ブックタイトルeigo13

概要

eigo13

worried about the color of my face. I asked my mother about it. She said, “It’snormal. Your face looks nice.” When I asked her to bring a mirror, she said,“It’s in the warehouse, so I will ask someone to bring it later.” However, shedidn’t do that. One day, I woke to find myself alone in the room. I went to themain building so that I could look at my face in the mirror in the bathroom.I was very surprised to see my face. It was red and the part around my cheekwas swollen and an ugly dark red. Most of my hair had fallen out and I wasalmost bald. Also, I had a lot of keloid scars from burns. From that time, Inever told my mother to bring a mirror again.Every summer, I had attacks of anemia. Every winter, I often caughtcolds. Every spring and autumn, the scars of burns hurt. All year round, Ihad headaches and I felt as if my head were filled with heavy lead. Doctorssaid that it was because I was suffering from chronic otitis. I had operationsthree times. However, I didn’t feel any better. I had to go to hospital almostevery day and I couldn’t enjoy my life at all.I grew up to be a young lady. At that time, I hardly ever went out. Myface color was an ugly dark red like Umeboshi, pickled plum. I couldn’trecover the normal skin color. I heard that if I infused medical herbs andtook them, my skin condition would be better. I tried doing that, but in vain.I was called “a walking keloid” or “an atomic-bomb lady victim.” People eyedme with disfavor. I wore long sleeved shirts even in summer in order to hidemy keloid.I liked taking a bath. When our house’s bath system didn’t workproperly, I went to a public bathhouse nearby but only when there were a fewpeople there. I didn’t want people to see my keloid, so I washed my body inthe corner of the bathroom and quickly warmed myself up in the bathtub.When I went there for the third time, as soon as I entered the bathtub, allthe people there got out of the bathtub. I was left alone there, so I took mytime soaking in the bath without caring about other people. However, when Iwent into the changing room, there were a lot of people, staring and grinningat me. The woman who collected fees at the public bathhouse said to me,“Don’t come to this bathhouse any more. Your unpleasant keloid scarsfrighten our customers.” I rushed out and went home, crying bitterly. Icondemned my mother for saving my life. “Why didn’t you let me die? If Ihad died then, I would not have gone through such bitter experiences likethat.” My mother’s eyes filled with tears and said, “Your sister didn’t come