Chance Traveler.docx

Chance Traveler.docx

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ChanceTraveler

"ChanceTraveler"byHarukiMurakami

TranslatedbyPhilipGabriel.

The"I"here,youshouldknow,meansme,HarukiMurakami,theauthorofthisstory.Mostlythisisathird-personnarrative,buthereatthebeginningthenarratordoesmakeanappearance.Justlikeinanold-fashionedplaywherethenarratorstandsbeforethecurtain,deliversaprologue,thenbowsout.Iappreciateyourpatience,andpromiseIwon'tkeepyoulong.

ThereasonI'veturneduphereisIthoughtitbesttorelatedirectlyseveralso-calledstrangeeventsthathavehappenedtome.Actually,eventsofthiskindhappenquiteoften.Someofthemaresignificant,andhaveaffectedmylifeinonewayoranother.Othersareinsignifantincidentsthathavenoimpactatall.AtleastIthinkso.

WheneverIbringuptheseincidents,say,inagroupdiscussion,Inevergetmuchofareaction.Mostpeoplejustmakesomenoncommittalcomment,anditnevergoesanywhere.Itneverjump-startstheconversation,neverspurssomeoneelsetobringupsomethingsimilarthat'shappenedtohim.ThetopicIbringupislikesomuchwaterflowingdownthewrongchannelandbeingsuckedupinanamelessstretchofsand.Noonesaysanythingforawhile,theninvariablysomeonechangesthesubject.

AtfirstIthoughtIwastellingthestorywrong,soonetimeItriedwritingitdownasanessay.IfiguredifIdidthatmaybepeoplewouldtakeitmoreseriously.ButnooneseemedtobelievewhatI'dwritten."you'vemadeitallup,right?

"Idon'tknowhowmanytimesI'veheardthat.SinceI'manovelistpeopleassumethatanythingIsayorwritemusthaveatouchofmake-believe.Granted,myfictioncontainsmorethanitsshareofinvention,butwhenI'mnotwritingfictionIdon'tgooutofmywaytomakeupmeaninglessstories.

Asakindofprefacetoatale,then,I'dliketobrieflyrelatesomestrangeexperiencesI'vehad.I'llsticktothetrifling,insignificantones.IfIstartedinonthelife-changingexperiences,I'duseupmostofmyallocatedspace.

*

From1993to1995IlivedinCambridge,Massachusetts.Iwasasortofwriter-in-residenceatacollege,andwasworkingonanovelentitledTheWind-UpBirdChronicle.InHarvardSquaretherewasajazzclubcalledtheRegattabarJazzClubwheretheyhadlotsofliveperformances.Itwasacomfortable,relaxed,cozyplace.Famousjazzmusiciansplayedthere,andthecoverchargewasreasonable.

OneeveningthepianistTommyFlanaganappearedwithhistrio.MywifehadsomethingelsetodosoIwentbymyself.TommyFlanaganisoneofmyfavoritejazzpianists.Heusuallyappearsasanaccompanist;hisperformancesareinvariablywarmanddeep,andmarvelouslysteady.Hissolosarefantastic.Fullofanticipation,then,IsatdownatatablenearthestageandenjoyedaglassofCaliforniaMerlot.Totellthetruth,though,hisperformancewasabitofaletdown.Maybehewasn'tfeelingwell.Orelseitwasstilltooearlyforhimtogetintheswingofthings.Hisperformancewasn'tbad,itwasjustmissingthatextraelementthatsendsusflyingtoanotherworld.Itlackedthatspecialmagicalglow,Iguessyoucouldsay.TommyFlanagan'sbetterthanthis,IthoughtasIlistened-justwaittillhegetsuptospeed.

Buttimedidn'timprovethings.Astheirsetwasdrawingtoaclose,Istartedtogetalmostpanicky,hopingthatitwouldn'tendlikethis.Iwantedsomethingtorememberhisperformanceby.Ifthingsendedlikethis,allI'dtakehomewouldbelukewarmmemories.Ormaybenomemoriesatall.AndImayneverhaveachancetoseeTommyFlanaganplayliveagain.（InfactIneverdid.）Suddenlyathoughtstruckme:

whatifIweregivenachangetorequesttwosongsbyhimrightnow-whichoneswouldIchoose?

Imulleditoverforawhilebeforepicking"Barbados"and"Star-CrossedLovers."

ThefirstpieceisbyCharlieParker,thesecondaDukeEllingtontune.Iaddthisforpeoplewhoaren'tintojazz,butneitheroneisverypopular,orperformedmuch.Youmightoccasionallyhear"Barbados,"thoughit'soneofhtelessflashynumbersCharlieParkerwrote,andIbetmostpeoplehaveneverheard"Star-CrossedLovers"evenonce.Mypointbeing,theseweren'ttypicalchoices.

Ihadmyreasons,ofcourse,forchoosingtheseunlikelypiecesformyfantasyrequests-namelythatTommyFlanaganhadmadememorablerecordingsofboth."Barbados"appearedonthe1957albumDialJJ5wherehewasapianistwiththeJ.J.JohnsonQuintet,whileherecorded"Star-CrossedLovers"onthe1968albumEncounter!

withPepperAdamsandZootSims.OverhislongcareerTommyFlanaganhasplayedandrecordedcountlesspiecesasasidemaninvariousgroups,butitwasthecrisp,smartsolos,shortthoughtheywere,inthesetwoparticularpiecesthatI'vealwaysloved.That'swhyIwasthinkingifonlyhewouldplaythosetwonumbersrightnowit'dbeperfect.Iwaswatchinghimclosely,picturinghimcomingovertomytableandasking,"Hey,I'vehadmyeyeonyou.Doyouhaveanyrequests?

