch. ‘It’s lunchtime. It’s after one o’clock. What do you want to do?’

‘Shall we go to a restaurant?’ she suggested. ‘Or we could go back to the hostel?’

‘I can’t face hostel food,’ said Bernard. ‘Let’s go to an Indian restaurant. I know a good one near here.’

The restaurant was small, but warm and friendly. The Indian waiter was pleased to see them. ‘Hi, Bernard. You all right, then? Where’s your camera?’

‘You’ve seen him before,’ said Bernard to Ikuko. ‘In one of the photos.’ He showed her how to eat the spicy meat with pieces of bread in her fingers. ‘This is how we eat at home; we don’t use knives and forks. The food tastes better like this. But in Zambia we mostly eat nshima instead of bread or potatoes. Oh, I miss nshima!’

‘Yes, I miss rice. They have rice in the hostel but it’s different from the rice in Japan. It’s hard,’ said Ikuko.

‘And in Japan you eat with those sticks, don’t you?’

‘Chopsticks? Yes, it’s easy. I’ll show you! But we don’t use them all the time - sometimes we eat the western way.’

‘Do you live with your family?’ he asked. It was the first personal question he’d asked her.

‘Yes.’ She wondered if she should tell him about Hiroshi. But it didn’t seem the right moment. Bernard was quiet for a moment, too. She wondered if he was thinking of his home. ‘How about you?’ she asked. ‘Do you live with your parents?’

‘No, my parents are very old. They live alone…’ He looked as if he was going to say something more but then was silent again.

Ikuko felt this was not something he wanted to talk about. She waited a minute then changed the subject. ‘How long have you been taking photos?’

‘Oh, a long time. It’s always been my hobby. But I’m starting a photography business of my own,’ he said.

‘As well as teaching?’ Ikuko asked.

‘Yes. It’ll be hard work, but I can do it. People always want photographs. They need them for their passports and other papers, and they want them for special times too - weddings and other ceremonies. There’s no photographer in Mungwi, so if I can develop my own pictures it will mean I can earn more money. How about you, Ikuko? Do you have a job in Japan?’

‘No, not anymore,’ she answered. ‘I left my job.’

‘So what will you do when you go back to Japan?’

Ikuko looked at the ring on her finger. ‘I don’t know exactly,’ she said. ‘There’s someone…’

‘I see,’ said Bernard. ‘I understand.’

22 January 2000

Today I spent the morning in Birmingham with Bernard. He showed me so many things. And tonight he’s invited me to meet his friends. We’re going to listen to Zambian music and eat Zambian food. I hope we can be good friends. He’s different from anyone else I’ve met here. Different from anyone I’ve ever met.