A Life Where No One Says 'I'll Help You'

It's summer vacation, isn't it?

Walking through town, I see children heading to cram school.

Carrying large backpacks, they are walking diligently in the heat.

Even though it's summer vacation, they are studying rather than playing.

I wonder if they are thinking about their future.

Of course, I don't think studying is everything.

But by studying, your future options can sometimes increase.

Besides, this heat...

It's dangerous to play outside, and it might be more reassuring for parents if they go to a cool, safe cram school rather than staying home all day.

While watching those children,

something suddenly came to mind.

It has nothing to do with studying, though.

A scene on the Shinkansen.

Back when I used to fly all over the country for work,

I traveled by Shinkansen a lot, and during Obon and New Year's, it was incredibly hard to get a reserved seat.

Since it was a business trip,

I couldn't just say,

'It's crowded, so I'll go another time.'

When I absolutely couldn't get a seat, I would occasionally use the Green Car.

It's fine to be a little luxurious, isn't it?

You'd think so, right?

However, for me,

I didn't really like green cars.

The reason is,

the footrest.

Normally, you'd think,
'Isn't it better to have one?'

but in my case,

that thing was in my way.

Because,

I want to put my suitcase in front of me.

My luggage varied depending on the work, but when it came to business trips, it was usually a suitcase.
And in the old days, it was unthinkable by today's standards,

but it was,

paper, paper, paper.

Training materials,
textbooks,
documents.

Well, they were heavy.

Even things that could be sent as data now and handled with just a tablet,

everything,

was paper.

It has become a convenient era.

I wonder if someone will appear dashingly

In standard class,
I used to place my suitcase between the seat in front and my own

However, in the Green Car,
there is a footrest

I can't put it there

Since I have no choice

I lift it to the overhead rack

On my own

Heave-ho

……It's heavy

One more time

Heave-ho

Arms, trembling

Shoulder, snap

Neck, snap

Even my back feels a bit suspicious

At times like that,

if it were a drama,

"Let me help you"

saying something like that,

a dashing man would appear in a flash,

They should just pick up the luggage for me

……or so I thought

but no one comes😆

It's impressively

that no one comes

Everyone around me,

do they think I'm fine on my own?

Or,

do they just not see me?

No,

probably,

I just look like I don't need any help

I've never looked fragile, not since I was young

For example,

if a short woman were trying to lift a large piece of luggage onto a shelf,

I would offer to help too

If it were an elderly person,

I would do so even more

In fact, in those situations, hands naturally reach out from those around them, but in my case

I'm reasonably tall.

My build, too,
is not exactly what you'd call delicate.

Above all,

I look like someone who can do everything on my own.

Well,

I do do things, though.

I've actually done them all along.

But,

even I,

would like to be asked once in a while,

'Are you okay?'

'Shall I carry that for you?'

things like that.

However, ever since I was young,

I haven't been asked that very often.

The impression that 'this person will be fine' just forms.

This isn't just about the Shinkansen.

For a long, long time,

I have,

Not falling into the category of people others want to protect

Not looking pitiful

Not looking frail

Not looking like I'm in trouble

If anything,

People think,

"She'll manage somehow"

And the trouble is,

I really do manage somehow

So again,

"See, it was fine"

is what happens

And just like that,

a woman who does things on her own is complete

It's kind of like a training game

Every time the level goes up,

"I can do it alone"

is the only ability that increases

But you know,

even for people who can do things alone,

Sometimes it would be nice to have someone lend a hand

Just a little,

there are times when I want to experience someone's kindness

You can't tell by looking

While watching children heading to cram school during summer vacation,

suddenly,

I wondered,

"What kind of adults will these children become?"

People who are good at their jobs

People who are reliable

People who can do everything themselves

The more someone looks like that,

surprisingly,

"Someone, help me out a little"

they might actually be thinking that

You can't tell by looking,
what that person might be struggling with

That's why,

I try to reach out to people who look perfectly fine from time to time

By the way, if it were me now,

If I were on the Shinkansen in the past and
saw someone struggling to lift a heavy suitcase with their arms shaking,

I would probably ask them

“Would you like some help?”

and

then the past me

would probably answer like this

“I'm fine!”

……

So that's why I don't get helped

That might be the cause, right?

Now I understand that by being grateful and asking for help,

the world changes and becomes a little wider.

Can you all properly say 'help me' or 'give me a hand'?

It's about time I updated my self-introduction.