Second Trimester in Tokyo

At some point all the coffee shops near Tokyo station has morphed into an endless space in my head -- You can walk into any of them and enjoy an afternoon of quietness and some superb sandwiches. 

I was here last Spring, about to meet my friend Ciera in Sensō-Ji for some sightseeing but somehow found myself in a coffee shop in Kyobashi jotting down notes for a screenplay. At the time the thought of stopping everything video production related and drain all that’s left of me into a script seemed unrealistic (still is.) But I needed to know whether I still have a desire to express some BS and see where that would lead me. I was less obsessed with a new career path, but more into the actual grinding process of writing something no one would care to read. 

Here I am (was) in Nihonbashi, a few blocks north of where I was last year. About to meet a friend from college in Shinjuku but needed a moment to process the past thirteen months. 

The process. 

“Anything new?” L asked. We’ve known each other for over ten years and the look on his face when he asked that question made me unease. Something was up. 

“No one’s pregnant.”

“New hobbies, new job, new book you’re reading? Why went straight into pregnancy?”

“Because everyone around us is pregnant and the thought of us not having children is appalling. I supposed five years  of marriage is when the pressure comes down. And it only gets worse from there.”

“I supposed it's also about your age.” 

Well, at some point age and years of marriage become the same thing. 

As I chowed down uni rolls, L took out his phone and showed me the ultrasound. 

“I felt the presence of god.” He said. Saw the twinkling in my eyes and quickly corrected himself. “Not your God, but sort of a…”

“Abstract concept?”

“Yes. My god is more like the god of nature.”

“So is mine. We might be talking about the same God.”

“Maybe. I felt something positive when I heard the heartbeats for the first time. Something that’s just good. Different from the rest of the world and the news and everything. You were just in Hong Kong, weren't you? What do you think is going on there?”

The dinner hit the trifecta: religion, politics, and look at my baby. 

“Same old with you then?”

“I finished a screenplay.” I said, understood the humor in the contrast of our accomplishment. 

He didn't care. He needed to run back to the office. He wanted to go home by ten so he could be with his wife. So much for quality living in Tokyo.

"Good job." He said. 

Yessir. Started here in Tokyo a year ago, took it all over the world to countless coffee shops and hotel bars - now it's out there. Doesn't come close to creating a new life and feeling the presence of God, though. That I am certain.