赤紙が来た
昨日、東京から深夜に帰宅。早や家のなかは真っ暗でシィーンと静まり返っている。ところが玄関を開けるや否や、脱兎の如く廣太郎（愛犬）が飛んできて、何ともいえない甘え声を出しながら飛びかかる、腰を下ろすや顔をなめまわす。一日家を空けると、普段とは一寸様子が違う。完全に我を忘れ、わけ判らなく、走り廻っては飛び掛る。まさに狂喜乱踊である。人間もこれくらいストレートに愛情表現が出来たならなー・・・。
リビングに入るとテーブルの上に小生不在時に届いた葉書や手紙の類が置かれていた。先般、松江の「しんじこ温泉」で行われた同窓会の写真を皆に送ったので、お礼の返事が数枚あり、そのなかに混じって、「赤紙」が届いていた。
いよいよ！！。「北朝鮮と戦闘状態に入れり、トラ・トラ・トラ！！。テポドンなど恐れるに足りず」。で、早速若き小生に赤紙か？。 雀躍する感激に咽びつつ、その赤紙を手にすると、なな何と、「介護保険被保険者証」。だれ宛？、「氏名、松谷廣信」。なな何なんだ、これは？。何が介護保険被保険者証だ！ 怒り心頭？、これが飲まずに居られるか・・で、結局床についたのは２時過ぎ。
眠い眼をこすりつつ会社に来ると、ピチピチの女子社員が、黄色い声で、社長おめでとう・・・一寸早いけど。
これは嬉しいね・・・英気倍増だ！！。
それに比べ、国の遣ること成すこと・・・「介護保険被保険者証」、何だこんもの・・これが毎年、何百万も税金を払うマッちゃんへの誕生日プレゼントか（チョッと云い過ぎか？）。しかも、何万円払えとの計算書までご丁寧についていた・・・・。
Yesterday, I returned home from Tokyo in the middle of the night. It was dark and quiet in the house. As soon as I opened the front door, however, Krotaro (my beloved dog) jumped at me, making an indescribably sweet voice, and licked my face as I sat down. When I am away from home for a day, I feel a little different than I usually do. Completely forgetting myself, I don’t understand, I run around and jump on them. It is indeed a frenzied dance. If only humans could express their love so straightforwardly….
When I entered the living room, there were postcards and letters on the table that had arrived while I was away. The other day, I sent a photo of the reunion held at Shinjiko Onsen in Matsue to everyone, so there were a few replies thanking me, and among them was a “red paper”.
At last! Put North Korea in a war zone, tiger, tiger, tiger! It’s not enough to be afraid of Tepodon. So, is it a red letter to the young me immediately? Sobbing with excitement, I held the red paper in my hand, and what was it, the “Certificate of Insurance Coverage for Long-Term Care Insurance”. Who is this to? Name, “Matsutani Hironobu”. What the hell is this? What the hell is a long-term care insurance card! Angry? I didn’t know if I could stay without drinking, so I went to the floor after 2 o’clock.
When I came to the office, rubbing my sleepy eyes, a perky female employee said in a yellow voice, “Congratulations to the president…it’s a little early.
