HIME

A short story by Bill Marshall

ﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊ Once upon a time in a land far away there lived an old man who fell in love with a young girl. The story of my friend, the old man, is still unfolding. When Hime came into his life he had recently lost a good old friend and companion. He was sad and lost. He missed his friend. His mind wondered and it was difficult to concentrate on daily things. Companionship is so important to him that his spirit and soul cried out for it. When the old man first met Hime he was in his early fifties and suffering through the indecision's of middle age. He had been a teacher for most of his adult life and teaching was more than an occupation it was an avocation. My friend loved to teach it consumed his life.

ﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊ He enjoyed traveling and experiencing other cultures. He traveled, lived and taught in the Orient, Europe, and Middle East. His favorite was the orient. Regardless of where he was he would read, study, and think about oriental cultures, traditions, and history. The old man was especially enthralled with Japan. His many Japanese friends' children were his students. All his favorite students were young adults. The old man was never comfortable around babies and adolescent students.

ﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊ Two Japanese students, Sachiyo and Chizuru brought Hime Sue into his life. Hime was very young just an infant. At first my friend was reluctant to associate with one so young. He was awkward because he didn't know what to do. Things soon began to change, hard as my friend tried to push Hime away, the harder it was to ignore her. She came from a family with a very long and famous lineage. She would not be ignored. She would be right back forcing her attentions on him and would not be ignored. She loved him from the first she put her eyes on him. He was her teacher and she came to idolize her teacher. As she learned to understand this foreigner better, she hung on his every word. But sometimes she would be a bad student and not pay attention to him. She did what she wanted to do. She would be mischievously playful. When she wanted to play the lessons ended and play it was. He would often comment how "she doesn't understand me" or "she won't listen to me." My friend often complained about that messy young thing. "She never obeys me" he said, "She is impossible to teach."

ﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊ As Hime matured she was constantly with the old man. She would be sullen if he had to leave for any reason and when he was gone she would pace the floor and look out the window searching for her teacher. I don't know when they fell in love with each other but it was at different times in their relationship. She was still quite young, just an undeveloped and immature juvenile. Maybe even from the first moment they met she loved him, who really knows? Several years went by before my friend figured it out but she was well into adolescence and he was well into his late fifties. They both enjoyed each other's company immensely. They were virtually inseparable. They were the talk of the community. The old man was always the teacher but now his attitude and tone of voice had changed, he became gentle and more patient and he spoke in a soft and kind voice. ﾊHe still treated Hime like she was royalty.

ﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊ I have not seen the old man in several years now but we write occasionally. On very rare occasions we talk on the telephone, usually on a special occasions like a birthday or anniversary. Hime and the old man are still together and their love and loyalty are still apparent to even the most casual observer. I finally ask about her Japanese name and was told that in English it means Princess. Hime Sue is getting very old now and the old man said the little sheltie would someday be buried with his first good old friend and companion, Autumn Blaze, his first collie.

(Jan. 27, 2004)

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