Hardly any of the noise escaped the insular consciousness of Kanno, and only his son, Ryota, recognized it.
It had been a bizarre day for the 28-year old Kanno, who woke up, still feeling groggy, from the most vivid dream he had ever had. He had dreamed a little of his childhood: He'd been a kid again, and grown up, and then he'd had a vivid dream about his father, and finally, he'd sat in class.
In the classroom, he had been the teacher. His knowledge to the student body was astounding; he knew all the answers to the questions on the board. When the students were stunned by his complete understanding of their chosen material, he told them to go back and read the books the teachers had assigned.
The students stared at him in awe.
He stopped the lecture and leaned against the podium closely to the students. Those present thought he was going to say something, and they figured it was probably good to listen.
It wasn't what he said that surprised them, but the way he said it: With a glazed smile, he gave a wry, and quiet chuckle.
The students couldn't figure out what had happened.
They assumed Kanno felt refreshed, and that they would soon begin. Kanno's voice had no animation to it, but it seemed to them that it was perfectly clear; he said the same thing, over and over, with slight variations, but always a gentle and litany.
"Remember, you can never say the same thing twice, but you must always say something. Do not repeat yourself, and always be thinking of something to say. Don't follow the path of the mind, and please don't think of what you know. Well, you should think of it, but don't think about it. Don't let your life revolve around your work. It is to others that you, yourself, must relate. And never become a danger to the ones you love. And never let them be a danger to you."
Kanno spoke these words in a monotonic voice. Then he started speaking a little faster, in a hymnal voice, but his words didn't change. As his pace increased, he started to take on more energy, a slight smile on his lips.
"Don't let people become what they didn't want to become. Let your life end, but try to allow it to last as long as you can. Don't say you'll do what you can, do it. Think for yourself. Be spontaneous. Think of others. Be spontaneous, think for yourself, be bold, get out there and live your life. Be spontaneous. It is not enough to live your life as it is right now. You have to live for tomorrow. Go for it. Live for tomorrow. Don't go through the motions of life as it is now. Do more. Love more... be more... defy mortality. Live countless lives. Reach the stars. Take risks. Be bold. Be courageous. And the stars will shine on you."
His voice sped up and his energy soared.
"Be wonderful. Be himself. Be daring. Dream true. Never be half-hearted. Be daring. Dare to be great! Bravery. Be bold. Be brave. Dare to be different. Be daring. The future depends on you. You will create it; you will leave it."
The words spurred Kanno on. The volume of his voice increased dramatically, and his eyes blazed.
"Be wonderful, be daring, be brave, live your life to the fullest. Dare to be different, dare to be daring, dare to defy mortality. The stars will shine on you, and when you are old, you will look back on the life you've lived. And you will see the beauty of it. You will see the love that you shared, and the success you've had, and the courage you have." He paused, and looked around at the students, who were staring at him in absolute awe. Then he spoke again.
"Don't cling to life. Live the life you want to lead. Dare to be dangerous. Dare to live."
Kanno stopped abruptly; his arms dropped to his side, and his head lowered to look at the ground.
Ryota Kanno was amazed; he was confused, and glad his mother had not woken up yet. If she woke up, she would be confused as well.
In a few minutes, Kanno sat up, startled out of his reverie, and then was amazed to see that his son was awake.
"It's your 18th birthday, father. I think it's time I told you what I got you."
"Does it have to be now?"
"Yes," said Ryota. "I don't want to wait anymore."
Ryota drew a black box from the desk drawer. He opened it and took out a shiny silver disc.
Kanno reached out for it, but his son stopped him.
"This is just a small gift, father. You won't be needing this for a while. You're not retiring, and the company has its own system. But thought it would be a nice final present anyway. I'm sorry it took me so long to get it to you."
Kanno took the device from him. "I don't know what it is, Ryota. Did you get the company to help pay for it? It must have cost a small fortune!"
"I paid for it myself," said the son, "with my new job. Dad, I made an agreement with the company to stay at work for a little while. I signed up for a sabbatical leave, and I was going to go away for a while. But I've decided not to go. I'm going to stay in the city and take a job at the company - my position in the company, I mean. Not the one I'm backing up. I get a nice salary, and I'm taking sick days for the the next three months. Dad, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I mean, I think I would have been in just a little earlier."
"Ryota, you don't need money. We had money when you were born. You always had everything you needed. It's not like we were poor, or anything. I'm not interested in your new job. I would rather you came home and visited. I'm really sorry I can't give you more presents. I didn't know you were this well off. How much did I do for you?"
"Not much," said Ryota. "I only did about a hundred dollars of your back working. There's still some of that money left, and I wouldn't spend that all anyway. I'm not in debt."
"Ryota, I don't want money from you. I want you by my side."
"I am, dad. I promise I am. I'll be coming home every few weeks, and I will always be in touch with you. Don't worry about money. I will back you up when you need the extra money. I also want you to be happy. If I lose all this responsibility that is not too likely. I don't know if I'll be satisfied. It's great fun. I've found my new life. It's a fabulous new life. But I'm sorry, before I tried to sell you on it, I smelled the ambition in you. I thought you'd be reluctant."
Kanno looked at Ryota, who was staring at him. Ryota reached out and held his father's hand, and nodded.
"I know, dad. I mean, I believe in you. I believe in the potential we've got, and I believe you are growing into it. I wasn't sure I was, but now I am. I believe in the two of us. And I believe things will be okay."
"Your future is not tied to what you will do."
Ryota looked at the ground. "I know that. But I want to make you proud. I'll be doing good things with it. I'll be making a difference with it. And it's something I want to do. And I want to be happy. I want to feel confident that I am doing what's right."
"If you don't," said Kanno, who was slightly crying now, "it will be okay. I will not see them, and I will not mind. I will never tell you to do anything. But you will know. You will feel it. At least I will."
Ryota took the disc out of the box, and placed it on Kanno's palm.
"This is not the same thing," said Kanno. "This is your score. Tell me, who are you today, Ryota? Show me. And then I will be proud of you."
Ryota looked at his father, and said nothing.
After a while, Kanno spoke. "Live the wonderful lives you have ahead, Ryota. Take every advantage of the life you have been given." He paused, and then said, "You are the one today who will remember me. I know it. You'll do it, and do it well. And I will be proud of you. Isn't that what we all want? Isn't that what we want to hear?"
Ryota nodded, and his father smiled at him.
"Live your life to the fullest, Ryota. You are great. You will make a difference. You will be great."
They stood in silence for a while, both of them completely unaffected by the conversation.
"You're a wonderful man, dad," said Ryota, his face full of joy, and his father knew he was holding back tears.
"I will always be by your side, dad," said Ryota, "on your best days and on your worst. Be bold now."
"Who are you today, Ryota?" asked Kanno, almost talking to himself.
"I am your son," said Ryota, and he held out his hands to his father.
Kanno took his son's hands, and bent down to kiss him on the forehead. Kanno felt his tears. Kanno, too, was affected by the conversation.
"And you are amazing, Ryota," said the man.
Then Kanno smiled, let the young man go, and then looked down at the port, where a screen showed the dreams below. Kanno closed the laptop, and left it where it was.
