EXERCISE: Where did she go?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

First posted 10 June 2007

Ho, ho.

My wife told me I wouldn't enjoy it, and she was almost right. It's one of those odd Japanese shows that I usually avoid. This one focuses on various people who have been separated from family or friends, usually for years, and brings them back together, or at least brings a note.

However, one of today's . . . you can't call them contestants, can you? People who are looking for a missing connection? One of the people on today's show caught my imagination. A young man, with a sad story of going to a bar . . . one or two nights a month, for a year? and falling in love with one of the bar girls. A waitress? No, let's call her a hostess, one of those graceful young ladies who helps you drink in a Japanese bar, listens to your talk, and then moves on to the next table.

Anyway, He said he was sure that she was also in love with him, although of course the bar rules prohibit consorting with customers. But then one day she disappeared. He proclaimed that he had offered to marry her, and then she disappears! And he really, truly would like to meet her again. So the show did their magic, getting a detective to track down the vanished hostess . . . and what does the panel recommend? Well, before even hearing his story, they were mostly against the meeting. Basically, they thought the hostess was probably just trying to get money, and that he would do best to forget her and go on. Then he protested, no, no, she wasn't that kind of girl! And the second vote? Still mostly against meeting.

And now, behind the door, there might be the girl, a note from her, or maybe nothing (yeah, we've had a few who simply refused to deal with the whole thing, although that's unusual). What do you think? [cut to commercial . . . they always have a commercial at this point, with the door just starting to open]

Frankly, at this point I was thinking about the exercise. Imagine, if you will, that young man and the hostess. Feel free to add in the bar owner or other customers, or perhaps his family? But focus on the story of him falling in love, discovering the disappearance, and his attempts to find the missing girl. Was she out to take his money? Did she disappear to save him from himself? Or was there something else behind her disappearance? I have to admit I heard the story and thought that she was probably more honest than people were giving her credit for. I thought she saw that he was falling for her, and left for his sake. After all, if she was really after his money, sticking around would have been easy.

Anyway, have fun with the vanishing hostess. Why did she leave? How can he find her? He doesn't even have a glass slipper.

You can also tell this from her point of view, of course. Or intertwine the two stories?

tink

PS. On the TV show, she was not behind the door. Instead, there was a note simply saying that for her it had been work, not love. She had gone on to another job and was very happy with her life. She hoped he would go on with his life and not try to find her anymore.

Do you think he will be able to forget her?