これは奥さんに
8
Sensei's prognosis, happily, did not come to pass. But within his prognosis was a clear message that, at the time, lacking in experience, I failed to grasp. I continued my visits. Before long, as a matter of course, I was joining Sensei for dinner. This necessitated, naturally, that I converse with his wife.
Like any other man, I was not indifferent to women. However, I was young at that time and had little experience forging any real ties with the opposite sex. Possibly on this account, my interest was merely passive - musings over unfamiliar women seen on the street. Sensei's wife, when I'd met her before in the entry hall, had impressed me as quite beautiful. On each subsequent meeting, I was impressed again by her beauty. However, beyond that there was nothing that struck me as noteworthy.
This is not to say that Sensei's wife was dull. It should rather be said that she had no occasion to show me her personal side. I came to regard her as a mere extension of Sensei. She, for her part, graciously received me as a student who called on her husband. Apart from Sensei as a common touch point, there was no connection whatsoever between us. From those early encounters, the only impression that remains with me is the impression of her beauty.