A 40-Year-Old First Love Connected Only by New Year's Cards - Chapter 2 (of 3)

The relationship between Satoru and Risa that followed was so faint that one might wonder if it could truly be called a "relationship" at all.

It could be described as a high school-style courtship.

He would call her parents' home from a public phone on the weekends, and her mother would answer.

Then, as if she had truly emerged from a box, his sheltered girl would come to the phone.

It was always that same repetition.

Their dates were ordinary, meeting up on holidays at the station nearest to his university,

going to teddy bear exhibitions,

or going to plays and concerts,

they were quite commonplace.

Having never dated anyone before, he gradually ran out of ideas,

and before long, both of them were caught up in the daily grind of writing their graduation theses.

As Satoru focused on his studies, his calls to Risa went from weekly to every two weeks, and eventually, to once a month.

When there hadn't been a call from Satoru for a month, Risa would call him instead.

Before they knew it, they had drifted apart, and those dreamlike days gradually became a memory of the past.

In the end, Risa started working at a company, and Satoru went on to graduate school.
Different paths stretched out before them both.
Later, Risa married at the age of 27.

Satoru also met someone else about five years after Risa and got married.
Children were born to each of them, they built families, were busy with work, and time flowed on.

Sometimes, Satoru wonders.
What was she thinking at that time?
Could what we had really be called dating?

In the end, he never confessed his love to her.

Satoru lacked confidence in himself.

Without ever having the chance to confirm each other's feelings,
the seasons turned, and the two of them were chased by graduation theses and job hunting.

At the end of the summer of their senior year in college, when communication with Risa had begun to fade,
Satoru sent one letter to Risa.

So many things we have talked about until now
somehow feel like memories from a distant day.
I'm sorry. Thank you.

After that, a postcard arrived from her to him.
It was a postcard with a delicate painting of Western grapes on it.

It only said, 'Thank you for everything until now.'

A painting of grapes. Fruit where each individual berry is carefully nurtured.
To Satoru, each of those berries seemed like the memories of the fleeting time they spent together, etched into the memories of just the two of them that would continue to live on in his heart.
It never bore fruit. But it hadn't completely withered either. It also looked like a faint hope continuing into the future.

She married someone else, became a mother, and lived her days while holding down a job.

He also married and built a family. His work also became busier with each passing year.

Cherry blossoms bloomed, the season of the sun ended, and after the harvest season passed, winter came again.

For both of them, children were born, and then those children began attending school, and finally, they reached their coming-of-age ceremonies.

One year, then another, passed in the blink of an eye.

Ten years passed.

Another twenty years passed.

Finally, thirty years passed,

and then, forty years passed.

~ New Year's Cards ~

The new year of 2026 was about to begin again.

Satoru, with more gray hair, had turned 60.

When he opened the mailbox on New Year's Day,
fewer New Year's cards than before had arrived.

The obligatory New Year's cards from work were gone,
and old teachers, seniors, and friends had either passed away or grown distant.
The New Year's greetings arriving had also dwindled.

Due to moving, job transfers, rebuilding houses,
and also each time there was a period of mourning, the New Year's cards with former acquaintances gradually ceased.

However,

For 40 years, there was always one New Year's card that arrived without fail.

It was a New Year's card from Risa, filled with her characteristically very polite, handwritten text.

Satoru also had a New Year's card he wanted to write more than any other every year.
That was his New Year's card to Risa.

The sender on each other's New Year's cards was listed as a joint family name.
I believe that was out of consideration for each other's families.

A trivial update on our lives once a year.
This year, it was a photo of a family trip.
And it was written, 'I wish you continued success.'

It was a small interaction between the two of us that we never spoke of to friends or anyone else.

Satoru felt his slightly weary heart encouraged by those words, and he gently tucked away Risa's New Year's card for this year,
along with the stack of postcards he had received until now, which were heavy enough to fill one hand,
into their usual place in his desk.

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