Sunset in a Frame ②

"I'm home, sister. How is your leg?"
My sister, whom I hadn't seen in several years, didn't seem to be having much trouble, but she carried an air of exhaustion.
"Didn't you meet him on the way? That man is a famous creator."
Was I mistaken that a man holding a tripod had just come out of my family's front door?
What was that? Was he just a local cultural figure known only in this town? Conversely, even if you have some success in the city, you aren't necessarily welcomed warmly back home, as I know all too well. I swallowed my words.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have any bedding prepared for you to stay over, so I'll introduce you to a newly opened inn."
I was speechless. Why had I spent half a day traveling back home? On the clothesline in the garden, laundry that seemed too much for just one person swayed in the wind.
Could that new inn be the one blocking the sunset like a high-rise apartment building? My expectations were betrayed once again. The renovated school I attended still retained its former appearance. The frames packed tightly along the hallway hinted at the works that had been displayed there. Like the 'Ei' from Eikichi-kun that I had written.
"Oh, you've arrived."
It was him. There was no way this man was a photographer. His fingers should have been shaking too much to even press the shutter. "The sunset used to look so beautiful. Before the buildings were built."
There were no buildings in the displayed photographs.
"When did you take these?"
"Just a moment ago. I psychically projected the scenery from my memory."
"I heard about you. I hear you've become quite famous."
"It doesn't make much money. It doesn't sell, and the owner skims off the top."
Eikichi Oda, my ex-husband who used to fly into a rage and get violent whenever he snapped, answered calmly.
Please take care of my sister.
Having finished my business, I turned on my heel.

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