Unexpected Gift From A Friend

I got a package from Emiko yesterday. I was puzzled rather than excited, as I had no idea why she sent me a present. It wasn’t my birthday, nor the anniversary of the day we first met. Besides, she had no reason to give me a present to celebrate our relationship in the first place.

The contents were potted boar and duck pates with fashionable labels. It looked really delicious, but the mystery as to why she sent them to me thickened. I contemplated the meaning of this present, and came up with an idea that she must have hunted a wild boar. This sounds quite plausible because she lives in the countryside. She was kind enough to share the big game with me.

I sent her a thank-you note to show my gratitude and respect, and she replied that it was a token of her appreciation for what I had done to help her design work last week. It was trivial work that doesn’t deserve any present, and I completely forgot about it. These potted meats were for no particular reason, but she thought foods would be appropriate for me as I hate hoarding unnecessary items. I was impressed with how thoughtful she was! At the same time, I felt sorry that I had misunderstood her motive. These were commercial products after all, and she had chosen pretty ones especially for me.

I should be more considerate, but the image of Emiko hunting a wild boar suited her so well. The meats would taste better if the mystery had remained unsolved.

英語仲間のエミコフさんから宅急便が届きました。贈り物などされる覚えもないし、なんの記念日でもないので、いったい何だろうと疑問に思いながら開封してみると、イノシシとカモのパテでした。瓶もラベルもお洒落で手作り風なんだけど、なぜわざわざ宅急便で送ってきたのかがわからない。もしかしたら本人が立派なイノシシを仕留めた記念なのかも・・・と思いつつお礼のメールを。

すると実は先週エミコフさんのお仕事のちょっとしたお手伝いをしたお礼で、既製品とのことでした…。私がこの間断捨離したのを知っていたので、モノが増えるのはよくないだろうということで、食べ物にしてくれたようです。なんと律儀な。そしてイノシシに深い意味はなかったみたい。

なぜエミコフさんが仕留めた獲物だと思ったかというと、以前仕事で1年ほど田舎に住んでいた時、その地方には普通に商店街に鉄砲店があり、地元の人に猟で仕留めた獲物をお礼の品として頂いたことがあったからです。しかも”腹具合が悪い。昨日食べたシカの心臓が生焼けだったから当たったのかも・・”などと言う人もいるような土地でした。

たっぷりガーリックをすりおろして、アボカドとベビーリーフとともに頂きました。エミコフさんが仕留めたイノシシだと勘違いしたまま食べたほうがより美味しかった気がします。