HOPES AND WANDERINGS

Extract from Chapter 3

Mr. Kawamoto gets out of his luxurious gray sedan, grabs his briefcase and climbs quickly the stairs of the town hall. He is late for the city council. He does not like these meetings, the big room is cold and humid and if he can find pleasure in negotiating, he does not really respect his peers. The city mayor in particular may be supportive and more efficient than his predecessors, but could not have been elected without the businessman’s endorsement.

Mr. Kawamoto hoped to stimulate the economic life of the province and perhaps one day establish a political career there. But he was not there yet. In the short term, he needed above all to develop his business and give the taste of success to the other members of the board. When he was younger, he made the mistake of believing this would be an easy task, but the restlessness of other council members had lost him many opportunities. For a reason that he could not understand, some citizens just wanted to stay anchored in the past, even if it meant letting their cities wither away little by little with the exodus of the young generations.

He had therefore prepared his project carefully and it was with confidence that he pushed open the heavy door of the meeting room. He rushes in while his peers are standing talking together and goes straight to the mayor, shaking hands with him ostensibly. He then nods to the mayor’s political adviser who is attending the meeting and has proven his usefulness on several occasions. He quickly greets a few notables and settles down in his seat. The other advisers are called to do the same so that the session officially begins.

Several innocuous matters are called to the vote, most of them known for a long time and included in the city’s annual budget. Had his project not been a topic of the day, he would have argued that he had a business trip to avoid this tedious session. However, the agenda for the day included the planning permission to build a shopping center on the edge of the municipality. Mr. Kawamoto’s construction companies will naturally be called upon to participate in the project and the mayor sees it as a definite opportunity to energize the city.

The voice of a CDP adviser, Mr Kato, however, is against the project. The old man represents this fraction of the population who opposes Mr. Kawamoto’s projects. Mr Kawamoto stares at his opponent, Mr Kato, whose small stature gives him a frail appearance. While many advisers make the effort to wear a suit, Mr. Kato’s brown cotton jacket contrasts with the seriousness of this assembly. For the businessman, the serene face of Mr Kato, his attachment to great and obscure principles, betray the arrogance of a life spent in the security of a function, a life spent without the daily struggles necessary to bring a livelihood for employees and their families.
Mr. Kawamoto would do better without such representatives, but there are not so many volunteers to participate in the municipal council. Mr. Kato was originally from Hokkaido, but, as time went by, he had built up a solid network of friendships in the community …Mr Kawamoto reckoned that any great man would have to deal with such opposition as he endeavors to brush off his frustration.

Mr Kato stands up and calmly states his arguments: he insists repeatedly on the environmental impact of the project, which will affect the quality of life of residents in the vicinity of the new center, and stresses the risk of competition with town shops, who owners are already struggling to generate enough revenue. His words ring true, especially as the supply of shopping centers in neighboring cities is already quite large.

Mr Kawamoto frowns at the mayor, who is taking too long to intervene to his liking. Mr Kawamoto grumbles: “What is wrong with him? It’s as if he is buying into all that nonsense. He must be half asleep once again”. Mr Kawamoto now looks towards the political adviser, his disillusioned look betrays his anguish. The adviser had understood very well that the situation was taking a wrong turn, but was waiting for Mr Kawamoto to come to him and recognize his contribution to solving this hazardous path. It does not take him much effort to fix the issue: the advisor makes a few steps towards the mayor, who pulls himself together as he notices the adviser’s maneuver.

The mayor stands up, raising his hand to take back control of the meeting. He stresses the importance for the city to remain competitive towards other economic hubs and highlights the benefits of innovation for the province. The answer does not satisfy Mr. Kato, who would like to fight back, but the mayor quickly calls for a vote. Mr Kawamoto had already secured the number of votes required to win the ballot long before this day and the business is therefore finally settled. As the meeting ends, Mr. Kawamoto leaves victorious and satisfied to be able to go on with his projects.

As usual after his official meetings, Mr. Kawamoto leaves to visit his father, to whom he reports on current affairs and inquires about his health. The old man lives on the edge of town in a traditional house standing high on the side of a hill. Mr. Kawamoto climbs the ten-meter staircase to reach the front door.

As a child, he took pride in this house which gave him the impression that his family was of some importance, after all, the guests who went to their homes had to pay a considerable effort to do so. Growing up though, Mr. Kawamoto realized the drawbacks of such a home and began to envy those of his friends who lived in apartments in the city center. Perhaps, it was at this point in his life that his calling as a real estate developer really began. On the right of the house, his parents had established a beautiful traditional tsukiyama garden, but after the death of his mother, the garden had lost its appearance, his father contenting himself with regularly pruning the branches of black pines.

Whatever the financial limits of his family, Mr. Kawamoto had always kept the greatest respect for his father. Over the years, he had gained a reputation for being reliable in the community and the region, and his wise advice had guided him on numerous occasions. He was in a way the guarantor of respectability that many ambitious entrepreneurs could not have.

Mr Kawamoto sits down, as always, at the family table and the two men slowly drink a cup of tea before talking about the agenda of the day.

The Gluck Kingdom
by Michaël R. Louis
Copyright © 2020 Michaël R. Louis
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13 : 979-8-6573-2631-4