Warehouses
The
harbour was full of warehouses. I walked along the
streets surrounded by buildings of yellowish stone. Many of the houses
were empty and in a bad shape. Still you could see some activity here
and there, and I actually found a hardware store in one of the derelict
houses. As I popped in, the vendor looked at me with enquiring eyes.
I wasn't intent on buying anything, so I walked past the shelves and
climbed through a hole in the wall to reach the upper floor.
A
lightbulb revealed a corridor with a dusty floor and run-down walls.
"Excuse me!" I heard from behind, just as I let a Japanese
girl pass me by. She had dressed up in an office uniform and now climbed
up the stairs to the third floor. As she opened the door, I saw that
it was full of oriental signs. I concluded that this was a Japanese
Embassy. Sari worked in the embassy... Why did they move it to an
area as bad as that?
Asian-looking
men descended the stairs. They greeted me as they passed me by. I
wondered why I had come? Was I supposed to meet Sari here?
Behind
me I heard a toilet flush. A door opened and the same Japanese woman
appeared who had just nodded at seeing me. After she had gone, I went
to the toilet myself. The toilet paper was red and green. The Japanese
letters looked exotic.
I
washed my hands and looked into the mirror. To my amazement I noticed
that my face looked Asian. My skin was light brown. My hair and eye
brushes were dark. I didn't recognize myself at first, even if I knew
that this was me for sure. I just happened to be Japanese.
