Driving around Japan you’ll often see adorable signs, some featuring popular characters, which are basically the equivalent of a “Children at Play” sign. Big difference is a lot of them seem to be home made instead of professionally. Last week I watched a drama which makes these signs now bring a bit of a tear to my eye.
I’m going to drag on a bit detailing the story of the drama, but trust me, it’s fairly important to my own events.
The story started with something different, but eventually went on to the murder of an ex-pro-cyclist. The reason this ex-living man was an ex-pro-cyclist was due to an accident two years prior where while training a child walked out in front of his bicycle and was killed as a result. Upon the murder of this man, the two, now divorced, parents of the child were the prime suspects. The wife had divorced her husband due to her believing there was no point in continuing the marriage now that they were strangers again due to the loss of their son. When the mother is questioned, she claims to have been alone at home during the time of the murder. Upon inspection of the house it is discovered that the mother has carried on as if her son never died, buying and washing clothes for him as well as a backpack as he would have became an elementary student soon. At first her ex-husband claims to have spent the night of the murder fishing alone, but later admits to the crime. Under investigation, though, the main character deduces that the wife is really the murderer1. Anyway, I’m going on and on but the part that really got me is that while the wife was admitting that she did do it she went off about her husband not caring about there now deceased son. Well, it turns out the husband was fishing the night of the murder, because that was the night of the entrance ceremony for elementary school students and he promised his son they would go fishing when he started school. Yeah. He even had a little chair and fishing rod propped up. Totally got my waterworks going.
Anyway, the reason this was even more poignant to me was that that morning driving to work, a ball suddenly rolled out into the street. Behind it waddled a child who couldn’t have been any more than two years old. Time seemed to freeze and I went for the breaks as fast as I could. Thankfully, before the child even made it to the street a man who I’d wager to be his grandfather stopped him. I was the only car on the road so the man ran out, grabbed the ball, gave me a quick thank you bow and ran back to his grandson.
Utterly terrifying.
The child was safe, but I was transporting a load of picture books my wife had put into the car a day or so prior. As you can imagine, they were no longer on the seats but rather the floor. So, I got a little exercise in the picking up of the books. Which, all things considered, really isn’t the worst possible outcome for my tale.
I can’t say when, but I know I’ll be having children in the coming years. Events like the one I had frighten me to no end. I like to consider myself a moderately safe driver, but even then, that doesn’t mean everything. All I can really do is do my, and hope for the, best.
- Dead man had unexplained injuries on his hand. Wife wore a ring that would have inflicted it during a struggle. And other minor details. [↩]
