<Begin Segment 34>

AI: Well, so then you finished your travels and came back to Chicago, and then tell me, where did you and Art settle in your, for your home?

BS: Well, we first, well actually, we rented an apartment. It was a friend of my father-in-law had this apartment and it was like cut in two. And it was, I mean, it was the funniest apartment, but it was reasonable. I don't know how much we were paying by the week but it was reasonable. So the landowner, who was a friend of my father-in-law, he and his wife lived in the front section of the main floor and we were in the back. And you'd have to go through the back and you'd go in there and the kitchen sink is in the living room. [Laughs] So there's a kitchen sink, and it was a furnished apartment, and then there was a sofa and then there, and then in the next room they had the stove and the refrigerator. It was very small, there wasn't enough room for a table, so there was a stove and a refrigerator. And then there was a bathroom, a very small bathroom. And the bedroom was so small that a double bed fit in there and you'd have to kind of go sideways to get into the bed. [Laughs] But we, we stayed there, I don't know how long, how long did we stay there? We stayed, gosh, I can't remember how long we stayed there. Oh, it wasn't very long because we were married in April and then Art's mother had a hysterectomy in June so then we went to live with them to help her. To help her and then we lived there for, let's see, a short time. We lived, I can't remember how long we lived there, oh maybe, I'd say maybe six months or so. And then, we, then as she improved we went and got, rented another apartment which was near Wrigley Field. And we lived there for a while and then my father-in-law bought this apartment building and he wanted us to move in there and kind of manage it. So we did that. We did that, I can't remember how long that was. And then, then, I don't know, he must have sold that building and then we went to move into one of my, Art's, Art's sister was married and they owned an apartment building so we went to, we moved in there. And we eventually bought the building from them when they, they moved to California.

AI: So, and what area of Chicago was that, the apartment building?

BS: It was on the north side, well, it's like what would they call it? Closer to Evanston, close to the lake. But there were... I'm trying to think, were there Japanese? Yeah, there were Japanese around there.

AI: So it was mostly a Caucasian area but some Japanese Americans --

BS: Uh-huh.

AI: -- in the neighborhood also?

BS: Uh-huh, they had apartment buildings, too.

AI: So kind of a mixed residential area?

BS: Yes, yes.

AI: Well, and so then, then you started a family, too. And so when was your first child born?

BS: She was born in 1960. She was born on our fifth anniversary. [Laughs]

AI: Oh. Well, and what did you name her?

BS: Bekki, Bekki Jo. And we, we didn't give her a Japanese name. It was like, well, Art didn't care. But I, I feel I didn't want to give her a Japanese name because I didn't want her to be -- well, with "Shibayama" you know it's Japanese, but I didn't want her to be identified as Japanese or something because there was no... it was just a decision. I just made that decision that no Japanese name.

AI: So were you a little afraid or worried that if she had a Japanese name that would affect her life?

BS: Well, kind of, kind of. Because people nowadays say, "Well, why don't your children have Japanese names?" And I said, "I just didn't want to give it to them."

AI: And then you had another child.

BS: Uh-huh, two years later. And his name is Brian Arthur and he has no Japanese name.

AI: So after your kids were born, did you continue working outside the home or did you --

BS: Oh, no, after Bekki was born I didn't work. I stayed home. And then Art worked. And we had the apartment building.

<End Segment 34> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.