I only came to install an air conditioner

As an air conditioning technician, I visit people's homes for work, to install or remove air conditioners.
So, what I should really be looking at are the walls, the piping, the location of the outlets, and where to place the outdoor unit.
That's what I should be focusing on.

But lately, I find myself looking at something else.

Family photos.

Drawings that children must have made.

Portraits drawn of the family.
Photos displayed in the entryway.
Things in the corner of the living room that seem like nothing,
but are probably not 'nothing' at all—memories.
No, I can't handle it.


My tear ducts are failing me.

I'm up on a stepladder, working on the air conditioner with a serious face, but 'Oh, is this a photo from a family trip?'

'They really treasure this portrait, don't they?'

'I wonder if their child drew this.'
The moment I think things like that, my eyes start to well up on their own.
Isn't that a bit much for me?

An air conditioning technician crying while installing a unit is just plain scary.

From the customer's perspective,

'Is this guy crying while looking at the pipes...?'

That's what they'd think.

That's not it.

I'm not crying because of the pipes.

I'm crying because of the family photos.

Well, that's scary in its own way.

But really, something about it just hits home.

I realize that people's homes aren't just buildings.

The time of that family lives there.

There were days they laughed,
days they fought,
days they took photos,
days they decided, 'Let's display this,'
and things they couldn't quite bring themselves to throw away, so they've stayed there forever.

Those things remain, little by little, on the walls, the shelves, and the refrigerator.

I only came here to install an air conditioner.

I'm looking at an exhibition of someone's life without permission, and my heart is being moved without permission.

It's too much of a nuisance.

Of course, I'm not staring.

I'm doing my job properly.
I have my professional face on.

It's just that my mind is busy.

Thinking things like, 'Ah, this family must have been through a lot,' or
'I wonder if they had fun on the day they took this photo,' or
'It's nice to have a home where you can treasure things like this.'

I end up thinking about such things.

These aren't things to think about while working.

I'm just here to install an air conditioner.
I didn't come to be moved by someone else's life.

But there are things you just can't help but see.

And then, I start thinking about my own family.

No, if I go that far, things get complicated.

But I can't help but imagine that future.

That's why I'm even more likely to cry.

I'm not crying because I'm looking at someone else's family photos,

I think I'm being moved by what lies beyond those photos.Things they want to cherish.

Things they don't want to lose.
Things they want to preserve properly.
I feel like those things are packed into those small frames, those children's drawings, and those slightly faded photos.

But I really want to avoid crying while doing the installation.

If I'm crying while tightening screws, I'm not a professional anymore,

I'm an emotionally unstable spirit.

'I'm sorry, I can't see if it's level because of my tears.' If I start saying things like that, it's over.

I have work today too, so in some house, while installing an air conditioner,



'This family looks so happy.' I'm being moved by it all over again.

To my customers:

If the air conditioning technician has slightly watery eyes while working,

it's probably just dust.

Probably.

No, maybe it's the family photos.