I think everybody has had an embarrassing moment, or two, at sometime during their lifetimes.   I too, have had several such occasions during my fifty some years on this planet.   Let me tell you about one of them. 

During the summer months of 2006, I had several BBQ parties on the big balcony that sits just outside of my classroom’s sliding glass doors.   Usually everything goes smoothly, and there are no problems of any kind.   Except for that one summer’s evening,…… 

The sun had just set in the west, and the twilight was growing darker, moment by moment.   I got out my BBQ set and put the fire starter sticks at the bottom of the grill.   Then on top of that, I placed a large amount of charcoal sticks.   In fact, I had put on way too many, as I was soon to discover. 

I used a gas lighter to start a fire on the fire starter sticks, and then went back inside my classroom, to get a very cold can of Sapporo Classic All Malt Beer.  A few moments later, when I walked back over to the entrance of my balcony, I immediately noticed that the fire sticks had gone out, and that there was a huge amount of thick white smoke coming out of my BBQ set.  The heavy white smoke was drifting across the railing of my balcony, and down onto the entrance area of the business below me.   The business in question, is a very popular Soba Noodle Restaurant known as ChoGoRo. 

Of course, I rushed back out onto my balcony with a lighter in hand, to re-light the fire, when I noticed below me, an employee of the soba restaurant together with an elderly man who was pointing his finger up at my balcony and saying something like;  ‘Look!  There is a fire up there!’   I ran towards the railing as fast as I could yelling;  “Wait!  Stop!  It is just a BBQ gone wrong!”   But, they didn’t hear me and went back inside of the restaurant to call the Fire Department.   Oh my gawwwwwwd. 

About one minute later, I heard those familiar sounding bells of the fire trucks, which start ringing, as they are being called out on a firefighting mission.  The nearest Fire Station to my place is the Minami District Fire Station, which is just a few blocks away. 

I knew right then and there, that I would soon be having visitors, coming straight to my classroom door.   What to do?  

What could I do, but wait for them to arrive.   And, arrive they did.   Not just from the South District Fire Station, but several other fire stations as well.  There must have been at least 15 firemen in all, called out to my place. 

Five or six of the firemen came up to my classroom, and looked around at the BBQ set, as I told them about what had just happened.   It’s a damn good thing I can speak Japanese.  My wife was there also, explaining to the firemen that it was all just a big misunderstanding, and that we are very sorry to have had all of these public servants called out, on such an unnecessary duty.  I too, said how sorry and embarrassed I was to have caused such a big uproar over a non-incident. 

The 5 or 6 firemen spent about 10 minutes on the balcony and in my classroom, looking around to make sure there was no danger to the building or the public at large.   On their way out of the door, the leader of the group asked me; “Why did you turn off the lights in your classroom?”  I replied that I didn’t turn the lights off, but instead, I had not yet turned them on for the evening, when I first started the BBQ fire, about 15 minutes ago. 

At the end of their visitation, my wife and I had to fill out a form that said; the fire department had visited our residence, and found nothing to be concerned about, despite a telephone call from a concerned citizen and business owner. 

How embarrassing is that?  Not only did a simple misunderstanding disturb the firemen, and many other persons in my neighborhood, but it also cost the city of Asahikawa some money, to deploy the firemen on that day. 

How many ways are there to say; “Please Forgive Me!  I made a mistake.”

I should have brought that cold beer with me, when I first lit the fire, and then stayed right there by the side of the BBQ, to make sure that the fire stayed lit, and did not cause any excessive amount of smoke to be released into the air. 

It was entirely my fault, and I have learned my lesson.   The only good thing to come out of this embarrassing moment, is that I have a good story to tell. 

Please think about some kind of embarrassing moment which you yourself have had, at sometime in your lifetime, and tell us all about it, at our next class together.   Try to make your own personal story as interesting and as amusing as possible.  After all, everyone makes mistakes.  Laugh it off!!!