It was dark and cold that night on my way home from work. I stood at the platform, waiting for the tram. The opposite streetcar went by, and as it dashed away the trees moved and the leaves twirled. Then a sudden ignition sparked from the electric cables and in that precise and abrupt moment, night became day and I was brought back to the platform in Japan. In that flash of a moment, the dark, gray trees altered into bright cherry blossoms. The black sky became baby blue. I had a light yellow dress on, and you stood right next to me.

 

I heard my own voice echoing: "It's so pretty! I want to live here!" I had said. And you became very quite and I wondered what you were thinking, hoping you were picturing it. "You'd probably need a car here," you commented.