I suddenly remembered the time I got sick when I was a child

It's no use saying it, but it's really hot
It's just too hot

I'm not good with air conditioning, so I try to find a cool place in the house and spend my time there

Since that place changes depending on the time of day, when I feel like it's hot, I take my book and a cushion to use as a pillow and promptly move to the next spot

When my mother-in-law was still alive, she used to take naps all over the place

Sometimes in the hallway, sometimes by the floor-to-ceiling window in the Japanese-style room

Even in the hallway, sometimes right in the middle, sometimes off to the side

I could only ever think of it as a nuisance
If she had just slept in the same place every time, I could have thought of ways to avoid her
But with her taking naps in so many different places
there was just nothing I could do

I had no choice but to stomp right past my sleeping mother-in-law without hesitation

I can understand now that she must have been moving around in search of the cool spot at that particular time

It was a bit of practical wisdom for daily life
And what's more, it was eco-friendly practical wisdom

Back then, I was fine with having the air conditioning blasting
I wasn't being eco-friendly at all

And I didn't understand my mother-in-law at all either

Even so, today is just no good

No matter where I move in the house, I can't breathe

The air is too hot, and oxygen isn't getting into my lungs.

Even so, I've been moving non-stop since this morning—washing curtains, taking apart a hose reel to put out as bulky trash, and boiling, cutting, and freezing crops from the garden.

Maybe it's the fatigue catching up with me, or maybe the temperature is just too high—I don't know, but either way, this is not good.

Just then, the sound of an ambulance gradually drew closer.
And then, suddenly, the sound vanished.

I thought, 'This is close!' but in the blink of an eye, it was already moving away again, siren wailing.

They must have been in a situation where they needed to transport someone immediately.
Could it be heatstroke?
After all, there are many elderly people in my neighborhood.

Wait a minute, I'm an elderly person over sixty myself, aren't I?
I have just as much of a chance of getting heatstroke inside my own house.

This is bad.
This is what they call a dangerous situation.

Finally, I had no choice but to turn on the air conditioner.

Since I'm hanging up the curtains I just washed, I've kept them fully closed so they don't get wrinkled.

Because they are thick, light-blocking curtains, I can barely hear any sounds from outside.
So light-blocking also has a sound-insulating effect.

It feels like I'm all alone in a cool highland somewhere.

It's so quiet.

Suddenly, I remembered the time I was left home alone as a child.

When I had a fever or was in a situation where I had to stay home from school

Both my parents would go to work, my siblings would head off to school or daycare, and I would be home alone

It was quiet

Since there were four of us siblings, the house was always lively, no matter what

There was never a moment of silence. Whenever someone was awake, the TV was always on

Lying in my futon with my body feeling a bit weary, that unusual silence felt very comfortable

Although I felt a little lonely, it was somehow incredibly soothing

Then, at 12 o'clock noon, I would hear a voice say, 'Hello! It's Ecchan!' and the sliding door at the entrance would rattle open

Back then, we didn't even lock our doors

The owner of the voice was the lady from the nearby diner, 'Ecchan'

She had brought me kitsune udon

It was rare, but whenever I had to stay home alone because I was sick, my mother would always order delivery from 'Ecchan' for me

For my frugal mother, this was a big treat, but I'm sure she had also asked the lady from 'Ecchan' to check on how I was doing while she was at it

The kitsune udon, carefully taken out of the delivery box, was wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, with a pair of disposable chopsticks and a small packet of shichimi spice placed on top

Saying, 'It's hot, so be careful,' the lady from 'Ecchan' would place the udon on the step at the entrance

In our house, where we almost never ate out, getting food delivered was an incredibly luxurious thing

And it was just me

My body felt awful, and I didn't have much of an appetite, but the aroma of the udon broth made me incredibly happy

The moment I carefully carried the udon to the table and peeled back the plastic wrap was irresistible

At home, we never wrapped things so tightly, so I could feel the professional touch in that

Even though I had my own chopsticks, this definitely called for disposable ones

And the shichimi spice, no matter how spicy it was, I had to use it

After all, this was my shichimi

I took my time, blowing on the noodles before eating them

Maybe I still had a fever, but I couldn't really taste the flavor

Still, I felt incredibly happy

If possible, I'd like to stay home tomorrow too

The fever would probably go down by evening, for sure

It must be the kitsune udon effect, for sure

Wait?
Are those delivery boxes not around anymore?

Nowadays, people use Uber Eats and carry those big square bags on their backs, don't they

I recall a classmate who worked part-time at a sushi restaurant during college used to carry a delivery box, though.