Bento Boxes That Watch Over Lives

Every day, at a set time,
I deliver a bento box.

It was not just a job
of delivering meals.

Noticing the voice heard from
beyond the intercom, or
a small, unusual
change from the norm,
sometimes leads to saving someone's life.

What I heard from an acquaintance
was the story of people who continue such work.

At my acquaintance's house,
I heard this story.

She
works delivering bento boxes.

While working in the field of delivery herself,
she is also in a position to manage several areas.

One day,
she received a call from a female subordinate.

She said that even after pressing the intercom at the delivery address,
no one came out.

At that house,
the mother had originally ordered the bento boxes.

Two portions every day,
one for herself and one for her son.

However, due to family circumstances,
the mother decided to move
to be with another son
living far away.

Even so, she must have been worried about the meals for the son remaining at home.

"Please just keep delivering the bento boxes as you have been"

she had requested.

The woman in charge, knowing the circumstances,
continued as before,
delivering bento boxes to the son every day.

That day was the first time
my son did not come out
even when I rang the doorbell.

It seems that, usually,
my son was a very punctual person.

Whenever he was going to be away, he would always tell me in advance,

"You don't need to deliver it tomorrow"

he would say at the front door.

Therefore, the woman in charge
immediately reported it to her acquaintance, who was her supervisor.

"For now, I'll hang it on the doorknob and head back."

"Yes, that's right."

The acquaintance replied that way at first.

However, after hanging up the phone,
she suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

She had encountered
similar situations many times before.

Many of the people who order bento boxes
are elderly or live alone.

Even if you ring the doorbell,
there is no response.

In such cases,
they do not judge by themselves as delivery staff,
but contact the police.

Sometimes,
the person was just sleeping soundly.

However, there are also times when that is not the case.

After that, they are never
informed in detail about what happened.

They notice something unusual,
and connect it to the necessary people.

They say that is where their role ends.

However, this time,
the person ordering the bento was
the mother, not the son who lived there himself.

Because of that,
I first had to confirm things
with the person who serves as the family's point of contact.

My acquaintance contacted them immediately.

However, the family
was strongly hesitant to call the police.

“I think you should at least ask them to check.”

Even though my acquaintance told them that,

“We want to wait and see a little longer.”

They said, and did not give their consent.

Even when the next day came,
the bento left at the front door
remained exactly as it was.

This was not just a simple absence.

My acquaintance contacted the family again.

Even so, the situation did not change.

The day after that, too,
the family's response remained the same.

So, my acquaintance
decided to explain the situation
directly to the building manager.

They had the manager contact the family as well,
and only then,
was it decided to request that the police check inside the room.

When the woman in charge headed out for her deliveries that day,
the situation was just about to unfold.
The building manager and the family are present, and the police are just about to enter the room now.

Upon receiving that report, her acquaintance
spoke immediately.

Just collect the bento and leave there quickly.

Having done this work for a long time,
she likely knew
what was waiting ahead.

She did not want to leave a scar
on her subordinate's heart.

After finishing this story, I thought to myself.

They are
not just delivering bentos.

Every day, they visit the same homes,

press the intercom,

listen to their voices,

and notice even the smallest
changes that are different from usual.

And when necessary,
they connect that anomaly to someone else.

While delivering bentos,
they confirm their safety.

That might be just as important,
or perhaps even more so,
than the work of delivering meals.

Moreover, the acquaintance
tried to protect not only the person receiving the delivery,
but also the heart of her subordinate.

This is not a job that just anyone can do.

I also thought that I would be happy
if I could work under such a boss.

I stand at the front door as usual,

and press the intercom as usual.

In that quiet repetition,

they continue to watch over
someone's life and livelihood again today.

Thank you
for reading until the end.

I am always encouraged by your words.

*To protect privacy,
some details of the situation have been changed to ensure individuals cannot be identified.