別にホラー映画ではありません。朝4時ぐらいだったでしょうか？ 何やら携帯がなっています。いったい誰だ、こんな時刻に？ ぶつくさ言いながら電話を見ると、 アメリカの友人クレイグさんでした。 時差を考えずに電話してくるのは昔のまま、無視してもよかったのですが 彼とは20年来の付き合い。電話に出ることにしました。
Toshi
Hello
Craig
Hello Tosh, it’s Craig here.
Toshi
Do you know what time it is here?
You woke me up.
Craig
It has been a long time since I’ve not come to Asahikawa.
I miss it greatly! How are things going there!
Toshi
I’m doing good, but on the whole, businesses are slow.
Craig
Same here. People are just waiting for the economy to turn around.
Do you think economy will recover soon?
Toshi
Well, I’m not an economist. But many people, including me, think that it’s just a matter of endurance. Things will be back in normal once the COVID-19 is gone.
Craig
I agree, but how long do we have to wait? We have very few sick people just positive testing numbers. No one is sick and hospitals are empty on Covid floors!
Toshi
So you want businesses to reopen?
But President Trump failed after trying to get businesses back on track.
Craig
I know but I just can’t get paid for sitting on my ass all day long. I was listening to a doctor on a radio program that told me that this is a farce. She said it’s the first time in any disease that we count cases not deaths. A nurse told me that in her hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, they have a Covid floor with maybe one or two people. It’s been that way for months. No one is sick.
Toshi
Well, I know you’re frustrated. You want to get the ball rolling. But it’s still not a good time to do so. Also it’s not a good time to keep on talking. It’s 4:00 AM down here. You gotta let me go back to sleep.
Craig
Oh sorry, Mr.Nomura. We’ll talk again later.
仕事がヒマで話し相手がほしかったのでしょうかね。でも午前4時は勘弁してけれ～