A Gesture Life

At the hospital, Hata befriends a shy, sweet candy striper named Veronica. The teenager brings Hata a selection of books and magazines, making friendly conversation and quietly reading together. Veronica’s father was a police chief that died during her infancy, and her mother, Officer Como, became a Bedley Run police officer after Hata called the station to vouch for her. In the years after, Officer Como would double-park in front of Sunny Medical Supply to warn off vandals. Hata is pleased to see how Veronica grew into a fine young woman without a father.

Though the doctor is sure that Hata has recovered, Hata feels he has shingles. Hata doesn’t want to express discomfort because he likes Veronica’s company. He finds this desire strange—he has always been a solitary person. Though Hata enjoys the company of others, he felt most himself when alone. He acknowledges that many people, including Mary, identify themselves through a filter of associations. Hata then admits that he had to relinquish his ties from the shared sacrifice of wartime culture for the relative freedoms of civilian American life.

Veronica describes how beautiful people are often the most distant, and Hata agrees—having dealt with the complications of Sunny’s beauty.