[Personal History] People Are a Feast: Continued | The Direct-to-Board-of-Education-Chairman Incident
The other day, I wrote a story called People Are a Feast as a way to look back on the people who have helped me in the past.
As I wrote about my memories of company presidents and teachers,
memories that had been tucked away in the back of a drawer for a long time came flooding back one after another.
It seems that back then, I was raised by more people than I had realized.
And while tracing those memories,
there is one thing I remembered.
I had actually planned to take it to the grave.
But there is no point in hiding it now.
I would like to write one more story today.
* * *
— Encountering a Real-Life Daddy Long Legs —
When I was 18, I didn't really understand how the world worked. So, I didn't really understand the scholarship system either.
However, I did know this much.
I was borrowing money every month.
I was borrowing it from the city.
And there was a name written on the application form.
The name of the 'Chairman of the Board of Education of XX City.'
So, looking at that name, I thought to myself back then:
'This person is lending me money! ♪'
'It's a real-life Daddy Long Legs! 🥹'
I understand now.
That's wrong. Everything about that is wrong.
I didn't understand the system, the organization, or the budget at all.
But I was serious back then.
So, when I had my first opportunity to meet the Chairman of the Board of Education, I was a little moved.
(Wow. It's the real thing! ♡)
It felt like something I thought only existed in fairy tales and stories had suddenly appeared in reality.
Of course, the Chairman of the Board of Education knew nothing.
I was just being moved on my own.
And a few months later,
I would end up messing up a little.
Thinking about it now, perhaps this misunderstanding was the beginning of it all.
— The Story of Going Directly to the Chairman of the Board of Education —
At 18, I really didn't know the world.
It wasn't that I had no common sense at all, but I just
didn't understand what an organization was.
One day, I went to the city hall with the company president. I was taken to a room with a reception table and waited there.
The president was talking to someone in administration.
I was bored.
I looked in front of me for no reason.
There were documents on the table.
In the top right corner, it was written:
'To: Chairman of the Board of Education of XX City, Mr. XXXXX'
I see. These must be documents to be handed to the Chairman of the Board of Education.
That's what I understood.
And it was right after that.
I saw someone walking down the hallway.
'Ah!'
It was the Chairman of the Board of Education.
I had met him before.
I remembered him clearly.
In front of me were documents addressed to the Chairman of the Board of Education.
In the hallway was the person himself.
I was free to move. I had no hesitation.
I stood up straight on the spot,
picked up the documents from the table,
and ran off.
'Please check these!'
…Thinking about it now, I can't believe I did that. But back then, I didn't doubt anything.
After all, they were documents addressed to the Chairman of the Board of Education.
And the person himself was right there.
So I went to hand them to him.
Up to this point, it was logical thinking.
However, the next moment,
the Chairman of the Board of Education's expression stiffened slightly.
At the same time, I felt the air around us freeze.
'Ah…'
Someone let out a voice like that.
And when I turned around, the president was coming toward me from afar.
No, rather than coming toward me, it felt like he had chased after me with all his might to stop me. I didn't understand what was happening at the time.
Documents with an address, followed by the appearance of the person himself.
And delivery complete.
Where was the problem?
If anything, it was the shortest route.
It was 100% good intentions, and I think it was perfect as a logistics operation.
Several years later, I experienced administrative work.
That's when I understood everything.
Documents are not just paper.
First, the person in charge checks them, then the supervisor checks them, they go through the department, are corrected if necessary, and reach their destination while going through the proper order.
There is such a thing as a route in this world.
And on that day when I was 18,
I skipped the entire route.
I understand now.
The reason the president ran.
The reason everyone went 'Ah.'
I understand it all.
And I understand even more now.
The documents I took that day,
the three seal fields were all still blank.
They were documents that someone was in the middle of processing.
If the current me saw my younger self back then,
I think I would stop myself with all my might before I started running.
And I would shout along with the president:
'Put that paper down!!'
