Haruki Murakami
Translated by Jay Rubin
[1] One beautiful April morning, on a narrow side street in Tokyo’s fashionable Harajuku neighborhood, I walked past the 100% perfect girl.
[2] Tell you the truth, she’s not that good-looking.She doesn’t stand out in any way.Her clothes are nothing special.The back of her hair is still bent out of shape from sleep.She isn’t young, either — must be near thirty, not even close to a “girl”, properly speaking.But still, I know from fifty yards away: She’s the 100% perfect girl for me.The moment I see her, there’s a rumbling in my chest, and my mouth is as dry as a desert.
[3] Maybe you have your own particular favorite type of girl — one with slim ankles, say, or big eyes, or graceful fingers, or you’re drawn for no good reason to girls who take their time with every meal.I have my own preferences, of course.Sometimes in a restaurant I’ll catch myself staring at the girl at the next table to mine because I like the shape of her nose.
[4] But no one can insist that his 100% perfect girl correspond to some preconceived type.Much as I like noses, I can’t recall the shape of hers — or even if she had one.All I can remember for sure is that she was no great beauty.It’s weird.
[5] “Yesterday on the street I passed the 100% girl,” I tell someone.
[6] “Yeah?” he says.“Good-looking?”
[7] “Not really.”
[8] “Your favorite type, then?”
[9] “I don’t know.I can’t seem to remember anything about her — the shape of her eyes or the size of her breasts.”
[10] “Strange.”
[11] “Yeah.Strange.”
[12] “So anyhow,” he says, already bored, “what did you do? Talk to her? Follow her?”[13] “Nah.Just passed her on the street.”
[14] She’s walking east to west, and I west to east.It’s a really nice April morning.
[15] Wish I could talk to her.Half an hour would be plenty: just ask her about herself, tell her about myself, and — what I’d really like to do — explain to her the complexities of fate that have led to our passing each other on a side street in Harajuku on a beautiful April morning in 1981.This was something sure to be crammed full of warm secrets, like an antique clock build when peace filled the world.