Some times in life, you have to takedecisions that bleed you from the inside. I did so too. When my Mom fileddivorce against my dad, I was totally shattered. Nothing seemed to interest me.At that time I was 23 and was about to complete my bachelors in textile design.As soon as my results were announced, my mom and dad got separated. Eventopping in my class did not keep me from feeling like I was standing on theedge of a glass full of water, where at any time I could slip, or might drown orbe fractured.
That time I took a strange decision. I moved to Japan within four months ofgetting my degree. Also found a job as a textile designer did a small course ofJapanese language and got settled there. I didn’t know what I was doing, orelse it would have made me felt better.
I rented a flat in a city called Saga. It was a simple place with busy peopleand the most satisfactory part was no one ever asked me who I was, or what I did.I used to work with lower middle class people. I liked them for they were notso complicated. At times I wished to go back but then made myself to understandthat I had nothing left to go back to. When I told Mom and Dad I was moving toJapan, they never showed the slightest sign of opposition to my decision.
It was December, some new workers were hired. I never used to notice workersbecause my work was not directly related with theirs. But a spell of 1 week didmake me aware that someone was there to be noticed. She was around 27, fair,tall with very beautiful eyes. But there was something missing. She used towork all day long with very few breaks from her station. Her attitude wasalways calm. But every time I ‘d look at her beautiful eyes, checking thefabrics for minor defects, I swear, I could see flames dancing in her eyes,flames that would go dimmer each day. Seeing her for days and days, would makeme forget my own sorrows. It was clear to me that something was much more wrongwith her then me.
But it was not about me this time, it was about her. I went to her station afew times, but she didn’t noticed at all because she was too absorbed in herwork or at least she seemed to be. So one day, I went to her table and askedwhat her duty was and how she managed it. At first she didn’t answered andcontinued her work but when I repeated my question in a louder voice she liftedher eye lids and stared at me for a whole single minute. Then slowly shestarted to explain about the missing yarns, knots, design defects etc. I juststood there and watched her eyes and fingers floating over the fabrics. She wasa gift of God. I went to the records office that day. The boy there was quitefriendly. I casually inquired about the newly hired workers. One by one heopened their data files and started to explain. The only lady hired was her.Her name was Shen, the only thing I needed to know, because the more I would gointo details, the more it would become complicated.
