小学校同級会 (Reunion of Our Elementary School Class)

　旧石引小学校の同級会が金沢犀川峡温泉の滝亭で、6月2日夕方から3日朝にかけて行われた。A 先生ご夫妻、アメリカからの H・I さんとその妹も含め、出席者総数は27名、うちクラス OG は15名、OB は9名だった。クラスの児童数は61名だったが、そのうち男児6名はすでに故人となっている。傘寿の祝詞を受けて、A 先生（実際はすでに83歳）が挨拶をされたが、最初にいわく、「私が石引小学校へ来たのは、皆さんが卒業してからのことです。」元児童からは、「あり得ない！」「その通り、といって上げよう！」などのヤジが飛ぶ。先生は痴呆症なのではなく、「私は皆さんが卒業して間もなく、石引小学校を去りました」を、いい間違えられたのだった。こうして、爆笑のうちに始まったパーティは、愉快な雰囲気に終始し、それは2次会へも続いた。まさに、小学生時代へタイムスリップした一夜だった。

The reunion of our class at the former Ishibiki Elementary School in Kanazawa was held at the Japanese style hotel Takitei in Kanazawa Saikawakyo Spa from the evening of June 2 to the morning of June 3, 2005. Participants were our teacher Mr. A and his wife, 16 class OGs including Prof. H.I. from US and her younger sister to help her travel, and nine OBs including myself; a total of 27 people. The number of pupils in our class was 61. Among them six OBs died already.

The party of the reunion took place from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. We were seated along the three lines of tables put in the shape of Π, with Mr. A at the center of the shorter line. Mrs. A who has a problem at her knees took a seat at the corner of one of the two long sides. The other participants' seats were determined by drawing.

The organizer in chief, Y.T., presided the party. He explained that this reunion celebrated Mr. A's age of 80 (actually he is now 83 years old) and ours of 70, and then asked Mr. A to give a short talk. Mr. A began saying, "I came to Ishibiki Elementary School just after you finished it." Some OGs and OBs said, "Oh, no! Then we couldn't have been your pupils!" "It's wrong!" "Let's say for his honor, 'Mr. A is quite right.' " and so on.

Does Mr. A have Alzheimer's disease? No, that was a slip of the tongue. He wanted to say, "I left Ishibiki Elementary School soon after you finished it." Thus the reunion started with a big laughter, and merry mood continued all through the party and a party after party, which ended at 11:00 pm. It was an experience like a time slip into elementary school days.

At the party after party, H.I. told me that she had had the disaster of losing the memory of her lap-top computer by exposing it to X-ray inspection at an airport. On June 5, I called her at her mother's house in Takarazuka to ask if I could help her with her computer. However, it seemed that I could have nothing to do, because she had lost only document files and because she had back-up files back in US. Wishing to get a copy of her publication some day, I sent her the book "Kagami no Naka no Hidarikiki (A Left-Hander in a Mirror)," in which I had written a comment of twenty pages.

[The above English text is also given at the "IDEA & ISAAC: Surely I'm Joking" site under the title "Then we couldn't have been your pupils!"]

［以下、最初の掲載サイトでのコメント欄から転記］

四方館 06/11/2005
　１クラス61名というのが時代を物語りますね。私の場合で、52、3名だったでしょうか。今は、２クラスあった学年で同窓会をしていますが、連絡先不明者が半数以上という状態です。

Ted 06/11/2005
　先生が当時24歳で、61名をよく指導されたものと感心します。落ちこぼれ的な学力状態のままの児童も何人かいましたが。私たちのクラスの連絡先不明者は、61名中6名のみです。

Y 06/11/2005
How do you explain your computer not to be exposed to X-ray inspection at an airport?

Ted 06/11/2005
Oh, you have to learn how to say on that occasion in order to go to USA. Simple words for asking this would be, "Please pass this lap-top computer without X-ray inspection."