<Begin Segment 82>

TY: [Jpn.] Yes. Then you retired at age seventy-four.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Then you came to Seattle.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. I came to Seattle.

TY: [Jpn.] You started living here.

MK: [Jpn. & Eng.] Uh-huh. Yeah. Then when I started living here, this is very embarrassing to tell, but then during most of my childhood... Until girls school graduate, huh. My grandfather did everything for me. I had nothing to do. Because only two people, what you gonna do? I don't have a little brother or sister, or any... so my grandfather cooked rice only. Sometimes he cooked side dishes. But he never made tea for me because he himself never drank tea. I didn't know how to drink tea.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Really. Uh-huh. So it was strange. While everybody knows everything, I don't know this or that. If you watched your mother cook, then you will naturally learn. Sometimes kids help their mother in the kitchen. I didn't have that. There was no woman in my family. I had only grandfather. And my grandfather was raising his four sons and me. He never raised a girl. So he raised me in the same way as the boys. Uh-huh. Yeah. If I had a mother, she would have told me, no, do it this way or a girl should do this. But I didn't have that at all. So naturally I cannot cook. I cannot cook because my grandfather never told me to cook and I never cooked.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] And it's nothing to cook rice for two people. But I don't know how. In those days, he did everything for me and I ate when he told me to eat. He cleaned up afterwards, too. The dishes were only for two of us. Grandfather had to move around, too. Anyway, that's what he told me.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] But really, my grandfather was old and if he didn't do anything, it would be bad for him. So that was not too bad. Now I think that might have been pretty good for him.

TY: [Jpn.] Under the circumstances.

MK: [Jpn.] He had to move around. Uh-huh. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] But still, except for the four years you were in the camp...

MK: [Jpn.] So I was with my grandfather. When my grandfather got sick... it was not sickness. That was old age. Because of his old age.

TY: [Jpn.] Died of old age?

MK: [Jpn.] So he died naturally. Uh-huh. He didn't get any particular sickness. He died of old age. Uh-huh. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] So you came to the U.S. and kept working since...

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] You never had a chance to play.

MK: [Jpn.] No time to play. I was always working overtime. Really. Yeah. So sometimes everybody works. You know, a wheelbarrow? You don't know? It's like this and is made of metal.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] And this is how you hold it. You can push this. I have carried full of soil in the wheelbarrow.

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. But at South Park, my uncle's place, they always had some help, men helpers. Uh-huh. But sometimes the men helpers were not enough, then I helped by carrying soil. Well, I was young and so I could handle it even though I was small. Yeah. Youth is wonderful. I had pushed that one, I would fall down.

TY: [Jpn.] I see. Then you moved to Seattle and now you take the bus to go to many places...

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] ...and are having many experiences.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah. I can do that only because of Mrs. Kitajo. There is a person who's name is Mrs. Kitajo. She helps me a lot. Yeah, she's a stay in Seattle. Then she's a retire, too. So, sometime you gonna come to here, she said. Then stay in Seattle, so I go over there, then I gonna follow her. If, she want to go downtown, I gonnna go follow her. Then she teaching me something. First time I never, nobody give me brea -- my, because my -- I don't need a money, because my grandfather did everything for me. So I didn't worry about eating. If I wanted some allowance, he will give me. So, I never go to a store. I don't need it. That's why then I come to America, then go to greenhouse work, then I don't need any more money. Because cooks prepared meals. You know because I fail make rice, that's why I just working only. That's why I don't need a go to school, I don't need a money. I don't need a pay and a store -- I never go to store anyway because I never cook anything so that's why always like that. I don't know why always I don't need a money. Yeah. Somebody making cook and then just I gonna eat only. So, that's why I come to Seattle, what you gonna do? Now, I gonna go shopping, because I need it. But I don't know. So, she help me, Mrs. Kitajo help me all time. Then go to shopping, then just I gonna follow that's it. Just I watch it, uh-huh. Then pretty soon oh, maybe, you know little bit that's why you gonna shopping you self. So I try. Then, I gonna -- I buy something, then I gonna put a -- I gonna pay a them, then I -- they gonna give me change. So, but I forgot sometime my stuff. I put over here, then changes that's very important, you know. So I forgot. Yeah, then come back here. "You forgot your stuff." Then, oh, that's right. Then come back, and go out. Then other way, other way down, to, I gonna pay, but I take it my stuff, but I forgot change. Yeah, they gonna give me change but I gonna, go, go back you know. [Coughs] Excuse me. Then, she said, "You forget your change," so go back. That's why I gonna shopping little by little. Pretty good. Mmm.

<End Segment 82> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.