An Unforgettable Love Story of a Sailor

As I promised in my previous article, I will write down the story entrusted to me by my senior.

When he was young, he traveled to ports all over the world as a sailor.
Sailors in those days spent most of the year at sea.
Naturally, that meant days without seeing their families or lovers.
They would send letters from ports of call and finally meet upon returning home.
That was the way of life.

That fate cast a deep shadow over his love life as well.

At one point, there were two women he was interested in.
K-ko and M-ko.
During his voyage, he received letters from both of them.

K-ko wrote, 'Even if we were to marry, I couldn't bear a life where you aren't by my side.'
M-ko wrote, 'I wonder what kind of face you'd make if I told you I wanted to be your bride.'

Reading those letters, his heart leaned toward M-ko.

However, a troublesome obstacle stood in the way of his relationship with M-ko.
It was a woman who was M-ko's aunt by marriage.
She spoke earnestly about the 'hardships and misery of a sailor's family' and said she didn't want her niece to go through that.
The aunt, who had joined them on a date in Hakata, left them with the words, 'Please talk this over carefully.'

The conclusion they reached after talking it over was that M-ko would follow her aunt's wishes.
They parted at Hakata Station, leaving behind the words, 'Be happy.'

After that, through many twists and turns, they got back together and even proceeded to the engagement ceremony.
However, due to the aunt's fierce opposition once again, they ended up breaking up for good.

After returning from his American route, a thick letter from M-ko was waiting for him.
It read, 'In the future, I might regret breaking up with you. If that happens, I will tell myself that it was the path I chose myself.'

He did not write a reply to that letter.

Later, he met a bright and cheerful woman named S-ko and married her.
He said he became a fan of hers the moment he met her.

After that, the era changed to Heisei, and he transitioned from being a sailor to the world of television.

One day, while visiting a location for work, he made eye contact with an elderly man on the side of the road.
It was M-ko's father.
They both looked startled, but the car he was in drove off.

'If I hadn't had others with me, I would have liked to ask about what happened to M-ko after that.'
My senior's letter ended with those words.

The fate of being a sailor had torn his love life apart time and time again.
My senior wrote down those bittersweet memories while on his sickbed and entrusted them to me.

Reading this story, I thought to myself.
There are too many questions in life that can never be answered.
But perhaps living while carrying those questions is the fate of being human.

They say truth is stranger than fiction, but I was told a wonderful story that felt just like a drama.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for him entrusting that story to me.

Thank you very much, senior.