A Chance Encounter

[der meister 3,246]

Seattle Bears defenseman Ryuji Sakamoto is in a weird headspace. After flying out two of his closest friends for the playoffs, the Bears promptly lost the series in 3 straight, leading to a sudden void. I've noticed that Sakamoto typically struggles with transitions, as he is nothing if not a creature of habit. This time, however, he seems to have taken the loss in stride and simply continued moving forward as if nothing was going to upset his balance. Perhaps that can be attributed to the presence of Ren Amamiya and Ann Takamaki, but I've personally found this newfound "maturity" unsettling.

 

That's not to say that Sakamoto doesn't care about hockey or the success of the Bears franchise, mind. The morning following the game three defeat, he was up early to work out, getting in his full 45-minute routine before the sun had barely eclipsed the treetops. He then left the house, returning a short time later with a bag of fresh pastries from a bakery down the road. Surprisingly, Sakamoto also fired up the stovetop and fried a dozen eggs to go along with the pastries.

 

Watching Sakamoto transform – and I truly cannot think of a better word than transform – from a rather insolent loner, a punk with a chip on his shoulder, to a balanced young man capable of being a good host to his friends. In another life, Sakamoto probably could have been a successful corporate employee, living a quiet, if forgettable life and being relatively content with his lot in life. Instead, he's an international athlete, a world class physical specimen still waiting for his true breakout season.

 

After his friends departed to return to Japan, Sakamoto didn't become angry or mopey, or any of the other things I might have expected of him. He continued to work out, spending long hours in his home gym, largely leaving me to my own devices. Occasionally, he would invite me to exercise with him, though I always declined, unless it was for a brisk walk outside on the sidewalks and streets of Redmond.

In any good story, the peace and prosperity cannot last forever. Tranquility is nothing in the face of conflict, and Sakamoto's story is an ongoing example of such a thing. One day when we were out on a walk, each of us silent and simply enjoying the world outside, Sakamoto suddenly blurted out something that would change both of our lives forever.

 

"Hey, man. You see that bar over there?" Sakamoto pointed across the street to a place called the Jump House. "Me an' Ren an' Ann went out there one night when they were visiting. I had to hit the bathroom, you know, and this guy shows up when I'm washin' my hands. He's holdin' out a piece of paper, so I thought maybe he just wanted an autograph or sumthin', but he's like, 'Here's my card. If you're ever looking for work, show up to this address at the time on the card. We'll make it worth your while.' I took it before I knew what I was doin', and, I've been giving it some thought. I dunno, man. It might be fun to see what else is going on in this city, at least during the offseason, you know?"

 

Where fate struck...

W

[JCarson 744]

Article Review:  This is a well written story about the player.  Provides some contexts of both the actions and the thoughts of the player.  It is fun and somewhat mysterious.  It would be interesting to see where this leads, what is the strange gig that the unknown man has to offer. The VHL could use more story type posts of this nature, fun, creative, that expand the universe of the characters beyond statistics and technical aspects of the VHL mechanics.

 

Giving this story a 9/10.