A Quiet Place Read Free

complete shock.”
    â€œIt must have been. Like a bad dream, I suppose. When I tell everyone I reckon they’ll all be pretty shocked too.”
    â€œI didn’t think it appropriate for me to announce it during dinner, but could you find the right moment and let everyone know?”
    â€œOf course I will, don’t you worry. But Mr Asai, there was no need to hold back. We’ve all known you for years! You should feel at home here.”
    â€œI’m sorry – I do have one more request. After I leave, the director general will be travelling by himself. I don’t suppose you could suggest someone to look after him? It’s too late to get anyone from the ministry, but tomorrow morning could you give the Hiroshima office a call and get the director of General Affairs to meet him at the station and stay with him for the rest of the trip?”
    â€œGot it. But you really shouldn’t be worrying about work at a time like this.”
    There was pity in Yagishita’s voice.
    â€œNo, no. It’s fine. It’s my job, after all. I have to hand over the reins in a responsible manner. I can’t be seen to get distracted by personal matters.”
    â€œBut your wife has passed away. It’s completely different.”
    â€œI suppose so. But I still have to make a distinction between personal and professional matters. After I leave, the director general is going to be all alone, and that’s not going to make him look good at all.”
    â€œYeah, well, I suppose you’re right, but —”
    â€œAnyway, could you do that for me?”
    â€œSure. No problem. Have a safe trip home!”
    Asai stopped walking for a moment and leaned to whisper in Yagishita’s ear.
    â€œWhat do you think about the girl sitting across from Mr Shiraishi? Do you think anything’s going to come of that?”
    Yagishita looked stunned. Apparently, when it came to his bosses, nothing escaped Asai’s attention.
    â€œMr Asai. You’re not worrying yourself about that sort of thing at a time like this, are you?”
    It wasn’t until much later that Asai finally began to recover from the shock. Rattled around by the movement of the overnight train, he lay awake and began to think. Where had Eiko been when she’d had the heart attack? He’d forgotten to ask.

2
    Following Eiko’s funeral, Asai observed the seventh-day Buddhist memorial service, but once that was over the house felt empty. It’d be a long time before everyone would get together again. There’d be the next memorial on the first anniversary of her death, but Asai wasn’t sure how many of Eiko’s relatives were likely to turn up. He and Eiko had no children, so it felt as if the family line had ended with her death.
    Asai and Eiko’s marriage had lasted seven years. They’d married a year after Asai’s first wife had passed away. He’d been thirty-five, and she eight years his junior. At twenty-seven, it was Eiko’s first marriage. The matchmaker told him that she’d been very picky early on about who she’d accept a marriage proposal from, and that gradually her chances of finding someone had faded. When they first came face to face, Asai had guessed that was true. She wasn’t all that great-looking, but he was attracted by her cheerful smile.
    Asai had expressed a strong interest in Eiko, perhaps because his first wife had been rather plain-looking. However, the matchmaker didn’t bring him an immediate acceptance of his proposal. Eiko had hesitated. He hadn’t been sure if it was something to do with herage – twenty-seven was late for a first marriage – or if it had been a problem for her that it was his second. Asai also knew he wasn’t exactly a great looker himself; he’d never been popular with the ladies. The only thing really going for him was the stability of his job as a civil servant, but even that didn’t pay