Bikeless

My bike was stolen last night. I got back to Takebe after dinner at Chez Moscoso at 10:30, and there was no bike waiting for me. I figured I’d just parked it somewhere else and couldn’t find it in the dark, so I slept on it, and checked again this morning. No bike.
When I arrived at the BOE after my morning of classes at elementary school, I told my supervisor. After a bit of “ehhh?” he thought for a moment, then said, “but you have another bike, right?” THAT’S NOT THE BLOODY POINT. And anyway, that granny bike’s an unrideable dud. The conversation quickly faded, nothing happened.
Later, a couple of BOE colleagues came back from a meeting, including the sole English speaker. She was filled in with the news; she asked where it had gone missing from. Then, the conversation in the room shifted, and I was being asked how to say “eh” and “eto” in English.Goodness. Thanks so much for your help and concern, everyone. Sometimes I really do think the famed kindness of the Japanese is just a big ol’myth.