西海岸文化？ / west coast culture?

ロス滞在中は、知人のジャドソン宅に泊まらせてもらってます。広い２ベッドルームで快適！しかもベッドルームからは海が見下ろせる絶景だし。この１部屋をサブレットで貸してくれないかなぁなんていう思いが頭を過ぎりつつ・・・。ただちょっとコミューティングが長くなる（40分～1時間）なので、やっぱダメかなとも思いつつ。

I'm staying at Judson's place right now. It's a large 2br condo and very comfortable. Even I could look out the ocean beach from a bedroom. I had a thought about asking for subletting one bedroom . . . but it will take me to commute about 45 mns to 1 hour, so it's a bit too far.

ところでジャドソンといえば、先日、車の中でまたなにげに驚きの告白がありました。以前から、日系アメリカ人女性との間に子供を作ろうとしているのは聞かされていて、それはそれですごいことなんだけど、ま、へぇ～という感じで聞いてたのね。僕が東海岸にいるときも、彼女の卵子ではうまく着床しないので、他人から卵子を買って、それとジャドソンの精子で受精卵を作り、彼女の体内に戻すということをしてるとかなんとか聞いてました。そしたら、今回、車の中で、彼女が妊娠4週間くらいということをサラっと話してきたジャドソン。ま、おめでたいことなんだけど、特に大喜びする立場にもない僕なので、軽く聞きとどめておいた。（ちなみに双子になるらしい。）

Speaking of Judson, the other day he made a surprising confession while driving. I knew he was trying to have a baby with a Japanese-American woman before. It is something but I tried not to make a fuss about it. It's not my business anyway. I occasionally heard some update from Judson about this baby project and the last one was that her egg was not good, so she paid for eggs from another Asian (Korean actually) to get pregnant. And the other day, Judson told me that she became pregnant of twin babies. It's about 4 weeks. It's happy news but I thought I was not supposed to present such a big joy (because it's not my business!), so I was just listening.

そしたら、助手席で耳を傾ける僕に、ジャドソンは、あとカトリックの女性とムスリムの女性にも精子を提供しているっていうじゃありませんか。しかも、これからトルコ出身のそのムスリムのレズビアンの家に行くからとのこと。あんた、、、そんなこと最初っから言ってくれなきゃ、いく道すがらいきなり告白されても、僕には断るオプションがない！それがジャドソンの狙いだったのかもしれないけど、この晩、いきなりジャドソンの子供の母親になるレズビアンのトルコ人女性と面会させられた僕・・・。

While I remained quietly sitting in a next seat in his car, Judson continued to speak about other women (one Catholic and the other Muslim) to whom he is providing his sperm! Furthermore, we were about to visit a Muslim woman's place! It was a way too sudden. It was totally out of the blue. He should have said it earlier. I had no choice at that point. Maybe it was his tactic anyway. I ended up meeting one of mothers of his babies.

彼女はとても感じがよくいい人だったけれど、お茶を入れてくれながら、キッチンから、「二人はどこで知り合ったの？」なんていうきわどい質問なんかもあったりして、あ～、気にしてるぅと僕は思ったのでした。

She was very nice and amicable. When she was making tea for us in a kitchen, she asked us, "How did you guys meet?" When I heard that, I thought, "Oh, she's curious about us!" She is lesbian, so it's not like jealousy or anything. But she is going to have his baby, so it's natural that she is curious about what kind of boyfriend he has . . . though I'm not his boyfriend! (Probably she won't understand our relationship anyway.)

それにしても、一度に3人の女性に精子を提供するジャドソンの精神ってどうなってるんだろうね？しかも日系人の女性はジャドソンに父親役を担って欲しいらしく、ジャドソンは興味ないらしい。精子だけばら撒いて、自分の遺伝子を残すのには絶大の興味を持つけど、それを面倒みるのは沢山っていう、いわゆる男の本能に純粋にしたがっているジャドソンってとてもフリーな人だよねぇ。これって、西海岸の文化なんでしょうか？コンサバの空気が漂う東海岸に住んでいると、こういう人工授精をバンバンしちゃうっていうのに違和感を覚えるんだけど・・・。

At any rate, what about Judson giving his sperm to three ladies at one time?! A Japanese-American woman wants him to play a father's role but he said he doesn't want to. Judson is a typical Man who has the biggest interest in spreading his sperm as much as possible but no interest in rearing babies. It's such a stereotypical male instinct or genetics. Judson is such a man free from the social norm or any constraint. Is this the West Coast culture? I have lived in the rather conservative East Coast, but have hardly heard about voluntary (no-prejudice) sperm donation upon any request.

アメリカ在住暦の長い僕だけど、西海岸は初めて。これって異国に来るつもりで心構えしておいた方がいいんだなぁって、ジャドソンの話を聞きながら強く心に刻んだのでした。

It's been a while since I started living in the U.S., but never in the West Coast. As listening to Judson's story, I affirmed deeply to myself that I should think it's almost like moving to a new foreign country.