on the nearby Tokyo Tower, its steel skeleton outlined in lights. A large desk stood by the window, and beside the desk was a compact sofa and love seat. The old man pointed to the plastic laminate coffee table in front of the sofa. She arranged his meal on the table: white napkin and silverware, coffeepot and cup, wine and wineglass, bread and butter, and the plate of chicken and vegetables.
“If you would be kind enough to set the dishes in the hall as usual, sir, I’ll come to get them in an hour.”
Her words seemed to snap him out of an appreciative contemplation of his dinner. “Oh yes, of course. I’ll put them in the hall. On the cart. In an hour. If you wish.”
Yes, she replied inwardly, for the moment that is exactly what I wish. “Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?”
“No, I don’t think so,” he said after a moment’s consideration. He was wearing black shoes polished to a high sheen. They were small and chic. He’s a stylish dresser, she thought. And he stands very straight for his age.
“Well, then, sir, I’ll be getting back to work.”
“No, wait just a moment,” he said.
“Sir?”
“Do you think it might be possible for you to give me five minutes of your time, miss? I have something I’d like to say to you.”
He was so polite in his request that it made her blush. “I…think it should be all right,” she said. “I mean, if it really is just five minutes.” He was her employer, after all. He was paying her by the hour. It was not a question of her giving or his taking her time. And this old man did not look like a person who would do anything bad to her.
“By the way, how old are you?” the old man asked, standing by the table with arms folded and looking directly into her eyes.
“I’m twenty now,” she said.
“Twenty now,” he repeated, narrowing his eyes as if peering through some kind of crack. “Twenty now. As of when?”
“Well, I just turned twenty,” she said. After a moment’s hesitation, she added, “Today is my birthday, sir.”
“I see,” he said, rubbing his chin as if this explained a great deal for him. “Today, is it? Today is your twentieth birthday?”
She nodded.
“Your life in this world began exactly twenty years ago today.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, “that is true.”
“I see, I see,” he said. “That’s wonderful. Well, then, happy birthday.”
“Thank you very much,” she said, and then it dawned on her that this was the very first time all day that anyone had wished her a happy birthday. Of course, if her parents had called from Oita, she might find a message from them on her answering machine when she got home from work.
“Well, well, this is certainly a cause for celebration,” he said. “How about a little toast? We can drink this red wine.”
“Thank you, sir, but I couldn’t, I’m working now.”
“Oh, what’s the harm in a little sip? No one’s going to blame you if I say it’s all right. Just a token drink to celebrate.”
The old man slid the cork from the bottle and dribbled a little wine into his glass for her. Then he took an ordinary drinking glass from a glass-doored cabinet and poured some wine for himself.
“Happy birthday,” he said. “May you live a rich and fruitful life, and may there be nothing to cast dark shadows on it.”
They clinked glasses.
May there be nothing to cast dark shadows on it: she silently repeated his remark to herself. Why had he chosen such unusual words for her birthday toast?
“Your twentieth birthday comes only once in a lifetime, miss. It’s an irreplaceable day.”
“Yes, sir, I know,” she said, taking one cautious sip of wine.
“And here, on your special day, you have taken the trouble to deliver my dinner to me like a kindhearted fairy.”
“Just doing my job, sir.”
“But still,” the old man said with a few quick shakes of the head. “But still, lovely young miss.”
The old man sat down in the leather chair by his desk and motioned her to the sofa. She lowered herself gingerly onto the edge of the seat, with the wineglass still in her hand. Knees aligned, she tugged at her skirt, clearing her throat again. She saw raindrops tracing lines down the windowpane. The room was strangely quiet.
“Today just happens to be your twentieth birthday, and on top of that you have brought me this wonderful warm meal,”