The Weird Middle-aged Man at Kosora Cafe

A Slow Goodbye

早陣子才在SECRET PLACE介紹了名古屋的Kosora Cafe,未想到一星期後,便得知老闆娘決定結業了。「最近客人太多了,我想遷到較僻靜的、能看到海的地方。」老闆娘說。我有點失落,家附近能教我安心自在地待著發呆的,就只有Kosora而已,再過幾天,便不得不跟它說再見。

原本Kosora的店員,除了老闆娘外,還有一個看來五十來歲的男人。因為男人的樣子與舉動都有點奇特,起初我笑稱他是怪叔叔。這幾個星期都不見怪叔叔的踪影,因為老闆娘說還沒有決定搬遷地點,我和丈夫胡亂猜想,他可能是去探索新的落腳點。

怪叔叔瘦小而乾㿜㿜的,牙齒幾乎掉光了,說話聲音很大,總是穿著有點破爛的T恤,走路時姿態有點佝僂,跟客人說話時有點嬉皮笑臉,收拾過的桌子總了留下食物的殘渣。起初我有點怕他,但於他不在店裡的日子,卻莫名奇妙地感到若有所失。坐在慣常望到池塘的位置,代替怪叔叔的年青店員小心翼翼地放下水杯與餐牌,用心地交待當天的午餐時,我才發現,原來Kosora閒逸而無拘無束的氣氛,是因為怪叔叔的存在。突然有點懷念怪叔叔放下水杯,叉著腰,自作主張地替我們點菜,說:「一份午餐,一份素食餐,飯要加大!」

聽丈夫說,Kosora的原址,先後曾開設過燒雞店、付設卡啦OK的小酒館、意大利餐廳,但都不及Kosora與在池畔的小木屋如此相配。這周三便是Kosora最後的營業日,或許我不該太難過,萬物有生自有滅,我得慶幸自己能跟這空間相遇,好好地相處過。

我和丈夫決定在Kosora結業前每天到訪,跟這地方、待在池畔平台上的幾隻秋田犬、在停車場上隨意走動的母雞們、野貓們、豬屋裡的四頭黑豬,還有老闆娘緩緩地告別。不知道這幾天有否機會見到怪叔叔。「他啊,醉酒駕駛被抓了,又不想繳五十萬日元的罰款,寧願坐牢去了,說才不過一百四十多天,還有大伙兒伴他吃飯。」老闆娘輕描淡寫的說,我們忍唆不禁。

果然是個怪叔叔。

It was not long ago that we recommended the Kosora Cafe in Nagoya in our SECRET PLACE column. Who would have expected the news about the closing of the cafe only one week after publishing the article? “The place is recently overcrowded with customers. I would like to move the cafe to somewhere quieter by the sea,” said the female owner. I was a little upset about the fact that soon in a few days time, I would need to say goodbye to Kosara — the only place in my neighborhood where I can be completely at ease to immerse myself in my thoughts.

In Kosora, there are regular two staff in total, the female owner and a man in his 50s. Not only does this man have a rather peculiar appearance, but he also has an unusual manner. In the beginning, I jokingly said he was a weird middle-aged man. It has been a few days since we last saw Weird Middle-aged Man in the cafe. My husband and I thought he might be looking for a new location for the cafe since the owner said they have not yet found one.

Weird Middle-aged Man looks unhealthily skinny. When he opens his toothless mouth to talk, his voice is always exceptionally loud. He always wears some ripped shirts and walks with a hunchback. He talks to customers in a casual and unattentive way; he also leaves crumbs on the tables even after the cleanup. In the beginning, I was a little bit afraid of him, but not seeing him in the cafe made me feel like something was missing. Sitting at our usual spot facing the pond, a young waiter came to serve us in replacement of Weird Middle-aged Man. After carefully placing the glasses and the menu on the desk, he began to introduce us the lunch menu of the day. His sincerity made me realize it was precisely the strange manner of Weird Middle-aged Man that created the relaxing vibe of Kosora. All of a sudden, I missed how he put down the drinking glasses, stood with his arms akimbo and decided what we should order even before asking. He would say, “You will get one set lunch and one vegetarian set with extra rice!”

My husband said before Kosora was opened, the place was one after another occupied by a grilled chicken restaurant, a small bar that had karaoke booth, and an Italian restaurant. However, none of them matched the pondside wood hut as Kosora does. Kosora will be closing this Wednesday. Perhaps I should not feel too sad about it since every story has an end. I should simply be grateful for getting to know this place and have so many enjoyable moments there.

My husband and I decided to visit the cafe every day until its last day, so as to slowly farewell the cafe, together with the Akita dogs lingering around the platform by the pond, the hens strolling freely in the carpark, the stray cats, the four black pigs in the pigsties, as well as the female owner. I wondered if we could meet Weird Middle-aged Man again, but the owner casually told us, “He got caught for drunk driving. Not wanting to pay the five hundred thousands yen fine, he would rather go to the prison. He said it was only a bit longer than 140 days, and there would be people eating with him.” Hearing this story, we really could not help laughing.

He is a Weird Middle-aged Man after all.

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