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家計簿の三か月
今年の夏から、電気とガスと水道の明細が届くたびに、使用量と金額を手帳の最後のページに書き写している。きっかけは、友人に「一か月の電気代って、どのくらい？」と聞かれて、まったく答えられなかったことだ。家計簿といっても、三行しかない小さな表である。
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Since this summer, whenever a statement for the electricity, gas or water arrives, I copy the usage and the amount onto the last page of my planner. It started when a friend asked me, “How much is your electricity a month?” and I had no idea at all. I call it household accounts, but it is only a small table with three rows.
七月と八月は、電気の数字が大きかった。エアコンを一日中つけていたのだから、これは予想どおりだ。意外だったのはガスで、夏のあいだは驚くほど少なかった。シャワーだけで済ませ、料理も火を使わないものばかり作っていたからだろう。水道は、わたしの住む町では二か月に一度しか請求が来ないので、表のその行だけ、ところどころ空いている。
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In July and August, the electricity figures were high. I had the air conditioning on all day, so that was just as expected. The surprise was the gas: all summer it was astonishingly low. Probably because I only ever took showers, and cooked almost nothing that needed the hob. Where I live, the water bill comes only once every two months, so that one row of the table has gaps here and there.
三か月目の明細では、ガスの数字がはっきりと増えていた。九月の半ばから夜が涼しくなるにつれて、湯船にお湯をためる日が多くなっていたのだ。自分では季節の変わり目にほとんど気づいていなかったのに、数字のほうはちゃんと覚えていた。数字というのは、案外正直なものだ。
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In the third month’s statement, the gas figure had clearly gone up. From mid-September, as the nights grew cooler, I had been running a bath more and more often. I had barely noticed the season turning, but the numbers had kept a careful record. Numbers, it turns out, are surprisingly honest.
反対に、電気はエアコンを使わなくなっても、あまり下がらなかった。首をかしげながら手帳の予定をめくってみて、理由が分かった。九月から、家で仕事をする日が週に二日増えていたのだ。昼間もパソコンと電気スタンドがついている。数字を写すだけのつもりだったのに、表を見ていると、自分の暮らし方を振り返らずにはいられない。
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The electricity, on the other hand, hardly fell even when I stopped using the air conditioning. Puzzled, I leafed through the schedule in my planner and found the reason. Since September I had been working from home two more days a week. The computer and the desk lamp are on during the day as well. I only meant to copy down numbers, but looking at the table, I can’t help thinking back over the way I live.
毎月同じ数字が並ぶだけなら、きっと続かなかっただろう。少しずつ動くからこそ、次の明細を開くのが楽しみになる。先週、わたしは三か月目のガスの数字の横に、小さく「湯船の季節」と書き足した。家計簿のつもりで始めた表が、少しずつ日記のようになってきている。
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If the same numbers had lined up every month, I’m sure I wouldn’t have kept it up. It is precisely because they move a little that I look forward to opening the next statement. Last week, beside the third month’s gas figure, I added in small letters: “bath season”. A table I started as household accounts is slowly turning into something like a diary.
Three expressions
日が短くなるにつれて、朝起きるのがつらくなってきた。
As the days get shorter, getting up in the morning has become harder.
「〜につれて」: as …. It follows the dictionary form of a verb or a noun. Both things change gradually, and the second changes along with the first. In the story, 「夜が涼しくなるにつれて」 means “as the nights grew cooler”.
あの店の前を通ると、パンのにおいに足を止めずにはいられない。
When I walk past that shop, I can’t help stopping at the smell of bread.
「〜ずにはいられない」: can’t help …ing. It follows the nai form without 「ない」 (「する」 becomes 「せずに」), for something you can’t stop yourself doing. In the story, 「振り返らずにはいられない」 means “I can’t help looking back”.
毎日少しずつだからこそ、続けられるのだと思う。
I think it’s precisely because I do only a little each day that I can keep it up.
「〜からこそ」: precisely because …. It stresses the reason more than 「から」 does, and the second half is often the speaker’s view or decision. In the story, 「少しずつ動くからこそ」 means “precisely because the numbers move little by little”.
One small thing to do
Tip
Write down this month’s figure for one regular bill, such as electricity or your phone, and next to it one small thing from your life this month. If you don’t have the bill to hand, write the rough figure you remember.