Kenji Has No Pyjamas

Kenji lived alone.

He had no furniture, no decorations on his walls, no plates or cutlery in the kitchen, no rug on the floor, nothing. His apartment was completely bare. It was just Kenji and the wooden floorboards.

It was the second Monday of the month and Kenji was about to start a ritual he performed on the second Monday of every month.

He stopped on his way out of the apartment complex by Miko’s place. Miko had a ground floor garden apartment directly under Kenji’s first floor apartment.

“Miko, it’s Monday, and, well it’s one of those Mondays, would you..”

“Sure Kenji, I’ll bring it all inside later on tonight, you can pick everything up from my place tomorrow. Make sure you come by before 8am though I’m taking Sheena to piano before school”

Kenji started to stutter a little “I…., I….”

Miko smiled. It’s OK Kenji. She took two fingers and tapped them against her heart. She nodded gently, still smiling, then closed the door.

Kenji smiled.

The markets were set up the same every month. They stretched for a mile along the footpath that lined the bank of the river. There was a uniformity to the stalls that Kenji really liked. It was one of his happy places.

He walked slowly down the path. Each stall had its own type of produce. There was artisan bread, cheeses, fresh seafood, deli meats and cakes. Kenji didn’t need any of those things but he loved the sounds and the smells of the markets. It helped him feel connected.

Kenji fell in love with the markets as a young child. His mother and father used to bring him here and he would watch the stalls for hours.

As he got older it become harder. Each time he went Kenji would expect it to be the same as the last time. If it wasn’t, he would become upset.

There was one time Marie’s cheese stall didn’t have the same number of vintage cheddar wheels it had the month before. Kenji lay on the footpath with his face down on the pavement groaning for 45 minutes.

Joe had the first fruit and vegetable stall if you were walking East along the river. Joe had the best fruit and vegetables.

“Ah! My boy Kenji! The great turnip whisperer!” yelled Joe. He had a loud voice. It hurt Kenji’s ears sometimes.

Kenji stopped to really focus on the produce at Joes. He was looking for something in particular. He didn’t know what it was yet though.

He was so careful, so gentle with everything.

He ran his finger over a melon, very slowly.

He knelt down on the floor and put his nose right up to a peach.

He picked up a tomato and held it to his cheek. He closed his eyes, just for a moment, then slowly put it back.

It was certainly a sight. Kenji slowly and deliberately pouring over every single item at the stall.

Finally he stopped. He had found it.

Kenji picked up a large radish. It was a plain looking radish, at least on the outside. He held it in one hand while his other hand gently stroked it.

He looked up at Joe. “I’ll take this radish please”.

At some point after his parents had died Kenji had decided to get rid of all the furniture. I mean, he couldn’t have it in the house for his monthly ritual, and it became too laborious moving everything out for one night and then back in the morning.

Kenji needed complete austerity for the ritual to work, he could have nothing around him, nothing to distract or pollute his mind.

That night Kenji had white shorts, sandals and a blue t-shirt on. He also had a sharp knife and a wooden chopping board. The only other object in Kenji’s apartment, was the radish.

Kenji started by cutting the radish in half very gently. The inside was the most vibrant red, he knew he’d picked right. It sat there on the wooden board in all its simplistic glory.

He then took all of his clothes off and threw them out the window.

Kenji sat there on the floorboards, naked, and very, very slowly, ate the radish.

The chopping board and the knife went out the window next. He heard the faint sound of them landing on the grass outside Miko’s place.

He curled up on the floor and slept.

It was 7:50am and Kenji was standing out the front of Miko’s house naked. His hands were clasped over his crotch.

There was a note on the door.

Had to leave early. Clothes in the letterbox, kitchen utensils you can get this evening

Kenji sat in the front row of the bus. Next to the driver. It felt good to have his shorts and t-shirt on again.

It was the second Tuesday of the month. He sat next to the driver as he needed to test and see if the ritual had worked.

Kenji stared at the driver. An old man with a white moustache.

**Ahh dammit, I forgot to feed the cat**

Did his mouth move? Kenji hadn’t noticed, he wasn’t concentrating enough. Kenji kept staring at the driver.

The bus stopped and on walked two girls in their 20’s.

It worked. Kenji could hear his thoughts.

Kenji blushed. There’s no way he said those things out loud. Kenji couldn’t look at the two girls after reading the old man’s thoughts.

It wasn’t a long bus ride, 20 minutes when the traffic was light. Kenji found his usual spot, a bench at the back of the school playground.

There she was. Ms Violet.

The kindest, sweetest person Kenji had ever met. Ms Violet was Kenji’s 3rd grade teacher 17 years ago.

He had been coming here on the second Tuesday of every month for the last four years. She had never seen him, but he had seen her and heard her thoughts.

As he watched her he thought back to when he was a child, how she had been so caring when his parents had died. How she knew how to talk to him, to keep him calm, to prevent his from getting upset.

The morning rolled on and Kenji learnt which kids were doing well, which were struggling. He learnt about Ms Violet’s daughter getting engaged, about her neighbour that had just got divorced and about her cat that had arthritis and needed to be put to sleep.

Kenji was still. His mouth was caught in a half smile and his eyes were full and watery. This was another one of his happy places.

It was 3:15pm and Kenji had gone to the deli across the high street that the school backed onto.

He sat up at the bar drinking a banana milkshake. He knew it was the radish, it just, spoke to him.

The door swung open. Kenji turned around and snorted in shock. Banana milkshake came out of his nose.

Ms Violet had just walked into the deli.

**Salami, bread, sun dried tomatoes, 200g cheddar and some olives…salami, bread, sun dried tomatoes, 200g cheddar and some olives…salami, bread, sun dried tomatoes, 200g cheddar and some olives.**

“Afternoon Harry”

“Afternoon Katie”

“Harry I’ve got guests for drinks and nibbles tonight. I need some salami, some olives, um, bread, some cheese and…oh bugger it….”

“Sun dried tomatoes” said Kenji.

Ms Violet looked across the counter. “Kenji Imeda? Is that you?”

“Yes ma’m”

“Oh my goodness. You are all grown up! Look at you! I’m so glad to see you, and to see you so healthy and grown. I just, I can’t believe my eyes, it’s been so long”

**Tragic. Tragic. It’s the autistic boy whose parents just abandoned him. Just keep it together Katie. He still doesn’t know. Remember, he doesn’t like to be touched, don’t hug him. Just…., just smile.**

Kenji put his forehead on the counter and let out a long sigh that turned into one of his groans. It only lasted a minute before it faded to silence.

“Ms Violet?”

“Yes my dear?”

“I’m sorry about your cat. Would you like a hug?”

Ms Violet smiled. Her eyes filled with tears while she slowly nodded.