By Judie Donaldson

I did. I thought I’d heard of everything. What a foolish assumption, and it hit home today when I was wading through a recent issue of the New Yorker. Let me explain what prompted me to do a double take.
It was a simple story about a man, a Tokyo salesman in his sixties, who was lonely. His wife had recently died and he and his only daughter had been estranged for years. He had always thought of himself as a strong person, but his desperate unhappiness at being alone challenged this. Many people face these feelings. I have, and you may have, too. But, I doubt that either of us solved our problem as Kzushige Nishida did.
He tried the typical strategies for meeting women, but they just didn’t work.  So, prepare yourself for his solution. This is what boggled my mind. He rented a wife and daughter! That’s right. He rented stand-ins.
Can you imagine it? This is how it works. Initially, Kzushige described his wife and her mannerisms to his rented wife, and she tried to emulate them. The same process took place with his rented daughter. Kzushige called the rented women by his wife’s and daughter’s names. The rented wife prepared meals that had been his wife’s specialties, and the “family” often watched television together after dinner.
As time passed, their roles loosened and the rental relatives reverted to their own selves. The rental daughter, for example, advised Kzushige on how to rebuild his relationship with his daughter, which led to a successful renewal of their relationship.
I was curious whether individuals rent people for other reasons, and was staggered by the scenarios. Weddings are the bread-and-butter of the business.    Pretend business associates, college friends, and others are rented as guests and particularly attractive individuals are rented as wedding party members. One man rented a couple to pretend to be his parents because he didn’t think his fiancé would like his real ones.
A hopeful grandmother rented a granddaughter to go on a shopping trip. A man played a husband to help a woman meet the husband-and-wife requirements to get her child into a private kindergarten. A couple hired a substitute wife to attend school meetings because they were concerned that their children would be bullied because their real mother was overweight. This is just the tip of the iceberg of this sad concept.
A few final comments about the business side of things. Guess what makes the business viable? A stable of freelance actors. One owner has a list of 1,200 actors and actresses he calls on. And how about this? One actor was rented out to 10 families concurrently, and another man has played husband to over 200 women! One rental went on for seven years . . . and women often propose to their rented husbands.
I apologize for all the detail. I got a little carried away as a voyeur of this strange phenomenon. I merely intended to use the people-renting business to focus on one of the primary goals of Carquinez Village, which is to prevent the loneliness that can occur when a spouse dies, children and grandchildren live at a distance, friends are deceased, and illness and a lack of mobility limit connections.  When I first learned about the Village concept, I thought it was organized primarily to deliver supportive services. But, I was wrong. Seeking a ride to visit a friend or go to a social gathering is equally important. In addition, we offer companion visits and phone calls from volunteers.
Carquinez Village is equally about connecting seniors in order to prevent isolation and loneliness. I’m concerned that some of our members think that the only reason that they can ask for a ride is to go to a medical appointment.  Wrong!
Carquinez Village offers a variety of other opportunities. We host social events. Potlucks are the most popular. If you’ve given up cooking, no problem! You can be our guest. Just bringing yourself is what we like best.
We host speakers and educational field trips––partially for educational reasons and partially, you guessed it, to connect people. It’s common to feel uncomfortable attending events alone. I can understand that. If you’d like to go with someone, call us at 707-297-2472, and we’ll arrange it. Just think of it this way. Making it easier to connect with others is why we’re here. You would be helping us do our job.
Here’s another way to avoid going alone. As a member, you can bring a friend as a guest to one of our “member-only” events. I’m concerned that most members don’t realize that this is possible.
So, that’s it. Attend programs, participate in social activities, request companion visits, participate in a phone (Senior Chat) conversation, request a ride to visit a friend or attend an event, either a Village event or one hosted by another group or organization.  Is there anything else that you would enjoy?  Let me know be calling me at 707-771-1217.
If you’re not a member and would like to know more about the Village, visit www.carquinezvillage.com or call 707-297-2472 to have some literature sent to you.
And if you know of anything more hilarious than renting people, let me know. I don’t want the world to pass me by!

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