CHAPTER FOUR A 100% Sunshine Girl Eyewitness Account A— K_ko (age 26), housewife, resident of Koutou Ward, Tokyo It really isn’t a big deal—certainly not enough to go out of your way to tell people about. My son is still only four, and I’m sure he sometimes has trouble telling the difference between fantasy and reality. But—yes. I saw them, too. Or I felt like I did. Yes, of course. I’ll start at the beginning, then. —The weather that day? Rainy, obviously. I mean, it’s been raining for ages, hasn’t it? The bad weather started long before this summer, but that day, it was especially nasty with all that wind and lightning. We’re on the thirty-eighth floor—yes, our building’s a high-rise—and the view is amazing in a storm. The rain clouds rushing at the windows look like CG straight out of a movie, and you can see lightning strike the building. Because of the weather, preschool was closed, and my son was home. I was cooking, I think— Oh, what were we making? I’m pretty sure it was bagna càuda. No, not at all, it’s surprisingly simple! It goes well with wine, and it’s a hit with both men and women. Yes, that’s right. When us moms have our get-togethers, we take turns providing the food. If it’s too plain, everyone gets bored, and if it’s too fancy, people think you’re trying to say something, so bagna càuda is perfect. If you’ve got one nice centerpiece dish, then the whole thing is appealing even if the rest is only pasta or bread or Ritz crackers. Those of us in the mothers’ group tend to be rather conscious of one another that way. (Thirty minutes of talk about the mothers’ group follows.) Phew. So, what was it we were talking about? —Oh yes, of course! When the fish fell from the sky. Page 47 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com