I moved to Tokyo for work a few years ago and ended up at a black company where it's hard to take time off. Finally, I managed to get three consecutive days off and decided to go back home. My mother warmly welcomed me in, exhausted both physically and mentally as I was. This summer is particularly hot, and life at my parents' house without air conditioning left me sweating from morning till night. Perhaps it was the heat making me delirious…I found myself captivated by the sweat trickling down my mother's neck, the beads of sweat dripping from her forehead, and the sweat glistening on her chest.
