From
Packing Up
by Taeko Kushiro

Naoko hates packing. It shakes her self-confidence as a homemaker. Six years in Thailand have filled drawers and closets with the piles of the unnecessary. Still, it’s hard to leave them behind. Brought up in a large middle-class family, she never imagined she’d become a hoarder. If she’s an enthusiastic shopper now, there’s a good reason. She’s a victim of an extended stay in a foreign country where prices are incredibly low. Who’d blame a housewife’s wisdom in buying bigger T-shirts at a special price for her children’s future use? It’s a shame that this transfer came with just a month’s notice. Not enough time to use them all. Thank heavens they have few bulky clothes, living in a land of everlasting summer, with three seasons – hot, hotter, and hottest. There’ll be only a few boxes of new clothes. Nothing compared with what they’ve bought as souvenirs and mementos. Naoko looks around the spacious living room.

What is most valuable to them? The Buddha which spent half a year under muddy ground in Myanmar to look like an antique? Shiro adores its peaceful face. The Chinese brush painting of eight horses? Its frame cost more than the painting. Or the Imari ceramic plate Naoko bought at a garage sale? Its previous owner had suddenly lost her husband, and had to sell his art collection before leaving. How is she now, Naoko wonders.

When lives can be easily taken away, how can we stop things from vanishing?

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