<Begin Segment 11>

TI: Well, another thing that you mentioned in our earlier conversations, when, there was one time when one of the boys called you a name and you lost your temper.

RM: Yeah.

TI: Can you tell us about what happened?

RM: Oh... see, we had a lot of friend and play basketball or tennis or baseball. And so happened at the time we been playing baseball, and I don't know what I did but probably I made a mistake, then he told me the same thing, "this dumb kid," you know, "this immigrant kid." He happened to be the one, Japan-born kid. And his name was Tanaka Shizuo, or Tanaka. Tanaka is the last name and happened to be my best friend's cousin. And he was born and the cousin is Hiroshi Nagamoto from Oakland, California, but he was in my class, and this boy happened to be his cousin. And I don't know whether intentionally -- well, I realize, but I swung the bat and hit his head and this boy was unconscious for two days and I thought I killed him. And, well, he came to it, but almost killed him. I don't know how hard I hit him, but anyway, I had the bat and so now on I thought -- that was when I was small kid, probably maybe twelve years old, eleven, I don't know, but anyway, I almost killed him. So I decided, even at the young age, decided I gonna hold my temper. So I gonna count ten before... so my type, I always get upset and a short fuse. But that's why people couldn't figure (me) out. But I always quiet then, take it, see, then count ten, then calm down and see, 'cause that always, if I killed him probably I don't know what happen but it almost killed, so that's, I learned a lesson, temper. So a lot of people make me mad but still, at this age, I'm old guy, up to ninety years old, still I hold that. So that's why I just take it.

TI: I'm curious, if your, your grandfather, your paternal grandfather, after that incident, ever had any words with you in terms of advice or wisdom about that incident?

RM: Well, grandfather, well, that told me that, that's why, to count ten and don't do it anymore but fortunately he survived. So, then he became a good friend after that. He said he was wrong, he shouldn't say that, "dumb kid." But I wasn't dumb but I play dumb, but actually I was pretty smart and I had a pretty good memory at that time. Anything I learned... and also I studied to go home. I want to catch up with, see, then I surpassed everybody else, I think. And my kid brother was very smart, too.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.