"But oh, gee, what a relief it was last Sunday! Going up to the laundry deck with you, watching the fire, drinking beer, singing songs. I don't know how long it's been since I had such a total sense of relief. People are always trying to force stuff on me. The minute they see me they start telling me what to do. At least you don't try to force stuff on me."
"I don't know you well enough to force stuff on you."
"You mean, if you knew me better, you'd force stuff on me like everybody else?"
"It's possible," I said. "That's how people live in the real world: forcing stuff on each other."
"You wouldn't do that. I can tell. I'm an expert when it comes to forcing stuff and having stuff forced on you. You're just not that type. That's why I can relax with you. Do you have any idea how many people there are in the world who like to force stuff on people and have stuff forced on them? Tons! And then they make a big fuss, like, 'I forced her,' 'You forced me'! That's what they like. But I don't like it. I just do it 'cause I have to."
"What kind of stuff do you force on people or do they force on you?" Midori put a piece of ice in her mouth and sucked on it for a while.
Murakami, Haruki. Norwegian Wood. pag 39, vol 2, The Harvill press, London, 2000
