大雪の日に自転車でひょっこり現れたのがきっかけで以来時々仕事の帰りに寄ってはいろいろ楽しい話を聞かせてくれる２０代半ばの若者、Oさんがいます。動物のフィギュアを集めたり無地のフィギュアに色付けをしたりするのが趣味とのことで、今日は「見せたいものがあります」と袋から取り出したもの。それは虫のフィギュアでした。本物かと思うほど細部までよくできた虫の名前はOさん曰く「ヤンバルテナガコガネ」と「カナブン」それに「プラチナコガネ」。本物の写真をスマホで見せながらOさんの解説は詳しいものでした。虫に関心をもったことがない私は解説を聞きながら、本物でないからこそフィギュアに触ったり顔を近づけて眺めたり楽しめました。関心がないばかりかゴキブリなどは世界で一番苦手な虫だと話すと今度はいろいろなゴキブリについてまたまた詳しい解説。
近くの工業団地で契約社員として働くOさんのシフト勤務は楽ではなさそうですが、いろいろな動物や虫がいるから多賀は好きデスと言ってます。「センゴク」という漫画本を持っていたので、それについて尋ねると日本史についても実によく知っています。若い人のこだわりと知識力はすごいものだと舌を巻きました。
Mr.O who is in his mid twenties, came to my cafe by bicycle on the heavy snow day last Dec. and since then he occasionally stopped by on the way back home and talked about many interesting topics. He likes to collect miniature animal figures or color figures naturally by observing them closely. Yesterday, he came to the cafe and said that he wanted to show something to me and he took out small plastic bags. They were insect figures. They looked real to me and according to him, they were Yanbaru long-armed scarab beetles, drone beetles, and plusiotis. Mr. O explained them to me by showing the real one on the screen of his smart phone. Since the figures were not real, I, who is usually not interested in those insects, enjoyed touching them and looking closely. Actually I hate cockroaches among all insects in the world and told him about it, then he started to explain about various kinds of cockroaches.
He is working at a pharmaceutical company in Taga as a temporary employee and it seems his shift work is not easy but he is saying that he likes to come to Taga town because he can find many interesting animals and insects in the area. I asked him about a comic book which he put on the table, then he talked about the people who were fighting in the age of provincial wars in Japan. I was amazed at his interest and knowledge which probably some younger generations have.
