いつも大学でのお稽古が終わるのが9時ということで、妻が部屋で瀧乃屋チームのために夕飯を作って待っていてくれます
以下は妻の報告です
昨夜夕飯作りに取り掛かろうとしたところ、なんだか妙な匂いがしてきました
調理の匂いとは違うかなと思ったとほぼ同時にけたたましい警報音が鳴り響き「火事です。命を守るため今すぐ逃げてください。落ち着いてエレベーターを使わず非常階段で避難してください」との館内放送が…
無表情な声の放送が繰り返し流れる中、咄嗟にそばにあったバックを抱えて部屋に鍵もかけずに外に飛び出し非常階段で25階から1階を目指しました
降りても降りても一階まで辿り着かず、煙の匂いが強くなって来ました
果たして無事に逃げ切れるのかと思いましたが、無事一階に辿り着き、外へ飛び出すとたくさんの消防車と警察の車と避難して来た住民たちで大混乱
⬆️煙が充満して白くなっています
ちょうど消化活動を始めた消防士さんのホースから吹き出す水を被りつつ、途方に暮れてしまいました
とにかく落ち着こうと自分に言い聞かせはしたものの、Wi-Fiを持って来ていなかったので、誰とも連絡はとれず…しかも充電も残り23%
たまたま数ブロック先のワイキキビーチマリオットリゾートアンドスパに芝居のお客様の弟さんが、営業部長をしていらっしゃると伺っていたので着の身着のままでホテルまで呆然と歩いて行きました
フロントで事情を説明すると、フロントの女性は勤務時間外だから連絡がとれないと言いながらも一生懸命営業部長を探してくれたり、Wi-Fiを繋げてくれたり、トイレ行きたくなったらこれ使ってね、と鍵をくれたり(ハワイは防犯上ほとんどトイレは鍵がないと使えません)、水を持って来てくれたり、私の気持ちが落ち着くよう話をしてくれました
そしてもう勤務時間が終わったので帰るけれど、大丈夫？とどこまでも優しい対応をしてくださいました
そうこうしていたら営業部長の方が実はまだ運良く勤務していらして連絡がとれ、充電させていただいたり、万が一部屋に帰れなかった時のために部屋を一部屋おさえてくださったり、出来うる限りのサポートをしていただきました
また門之助には、たまたまLINEに交換していた学生で、お稽古に出ていなかった学生と連絡が取れ、彼女が大学の寮から稽古をしている劇場まで「全力疾走」(本人の言葉)して、門之助に事態を説明してくれました
そんなこんなで大騒ぎでしたが、数時間後に帰って見るとまだ煙と匂いはするもののあれだけたくさんいた消防車も警察も、住民も野次馬も誰もいません
えっ🤯
どういうこと
管理人さんに「大丈夫なんですか？」と聞いても平然と「今はね」
「今はね」
と思いながらも部屋へ行って見ると何も変わらず…
煙は残っていましたが、置いて行ってしまったパスポートも無事
一夜明けてみると、ベッドから起きることもできないほど膝がガクガク
階段は手すりに掴まらなければ、降りられない…歳をとればとるほど筋力トレーニングは大切と悟った出来事でした😆
そしてどんな時でも困っている人に、自分なりのサポートをすることができるということがとても大切だとあらためて痛感しました
門之助🤞
My wife prepares dinner and wait for us coming back from rehearsal at Kennedy Theater late at night.
Here’s what happened to her last night while she was preparing dinner.
As I was about to prepare dinner, I felt strange odor seemingly coming from outside hallway.
I thought someone was cooking, but then next moment, loud alarm started ringing, and urging us to evacuate using the stairs as soon as possible because of the fire.
So much terrified, I immediately grab my bag and ran away from my room without even locking the door.
But the way to the ground from the 25th floor was so long and scary with smoke coming from somewhere.
I could finally evacuate from the apartment, and surprised to see we were surrounded by lots of fire trucks, police cars, evacuees, and onlookers.
Dumbfounded, I started to walk in the water sprayed by firefighters.
Because I don’t have Wi-Fi once I left the room, I had no means to get in touch with anyone, and the display showed I had only 23% battery left.
The only thing I could think of was to go to a hotel 2 blocks away from the apartment that one of Monnosuke’s patron’s brother working as a sales director, but I even didn’t know if he was there.
When I reached at the hotel, I found out he had gone home already.
But the front clerk was such a sweet person and she tried to help me as much as possible.
Handing me her personal battery charger, talking to me to relax.
As I could refill the battery, I could get in touch with the director and luckily, he was still at the hotel.
He immediately reserved a room just in case we couldn’t go back to the apartment.
By then, all I wanted to do was to get in touch with Monnosuke to let him know I was evacuating at the hotel.
But he, the boys, or Julie were in the middle of rehearsal, and couldn’t reach them.
As I searched my iPhone anyone I could reach, there was a graduate student visited Tokyo this summer and I knew her LINE account.
I took a chance to call her but she didn’t answer, but she texted me “Are you OK?”.
Then I explained about the situation.
She was at her dorm but the moment later, she said “I’m sprinting to the theater to let Monnosuke sensei know that!”
I could imagine how fast she run in the darkness to the theater, and several minutes later, I could finally get in touch with Monnosuke.
Confirming that I’m okay, he came to the hotel to pick me up with Julie and the boys after finishing up the rehearsal.
Several hours later, when we went back, not a single firefighters, police cars, onlookers were there!
All gone!
And the janitor was in his room as usual, and I asked him “Is every okay now?”.
Can you believe what he said?
“For now”
What?
That’s it?
I was scared to death, I mean, do you think you don’t need to explain about the fire?
Anyway, when we went back to the room, still smoky but everything was as the same as I had evacuated, and the passports I had left were still there.
This morning as I woke up from the bed, my knees were weak.
From this experience, I have realized the older you get, the more exercise you need.
And you can always lend a helping hand to others whatever you can. It doesn’t matter what it is, the important thing is you think what you can do to help someone in need.