<Begin Segment 26>

AI: We'll come back to that a little bit later when we get to the war years. But before that, I just wanted to make sure I understood right. So, so you were still going to high school?

RM: Yes.

AI: And then you would sometimes tutor the three daughters, the Yamaguchi daughters?

RM: Well, I stayed there and didn't do, but also I do my own studying, and nothing else, maybe clean the house or clean the yard, but... or Sunday, well, later on, but I could give a trip. Then one of the pictures, show that group picture, Lake Tahoe there, you know, and I took the whole family with me and they appreciate it, but it too bad, I think these all died now, so...

AI: Well, tell me about these years in high school where you were very busy, you were working and you were helping out in these homes that you stayed with and you had all your schoolwork, your own schoolwork. And I'm wondering, it sounds like you didn't have much time to socialize --

RM: No, no.

AI: -- or for recreation. I was wondering, though, did you have friends? Who were some of your classmates that you got along with in high school?

RM: I got along very, very well and everybody treat me nice and I don't exactly remember what I did, but sometimes go down the pike, with a friend and had a roller coaster and things like that they had. Later on I went there because that was my second home there, for a while anyway, because I'm from Los Angeles, but that's the countryside and nothing there but Long Beach is the city.

AI: Well, you had an advantage because you spoke both Japanese and English.

RM: Yeah, right, bilingual, yes.

AI: Fluently, very fluently. So --

RM: And they understand my standard Japanese. Of course, I don't understand the Kagoshima-ben but I picked up the Fukuoka-ben. And I don't speak but I understand what they say, because I remember all of. And that came in handy when the war broke out, but anyway.

<End Segment 26> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.