Goodbyes become the beginning of hope.

I was reading M-chan's note in the middle of the night.

I loved reading about her

daily life, which seems so happy lately.

M-chan is now living in a unit

of "the two of them."

They live while caring for each other so much

that it makes me realize how happy

"the two of them" can be.

When she seems like she might take a long time

with her morning makeup and preparations, her partner

makes breakfast or cleans up for her.

A happy scene was depicted.

I also like the morning scenes.

Like how she wants to touch his sleeping face

because it's cute, but holds herself back.

She loves her new town, and thinks the local bakery

is cute.

She thinks the streetlights are cute.

She thinks the house on the corner is cute.

She's like a cute ambassador, I thought.

It's cute enough that one might say so about them

It somehow suits them.

As I read about the two of them

I am reminded of the movie 'Paterson'.

I see them overlapping a little.

He who writes poetry and she who supports him.

And the way they live while caring for

each other.

Paterson, New Jersey.

Paterson, who shares the same name as the city,

is a city bus driver.

The week he spends living with his girlfriend Laura

and their bulldog Marvin

was depicted.

The week in the lives of the two lovers,

which spanned only one week, was filled with a very rich passage of time.

The protagonist, Paterson, is a poet.

Living through poetry,

living a life of poetry.

I cannot put it into words well, but with M-chan

when I look at her life with him.

The moments that visit their daily life

they live by cherishing them with all their might

that is how I feel.

That is a place I could never reach,

a longing, and perhaps something that is even a dream.

And at the end of that note I was reading yesterday,

when I let my guard down,

it was also written

that the post was the last one.

I see.

I thought it was just like M-chan.

Like saying a conjunction,

she says goodbye.

I felt a little lonely.

No, I felt quite lonely.

I have too many memories with her.

Among the people I think are important on note

I feel that way.

Even when we were about to have a falling out

she would step in between us

saying that perhaps we were both

misunderstanding something.

She helped us build our conversation

by going back and forth many times.

Even though I am much older, she is the one

who is always taking care of me.

She says she hasn't returned the kindness

she has received from so many people.

But I think that is actually true for me.

And above all, the one thing we have in common is

that we share the same birthday.

When I think about it, that is amazing, and it is something

that will never change for the rest of our lives.

It will never change that M-chan and I

will always share the same birthday.

I will become an old woman

before she does, though.

But that, in itself, is the same as M-chan

For some reason, I feel happy when I think of it as your birthday.

On February 1st, long, long after,

I am truly glad that M-chan was born into this world.

I am glad we met on note.

I can picture M-chan continuing to live happily

as a unit of "two" from here on out,

while also cherishing the family

that raised you.

I can see you doing that.

Lastly, I would like to introduce here

the final poem that appears in "Paterson".

No matter where M-chan is,

no matter where you are working,

no matter if you want to stop somewhere,

no matter if you are laughing somewhere,

I will always be rooting for you,

M-chan.

I have a feeling that this isn't

a goodbye.

I wonder what I should say.

This feeling.

🍑📗Postscript📘🍑

That's what I was writing late last night.

Then, a comment arrived from M-chan.

I am currently working on a picture book with her.

Because I want to finish writing this picture book,

I will even go to an art class to complete it,

was the message she sent.

I love M-chan's soft use of color and

the way she draws outlines while letting the colors bleed,

and so much more.

I also really love her earnest nature,

the way she wants to keep working hard to finish drawing it.

I truly love that about her.

I am waiting for the day when her drawings arrive.

M-chan's drawings for the rest of this story

have become my hope for the future.

Thank you, I'm not lonely anymore!

Let even the words of a farewell poem blend into the wind
I offer these words of a new beginning to the two of us