I am often asked why I came to Japan, to which I usually reply: “It’s a long story. Ask me again when you feel like listening to me grouse for an hour or so.”
Don’t worry: this short story won’t demand nearly as much of your time, but it will provide you a glimpse into the milieu from which my decision to leave America was borne.
I wish I could say this was fiction, but—alas—much of it did happen. The names have been changed, however, to fit with the narrative of my alter ego, Peadar (Peter), who first appeared in the novel A Woman’s Nails and A Woman’s Hand, and the yet to be finished A Woman’s Tears.