All the Lovers in the Night

by Mieko Kawakami

As I walked home with my mind wandering, I thought about the books that I had looked through in the bookstore. It occurred to me that they were full of things that people wanted to say to other people, or things people wanted somebody to say to them. Should you choose romance or work? Was it possible to have both? Should you choose to live your life alone, or should you choose to share your life with someone else? Should you have kids or not? What were the pros and cons? What did each choice force you to give up? What did you stand to gain?

“Does that mean that the longer we live, the more it feels like time speeds up?” I asked. “I suppose so. That’s the idea, at least.”

I was so scared of being hurt that I’d done nothing. I was so scared of failing, of being hurt, that I chose nothing. I did nothing.