It Was the Day of the Summer Solstice

While reading a noter's article,
I realized it was the day of the summer solstice.

For my wife and me, the summer solstice was a special day of the year.
Though it's not like it was an anniversary of any kind.

There is a movie I want to watch on the summer solstice.
It is titled "The Vertical Ray of the Sun".
It is a Vietnamese film directed by Tran Anh Hung.

Back when I was in love with my wife (it has since changed into familial love).
It's a story from about 20 years ago.
Every year, when this humid season arrived,
we would confirm with each other,
"Is the summer solstice coming up soon?"
Once we decided, "I think it's tomorrow,"
we would go to TSUTAYA and rent the DVD of the movie.

In the home where we started living together, surrounded by furniture and knick-knacks we chose together,
we would watch our favorite movie in a room filled with the things we loved.
A moment in the early afternoon.
The summer solstice falls right in the middle of the rainy season.
The room was always stiflingly hot.
But feeling that lingering humidity was just right for watching this movie.
The breeze that would occasionally blow through the open window and sway the curtains
would soothe us just enough to offer some relief.

We loved Asian cuisine and often ate it together.
Among them, I have always loved Vietnamese food, then and now.

Banh xeo, green papaya salad, fresh spring rolls, pho ga.
Things we would always order when we went to a restaurant.
And then there's 333 (Ba Ba Ba).
We can't forget the Vietnamese beer.
From the time we started dating, my wife and I have had matching tastes in food.
We love to eat and drink.

When we chose the interior for our home together,
it somehow ended up with an Asian aesthetic.
It fit really well into the old apartment where we lived.
Many years have passed since then, and we have moved.
I wonder if the atmosphere of our room has changed quite a bit.
After having children, things change in life,
don't they?
I haven't watched the movie in over 10 years.
I'd like to watch it slowly again.
Maybe just the two of us, my wife and me, would be best.
The kids would surely get bored.

I remember we even had a tool for brewing Vietnamese coffee.
An aluminum dripper that you place directly on top of the cup.
You put very strong coffee and sweet, sweet condensed milk into it.
A coffee with a unique, addictive flavor.
We used it a few times, and then it went somewhere. I probably got rid of it.
What a waste that was.
If I had it now, I would use it with care.
I want to drink that taste again.
Or rather, maybe I want to confirm something.
Not just the taste, but the memories and feelings, the changes in myself from then to now,
or perhaps the things that haven't changed.

Coffee always teaches me many things.
The reddish-brown liquid,
the world seen through that filter
is very gentle.
If there is coffee there, I can be gentle.

The time I spend brewing coffee after coming home from work.
The moment I spend talking with my wife while drinking coffee.
About the children, about life, about trivial things.
Coffee makes those very important times run much more smoothly.

Iced coffee is a must during this rainy season.
Last year, I drank cold brew coffee every day.
My son would measure out the coffee grounds and prepare it for me.
Lately, I've been using the flash-chilled method.
I brew it with a hand drip
directly into a server filled with plenty of ice.
Then I pour it into a glass cup that is also filled with ice.
The happiness of gulping down that ice-cold drink.
It cools down my body, which has been overheated by the heat outside.

Days that feel like midsummer, not at all like the rainy season, have been continuing.
But it seems like rainy days will be back for a while soon.
It's a tough time for me since I commute by bicycle.
But I don't really hate the rain itself.
Raindrops are kind of cute and beautiful, you know.
I also like the sound of the word 'raindrop'.

Once the rainy season ends and real summer arrives,
let's go to the lazy river pool.
The kids are really looking forward to it.
Dad is also looking forward to seeing that sparkle.
The dazzling sunlight shimmers in the water.
And it envelops us.
I love that moment more than anything.

The summer solstice, the day with the longest daylight hours of the year.
While drinking ice-cold iced coffee,
I was thinking about a summer day in the not-too-distant future.