thinkIgiveapieceofadvicetoyoungerpeople,havingawishtowritesomething,that"youforceyourselftowritesomethingwhenyouot."Iwohismighthelpthemornotthough.

    ThenIgraduatedfromWaseda,gotmarried,andstartedw.(No,itisopposite.Imarried,startedw,andthengraduatedfromuy.)Drivenbythesevereeverydaylife,Itotallyfotmywishtowritesomething.Toclearoffmydebts,Ihadtoworkfromearlyinthemtilllateatnightlike"awhippedcarriage-horse,"whichsoundslikeanon-literaryclich?,though.Itiforsevenyears.Asmybarservedthe"stuffedcabbage",forinstance,Ihadtocutafullbagofonionsintotinypieceseverym.StillnowImaocutplentyofonionsinashorttimeevenwithoutsheddingtears.Myhandsautomaticallyandswiftlymoveasiftheyknewhowtodoit.

    "Doyouknowtheknackofsligonionswithouttears?"Iaskmystudentssometimes.

    "No,"theysay.

    "Finishcuttingthembeforetearsstartdropping."Abiglaughteroccurs.

    Whenitestothetopiclikethis,alivelysparkleappearsinmystudentseyes.Thatmightbepartlybecausetheyverarelyheardsuchastoryintheirregularclasses,andpartlybecausetheymoreorlesshaveasortofvagueayabouttheirfuture:"WhatkindoflifecourseamIgoingtofollow?""WhatkindofpossibilityIfindthere?"Iderstandtheirsenseofinstabilityabouttheirpresentpositionandtheirfuture.Aroundtheageoftwenty,Iwasasunstableastheyarenow,ormycasemusthavebeenfarworsethanwhattheword"unstable"means.IfagodappearshereandasksmeifIdliketogobacktotheageoftwentyagain,Iwillprobablydeebysaying"