Hien

We were supposed to meet at Shinjuku eki at 10.30 a.m. However, because I missed Otemachi station where I could change to another train, and then I belatedly realized that changing train at Kudanshita meant additional fare because the other train is being operated by another company, I had to retract my way back a few stations to Otemachi, and then changed to Marunouchi line. She called me when I was in Otemachi, letting me know that she has arrived. I told her I'm sorry for being late, but she told me not to worry, she would be waiting anyway. It was nearly 11.00 a.m. when I finally met her at Shinjuku eki, Keio west gate as we promised.

Hien looked fine, although I knew she just recovered from having some mild fever and cold. The climate is changing, and it’s common for some people to experience mild fever during this time. I didn’t realized how much I missed her until I saw her again. Since spring break began end of January, we have been in touch via e-mail and c-mail. I had been hoping to see her for a small party held at my hostel just before I moved, but she had to take care of her sick husband then.

She brought a small electrical heater, a friend of hers sold it to me for 600 yen. She also knew about my quest for hot carpet and some futon (for blankets - there are two types of futon, one used as mattress and the other as blanket), and she was eager to take me shopping at this one second-hand shop in Nishi Chofu, not far from where she’s currebtly residing.

As for the hot carpet, Fary had offered to sell me one (which she incidentally bought from that particular sempai who refused to negotiate with me earlier), so I had stopped worrying about it. The square carpet doesn’t sit well in her rectangular room, and Fary even agreed to receive a deferred payment for it. So, I only needed to look for blanket futons.

It’s not like I could not buy any futon in Gyotoku. Seiyu, the major depato, is selling both mattress and blanket futons for only about 3000 yen each. Still, since my resources are quite limited now, I could only afford buying a few used ones. I have tried looking at a few second-hand shops to no avail. I even rode a bicycle to one Anto second hand shop located far from Gyotoku city centre, but I only found almost-new blankets and a pillow that the shopkeeper wanted to sell at a reasonably high price.

I thought of buying just two blanket futons, but I ended up buying three – a good bargain at 1200 yen. The initial price was 1700 yen because two of them looked almost new, but the shopkeeper finally agreed to sell them at a reduced price because apparently she has a soft spot for people with small children. Besides, she didn’t have to deliver them to my place (she only does delivery in her surrounding areas and Chofu is a loooong way from Gyotoku).

Hien actually returned to her house to take a trolley back to the shop so that it would be easier for me to carry the futons and the heater. I squeezed the thinnest futon in my bag, and with the shopkeeper assistant’s help, we tied the other two futons tightly and tidily to the trolley. They were bulky, but alhamdulillah not too heavy. Still, I had to ignore a lot of stares from fellow passengers and strangers on the street as I made my way back to my house.

Hien – she is one of the most thoughtful friends I have met in Japan. I’m happy for her because her family will be joining her husband and her soon. Her parents and her two sons will be arriving in Narita a few days after my family arrives insya Allah. Her mother will only be staying for a short while, her father a little longer, but her 7 and 6 year old sons will be enrolling in a Japanese public primary school in April.

We had entertained thoughts of having a meal somewhere after school some day, to introduce our family to each other. Hubby has heard a lot about Hien and likewise her hubby has heard a lot about me too. Hien even claimed that she believe her sons, Miu and Sau, would be only too happy to play with Huzaifah because they prefer playing with baby boys than baby girls. Today, as we chatted on the train and complimented each other on looking bright and cheerful due to the impending family reunion, we reaffirmed our promise to have a family outing together some day.

On the way back from the second hand shop, Hien told me about child allowance provision in case I have no knowledge about it, but Sarina, Daud’s wife had already advised me about it earlier. As an incentive for more Japanese to have kids, Japan government provides monthly child allowance of 5000 yen each for the first two children, and 10,000 yen for subsequent children. A child allowance is available until the first March 31 following the child’s ninth birthday. Hien said I should consider having a second child while we are in Japan, perhaps some time next year. I teased her back, pointing out that if she gets another child in Japan, at least she’ll be getting 10,000 yen each month for her third child.

We kept teasing and laughing as we walked to the eki where I finally bid her farewell. The truth is, Hien knows that I need a lot of time to make up to Huzaifah for not spending most of his first sixth months with him. I on the other hand, am aware of the fact that Hien is afraid of giving birth because she had had C-section for both boys. But yes, both of us, at one point or another, had entertained some thoughts on the subject matter of each other’s tease. I guess, it takes a close friend to sometimes point out the benefits of certain things which you knew but afraid to admit yourself. Anyway, we are both thinking of not enrolling for any more intensive Nihongo class, preferring instead to attend a rather laid-back class, since we both will have to take up further responsibilities in family management. We mutually feel that it would do more good for us to cut on unnecessary classes and spend more time with our family now that we have a chance to be together with them.

Maybe we have both outgrown the concept of ‘best friends’ we were introduced to when we attended primary school or kindergarten. Yet, as we both strive to juggle our times to play so many different roles to so many, I think it’s safe to say that we have found in each other what in the old days we would call our ‘best friend’.