Twentieth Birthday
I'm reading a collection of short stories written by Harumi Murakami called, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. The second short was about a waitress celebrating her 20th birthday by working an evening shift at an esteemed Italian restaurant in Tokyo. A sudden emergency with an absentee floor manager brings her into contact with the restaurant's reclusive owner, an elderly gentleman who, upon discovering it is her birthday, grants her one special wish.
The story ends rather ambiguously. The reader is left to ponder what the girl wished for and the author vaguely ties in the clues to the identity of the mystery narrator. As one of the opening stories to the collection, I expected more 'oomph' but I have high hopes for the remaining tales. I rarely keep abreast of literary reviews and this is probably the first time I purchased a book based on a positive review in the papers.
The theme that really stuck with me was the important ascribed to turning twenty. I'm about 8 months away from turning 30, so my twentieth birthday is not a very vivid memory. I don't think it ever was.
I remember having dinner with my parents at Cloud 9, a revolving restaurant. There was a Benson & Hedges fireworks display that night, so after dinner I met up with an old friend from school (I think it was Bilbo, the Christian Cock) and we walked along Robson St. to watch the show over by English Bay. And that was that. I didn't meet a strange old man who offered to grant me a wish. If I did meet this magical man, I would have known what to wish for. It's the same thing I wish for everytime I am about to blow out a birthday candle, for as long as I can remember.
My wish has yet to come true. Some days it feels like even the aid of a genie would do no good in fulfilling this wish.
Do you remember your twentieth birthday? Who were you with? What did you do? What were you feeling?
posted by Clinton @ 2:54 PM
4 Comments:
20th birthday: spent the entire morning in bed ruing the fact that I was 20 and hadn't done anything productive in my life.
Around noon, my special someone came in to the bed, and as if she could read my mind, she said, "To me, you've done more than any man could ever imagine."
And then I proceeded to get up and party the day and night away. =)
You were ruing your lack of accomplishments at age 20? You are too hard on yourself. I didn't have that feeling until I was 24 or 25.
Good thing you had special someone there to whip you out of your sorrow. thanks for sharing!
20? don't remember 20. As far as birthdays go its not really an important one. Nothing special happens when you turn 20.
There is the sweet 16 (I guess this is for girls mostly)
And then there is 18... when you are no longer a 'minor'.
20 is a piddly little year before you turn 21 and can go out on the town and get drunk.
Glad to know I'm not the only one with vague recollections of turning 20. Turning 19 was great because I could finally ditch the fake ID. 22nd birthday was noteworthy for being the first one I celebrated away from the family.
Come to think of it, my birthdays have not been all that memorable. Ah well, that will be rectified for my 30th.
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