The 128th Episode : Friend in my university days
[May, 1998 Buenos Aires, Argentina]
I had a reason why I arrived in Buenos Aires on Saturday. Because there was one of my friends who lived in the same dormitory of the university. He, worked for a world famous big company, moved to Buenos Aires as a resident officer in January of the year. I was a person in charge of Europe in the beginning of the year, but changed to the latin America in April, and planed to have a business trip in May. I wanted to meet him, who studied at the same university, in the foreign country. I arranged my schedule in order to meet on Sunday.
He came to my staying hotel in the Sunday morning with a smile saying “bienvenido (welcome)”. He asked me if I cleared the customs without problems and I talked what happened there. You got caught as I thought, he said. Japanese were made a sucker. You wouldn’t have paid even a penny, right? He knew about myself very well.
His office was close to this hotel and he drove the street in front of this hotel everyday. We went to the city by his car. As mentioned the driving manner was bad there, so he was also very fearful to drive in the beginning though used to now.
We spent time in a flea market in a park and a cafeteria without going to famous sightseeing spots, and his wife served a dinner at their home. She and I had known well each other since our university days. Our conversation took a lively turn, saying we met such a far place from Japan. I met my old friend and his wife, and talked in Japanese. I felt as if I were in Japan.
