Mamachari Matchmaker – Chapter 7

MAMACHARI

“Do you have everything you need for today?”

Eriko stands next to me, her feet tapping away as she digs in her panda-shaped bag propped up against her panda’ed chest. She wasn’t kidding when she said she loved pandas. This is an entirely different outfit than the one she wore the day she bought me. She must have an entire wardrobe of panda.

“Yes, I think so.” Her voice shakes as she throws her backpack on her shoulders and I wouldn’t be surprised if she started crying.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I just can’t believe I’m going on an actual date. I haven’t dated anyone in years! Not since college. Even then, my longest relationship lasted only a few months. He never even met my parents.” She unlocks my frame from the bike rack in the building and kicks us off into the quiet streets of her neighborhood. I’ve grown to love this neighborhood over the past two weeks. The little old lady always fussing over her potted plants on the sidewalk, the public bath around the corner, the perfect line of vending machines across the street — they all have become familiar territory now.

“I’m wondering something, Eriko. Why didn’t you dress up today? I thought for sure you would be in costume.”

“God, no.” She snorts and laughs as we round the bend the metro station. “If I dressed up for this event, I’m pretty sure I would scare him off.”

“What does your costume look like?”

“My favorite one is this pink cropped top with white vinyl along the collar and sleeves, plus tight pink hot pants with a cat tail, and boots.” She swallows and laughs again. “You know, describing it out loud, it sounds ridiculous, but it’s from one of my favorite scifi manga where the heroine dresses like a cat to fit in with the local aliens who are cat-like…” She shakes her head. “Never mind.”

She rolls to a stop outside of the station, and walking up and down the line of bikes, she cranes her head looking for an open slot. “Ah, here.” She wheels me into a space between two other mamacharis. Good. I’ll have someone to talk to today.

“Sorry I can’t bring you with me today. I’ll be downtown, and it’ll be easier for me to take the train or a cab later. I’ll make sure I come back and get you either way.”

“That’s fine. I’m excited you’re going on a date! I wish I was your phone or an earring or something smaller you could take along with you.”

She laughs again, relaxing more, her shoulders and arms loosening up. I’m worried she’ll get to her destination and turn around because she’ll be too nervous.

“Do you get to pick the places you inhabit?”

I sigh. “No. I was nothing and then I was a bike. I don’t know how it happened.”

She glances at her phone. “Train’s coming. I’ll see you later.”

“Good luck!” I call to her. She waves to me as she descends the stairs into the station.

“I, for one, would rather be a car,” the mamachari next to me says.

“I was thinking a nice pair of shoes,” the bike on my right interrupts.

Funny that once we’re objects that can go anywhere, we don’t want to be anything but.