[104] 凍え死にそうだった ALMOST FROZEN TO DEATH

                              凍え死にそうだった

　昨日（８月７日）は最悪の日で、凍え死ぬところだった。

午後５時ごろ熱田図書館を出る時、空を見上げると、どす黒い不気味な雲が空を覆っていた。雨が降りそうだと思ったが、「神宮西地下鉄駅」に向かった。徒歩約５分のところにあるからだ。早足で１、２分歩いていると、雨が降ってきた。すぐ図書館に戻ればよかったのだが、地下鉄に向かって走った。雷がゴロゴロ鳴り、大粒の雨がザーと降ってきた。辺りは皆既日食のように暗くなり、走行中の車はヘッドライトをつけだした。私は走りに走った。服がびしょ濡れになった。走りながら雨宿りするところを探したが、どこにもない。ところが運のいい事に、幅１メートル・長さ３メートルぐらいの屋根付きのバス停が目に入り、駆け込んだ。

　バス停に立っていると、雨は益々勢いを増し、屋根をぶち壊すぐらい猛烈な勢いで降ってきた。聞こえるのは雷雨の音だけ。風も出てきた。雨が横殴りに左から右から降り込んできた。容赦ない大雨。無数のバケツがひっくり返ったようだ。バス停の屋根は怒り狂った雨から私を守ってはくれない。濡れ鼠になった。髪の毛も、眼鏡も、下着も、ズボンも、靴もびちゃびちゃ。足元の舗装歩道一面に水深３センチの川が勢いよく流れている。靴の下半分が川に浸かっている。寒い。疲れた。

　突然、バス停のスピーカーから放送が聞こえてきた。「ＯＯ行きのバスが間もなく参ります」やった！バスに乗ればこの大雨から逃れられる、と思った。

　バスが来た。「権野行」だった。権野という地名を知らないので乗ろうか乗るまいか迷った。どこに連れて行かれるか分からない。結局、乗らなかった。バスは私を大雨の中に置き去りにして発車した。すぐ、乗れば良かったと後悔した。何と言っても今一番必要なことは雨宿りだったからだ。しかし、もう遅い。

　運がいい事に、２，３分後、またバスが来た。飛び乗って、ほっとした。乗客が数人いた。横長の座席に座った。ナップサックも、髪の毛も、ズボンも、衣服も、メガネも、下着も、靴も何もかもぐしょ濡れ。乗客は私を見て、どこかの池に落ちたのだろうと思ったかも知れない。身体から水が滴り落ちて座席を濡らしている。座席のシートの色が濡れた所だけ黒くなっている。座席を濡らして申し訳ないと思った。バスはエアコンが効いていて、寒くなってきた。乾いたタオルもなく、手でぐしょ濡れの髪の毛の水を拭うしかすることがなかった。

　私は、次のバス停の名前を案内する車内放送を注意して聞いていた。身体が次第に冷えてきた。バスは知らない土地を走っている。恐らく終点は片田舎の町だろうと思った。車窓風景が工場や田圃に変わった。寒くて身体が凍えてきた。雨は激しく降っている。バスを降りなければ凍え死んでしまうと思ったが、大雨の中に再びさらされたくなかった。でも、すぐバスを降りないと、帰りのタクシー代がかさむだろうとも思った。降りようか降りまいか迷っている内にもバスは凍った私の身体に無頓着でどんどんどんどん走っている。乗り降りする乗客はバスの中で異常事態が発生しているのに平然としている。

　１５ぐらいのバス停を通過した時、「次は築地口です。地下鉄にお乗りの方はここで降りて下さい」と案内が流れた。

　天の助け！　築地口なら知っている！

　バスを降り地下鉄に乗った。

ALMOST FROZEN TO DEATH

   Yesterday (August 7) was one of my unluckiest days in my life because I was completely drenched to the skin and was almost frozen to death.

As I was leaving Atsuta Library around five o’clock in the evening, I looked up at the sky. It was covered with dark threatening cloud. Though I thought it would rain soon, I dared to leave the library for Jingu-nishi Subway Station, about a five minute walk from the library.  

While I was walking hurriedly for a minute or so, it began to rain hard. I should have returned to the library, but I ran for the subway station. Thunder rolled and torrents of rain began to fall. The streets suddenly became as dark as a total solar eclipse. Automobiles were running with headlights on. I ran and ran. My clothes were all wet. I was out of breath. As I was running, I looked for a place to take shelter from the rain, but in vain. Soon luckily I saw a bus stop equipped with a simple roof about a meter wide and three meters long. I rushed to it and took shelter.

As I was standing under the roof, the rain gathered all the ominous power in the sky and poured onto the roof as if it would crash it down. I heard nothing but a thundering roar and beating rain. Before I realized it, the wind had picked up. It had begun to rain sideways. The bus-stop roof was useless. It continued to rain relentlessly from above, from the right, and from the left sides. Oh, the pouring water from a tremendous number of buckets! The roof did not protect me from the outrageous rainfall. I was literally drenched to the skin. My hair, glasses, undershirts, pants, and shoes were all wet. The pedestrian road I was standing on was covered with streaming water about three centimeters deep. The lower part of my shoes sank in the flowing water. I became cold from top to toe. I was exhausted.

   Suddenly I heard an announcement from the bus-stop speaker: “A bus bound for Such and Such destination is now approaching. I thought, “Lucky. If I take the bus, it will protect me from the torrent.”

   The bus came. The sign on the bus read “For Gonno.” I hesitated to get on it because I did not know where Gonno was. I was afraid that it would take me to an unknown place. I gave up. The bus left me in the heavy rain. Immediately after the bus left, I thought I should have taken it because the most important thing for me then was to take shelter from the rain, but it was too late.

   Luckily, however, another bus came in a few minutes. I got on the bus. What a relief! There were several passengers. I sat on the side bench. My backpack, my hair, my pants, my clothes, my glasses, my underwears, my shoes were all wet. I might have looked like a man who had been dropped into a pond. Water trickled down onto the bench. I just sat on it feeling sorry for wetting it. I felt cold. The bus was air-conditioned. All I could do was just to wipe water from my hair with my hand.

I kept paying attention to the announcement of the bus speaker which informed about the next bus stops. I continued to look out of the window to know where the bus was heading for. I became colder and colder.  

   Soon I realized the bus was going away from my familiar places, but to an unknown countryside destination. The scenery turned to that of factories and rice fields. I was freezing cold. It was still raining hard. I thought I must get off the bus immediately; otherwise, I would be frozen to death. But I did not want to be exposed to the torrents of rain. On the other hand, I was afraid I would have to take a long-distance taxi ride to go back home if I did not get off the bus immediately. Even while I was indecisive whether to get off or not, the bus ran without minding my freezing body. Passengers were getting on and off as peacefully as if nothing unsusual was taking place in the bus.

   After passing about 15 bus stops, the bus announced, “The next bus stop is Tsukiji-guchi. Those who take a subway, please get off here.”

Oh, God, I know Tsukiji-guchi.

  I got off the bus, and took a subway home.