There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job

by Kikuko Tsumura

‘We think it’s important that people enjoy themselves when they’re eating crackers.’ ‘Well, yes, of course.’

I smiled at him. I’d never done a job with a sales-like element to it before, but there was something I found enjoyable about behaving this shamelessly.

Nobody’s life was untouched by loneliness; it was just a question of whether or not you were able to accept that loneliness for what it was. Put another way, everyone was lonely, and it was up to them whether they chose to bury that loneliness through relationships with other people, and if so, of what sort of intensity and depth.

‘Of course! Whenever you want to talk, we’ll be here,’ he said, his eyes glinting. The way he said it reminded me of a shop person saying, ‘Have a nice day, please come again!’ and I felt glad I hadn’t shared my worries with him.

Feeling a sense of futility I probably didn’t need to feel, I squeezed together my hands in my lap.

Now, it struck me that this feeling wasn’t specific to the profession that Mr Sugai and I shared. Whoever you were, there was a chance that you would end up wanting to run away from a job you had once believed in, that you would stray from the path you were on.