5. The Stage for Marriage Hunting Moves Overseas

I had chosen to have an abortion after an unexpected pregnancy, but as I gradually regained my strength, I made a decision.

To reset everything, I decided to move out of my parents' house and live alone!

I moved to a prefecture a bit far from my hometown. Being from the countryside, I had more than a little longing for the big city. Although it was late, I think that at 30, I was finally able to become conscious of what it meant to be independent.

And so, living alone in the big city, I had my share of romances and enjoyed my single life to a reasonable extent.

Even so, my obsession with marriage never went away. However, it was also a fact that in those casual relationships, I couldn't get anyone to accept both 'me and the Soka Gakkai'.

About three years after leaving my parents' home, I met a man on a 'Soka Gakkai-specialized dating site' I found through an internet search.

I wanted to get married no matter what it took, and if I had to consider the Soka Gakkai as part of the package, this was my only option! I was clutching at straws.

It was a place where only single people with similar bitter experiences gathered. That made things move quickly! We met in no time, and a relationship with marriage in mind finally began.

Our email exchanges never stopped, not even for a day. I didn't even care if I was at work! We were on the phone all night long. Even though we hadn't actually met yet, we were so excited and on cloud nine.

And so, I set off on a journey to Australia to meet him.

Huh? Australia?

Yes, he was working in Australia. He was Japanese, though.

I took some time off and stayed in Australia for a few nights. I returned home with a one-way ticket to come back to Australia next time.

Yes, I had successfully secured the position of an expat wife! Moreover, since he was a member of the Soka Gakkai, there was no way my parents wouldn't be happy.

One day, while I was excited because my resignation date and the move-out date for my apartment were already set, I received an email from him.

It was, of all things, a breakup message!

I was shaking. Why? Why?

I only remember talking to him on the phone once, and in reality, I just had to accept it and cry myself to sleep.

Since I had lost both my job and my home, I had no choice but to return to my parents' house.

I told my parents on the day I moved out of my apartment. I had invited them over thinking they would help me with a happy move, but instead, I ended up telling them about the breakup. There is a limit to how unfilial a daughter can be.

After this, I just went back to my original life before leaving my parents' home, working part-time jobs and job hunting.

I spent a while just writhing in anger and sadness.

In this article, I have intentionally written only the facts.