木曜から金曜にかけて福岡に行ってきました。西の方角に旅することが殆どない私は、大阪と福岡の土地柄と人柄の違いをそれぞれの空港で感じて物珍しさもあって楽しみました。
突然の無謀な訪問にも関わらず温かく迎えてくれた大学時代の友人。前回会ったのがいつか記憶が曖昧ですが、２０年ちかく前のような気がしています。卒業後まもなく結婚したKちゃん。開業医である御主人を支え、六人を出産、子育ても見事に終わり皆立派に社会人になり悠々自適の今日、４つもの楽器を習い、毎週末のご主人とのゴルフ、教会の仕事、近くに住む孫の世話と、１週間が隙間なく埋まってしまう日常。想像しただけでも忙しそうなKちゃんの毎日ですが、その誠実で一生懸命な人柄と気遣いの姿は学生時代と少しも変わっていませんでした。互いの近況を話し、笑い転げ、美味しい中華をご馳走になり帰途につきました。前日に出たのに何日も旅に出ていたような錯覚をするぐらいいつもとは違う楽しい経験でした。
I went to Fukuoka from Thursday to Friday of last week. I often travel to the east of Japan but not to the west, so it was interesting for me to see the difference in the local color and people's character between Ohsaka and Fukuoka although it was only in the airport.
It was a spontaneous decision for me to visit my college friend, K in Fukuoka, but she warmly welcomed me. I haven't seen her for nearly twenty years. K got married to a practicing doctor soon after we graduated from college. She has been supporting him and had six children and raised them. Now they have all grown up and left their home. She is having a peaceful life with her husband who has reduced his work as a doctor now. She is now taking four music lessons which are piano, guitar, recorder and ocarina and every Sunday, she is playing golf with her husband and two others. She also takes care of her grandchildren every Wednesday who are living near her house with her daughter. I can easily imagine how busy she is. Her lifestyle has changed very much from the day when we were college students but she hasn't changed her personality, which is a sincere, hard working person and very warm. We talked and laughed a lot. She took me to a very nice Chinese restaurant for dinner. It was a really good time.
Early afternoon, she sent me off at the nearest station and I made my way home. I appreciated what she did for me. I left my home only a day, but I felt as if I was away for several days. I enjoyed this short trip very much.