Whydon'tyougivemethetitlesoftwonumbersyou'dlikemetoplay?

"Knowingallthetime,ofcourse,thatthechancesofthathappeningwerenil.

Andthen,withoutaword,andwithoutsomuchasaglanceinmydirection,TommyFlanaganlaunchedintothelasttwonumbersofhisset-theveryonesI'dbeenthinkingof.Hestartedoffwiththeballad"Star-CrossedLovers,"thenwentintoanup-tempoversionof"Barbados."Isatthere,wineglassinhand,speechless.Jazzfanswillunderstandthatthechanceofhispickingthesetwopiecesfromthemillionsofjazznumbersouttherewasastronomical.Andalso-andthisisthemainpointhere-hisperformancesofbothnumberswereamazing.

*

Thesecondincidenttookplacearoundthesametime,andalsohadtodowithjazz.Iwasinaused-recordstoreneartheBerkleeSchoolofMusiconeafternoon,checkingouttherecords.RummagingaroundinoldshelvesofLPsisoneofthefewthingsthatmakeslifeworthliving,asfarasI'mconcerned.OnthatparticulardayI'dlocatedausedcopyofPepperAdam'srecordingforRiversidecalled10to4atthe5Spot.ItwasaliverecordingofthePepperAdamsQuintet,withDonaldByrdontrumpet,recordedinNewYorkattheFiveSpotjazzclub."10to4,"ofcourse,meanttenminutestillfouro'clock,meaningthattheyplayedsuchahotsettheywentontilldawn.Thiscopyofthealbumwasafirstpressing,inmintcondition,andwasgoingforonlysevenoreightdollars.IownedtheJapaneseversionoftherecordandhadlistenedtoitsomuchitwasallscratched.Findinganoriginalrecordinginthisgoodshopandatthispriceseemed,toexaggeratealittle,likeaminormiracle.IwasoverjoyedasIboughttherecord,andjustasIwasexitingtheshopayoungmanpassedmeandasked,"Hey,doyouhavethetime?

"Iglancedatmywatchandautomaticallyanswered,"Yeah,it'stentofour."

AfterIsaidthisInoticedthecoincidenceandgulped.Whatintheworldisgoingon?

Iwondered.WasthegodofjazzhoveringintheskyaboveBoston,givingmeawinkandasmileandsaying,"Yo,youdigit?

"

*

Neitheroneoftheseincidentswasanythingspecial.Itwasn'tlikemylifeturnedinanewdirection.Iwassimplystruckbythestrangecoincidences-thatthingslikethisdoactuallyhappen.

Don'tmisunderstandme-I'mnotthesortofpersonwho'sintooccultphenomena.Fortune-tellingdoesn'tdoathingforme.Insteadofgoingtothetroubleofhavingafortune-tellerreadmypalm,IthinkI'mbetterofftryingtorackmybrainforasolutiontowhateverproblemIhave.NotthatIhaveabrilliantmindoranything,justthatthisseemsaquickerwaytofindasolution.I'mnotintoparanormalpowerseither.Transmigration,thesoul,premonitions,telepathy,theendtimes-I'llpass.I'mnotsayingIdon'tbelieveinanyofthese.Noproblemwithmeiftheyreallydoexist.I'mjustpersonallynotinterested.Still,asignificantnumberofstrange,out-of-left-fieldkindsofthingshavecoloredmyotherwisehumdrumlife.

ThestoryI'mabouttotellisoneafriendofminetoldme.Ihappenedtotellhimonceaboutmyowntwoepisodes,andafterwardhesatthereforatimewithaseriouslookonhisfaceandfinallysaid,"Youknow,somethinglikethathappenedtome,too.Somethingthatcoincidenceledmeto.Itwasn'tsomethingtotallyweird,butIcan'treallyexplainit.Atanyrate,aseriesofcoincidencestookmesomewhereIneverexpectedtobe."

I'vechangedsomeofthefactstoprotectpeople'sidentities,butotherthanthatthestoryisjustasherelatedit.

*

Myfriendworksasapianotuner.HelivesinthewesternpartofTokyo,neartheTamaRiver.He'sforty-one,andgay.Hedoesn'tespeciallyhidethefactthathe'sgay.Hehasaboyfriendthreeyearsyoungerthanheis.Theboyfriendworksinrealestateandbecauseofhisjobisn'tabletocomeout,sotheyliveapart.Myfriendmightbealowlypianotunerbuthegraduatedfromthepianodepartmentofamusiccollegeandisanimpressivepianisthimself.HIsforteismodernFrenchcomposers-Debussy,Ravel,andErikSatieandheplaysthemwithadeepexpressiveness.ButFrancisPoulencishisfavorite.

"Poulencwasgay,"heexplainedtomeoneday."Andhemadenoattempttohideit.Whichwasaprettyhardthingtodointhosedays.Hesaidthisonce:

'Ifyoutookawaymybeinghomosexualmymusicwouldneverhavecomeabout.'Iknowexactlywhathemeans.Hehadtobeastruetohishomosexualityashewastohismusic.That'smusic,andthat'slife."

I'vealwayslikedPoulenc'smusictoo.WhenmyfriendcomesovertotunemyoldpianoIsometimeshavehimrunthroughafewshortPoulencpieceswhenhe'sfinished.The"FrenchSuite,"the"Pastoral,"andsoon.

He"discovered"hewasgayaftere