<Begin Segment 30>

AI: So what happened then, after you lost that job?

RM: So I lost job. Meantime I was working other place and see, my auntie, there was a second cousin's mother was, that's my, my father's cousin, that's, so their kids would be my second cousin. But the auntie I called, she was a barber. And all kinds customers, see, there was a Santa Fe station there and lotta Mexicans working there and then they get hair cut --

AI: At the railroad station?

RM: And also Caucasian, too, then also Japanese go, too.

AI: Excuse me, was that the railroad station?

RM: Yeah, Santa Fe railroad station. Oh, I see, you gotta tape that, so... Santa Fe railroad station there nearby Nineteenth and Washington in Los Angeles. And here's the Japanese customer, well, I don't know is a family friend or not but being acquaintance because he come in and cut hair and I happened to be there. And he say, "Hey, I'm looking for replace, my replacement," see. So I asked him what happened. Said, oh, I said, "I'm working for so and so and I work long hours and only get hourly wages, so I don't make much money. So I know now, learned how to do it, so I gonna open my own store, grocery store."

AI: That's what he said.

RM: That's what he said to me. But I don't have experience as salesman, see. But I thought it must be better than working for fruit stand and standing around and low wages, see. So I may learn something. And at least I speak -- I mean, I read Japanese so I could read canned goods or whatever instruction is. So I thought good for me. But I never had the experience of selling things. I don't even know the can of bamboo shoots, how much it is. So I cannot be a salesman until I remember that. So, of course, or you have to have a list there of the price. But if you look at list that wouldn't be a salesman. So I gotta talk well. But as far as the Japanese go and the clientele, almost ninety percent were Japanese, so, and he was the salesman. And go to house to house and they, this happened to be uptown and the owner's name is Mr. Itabashi and he had a store in uptown Kenmore and Olympic Boulevard. And around that neighbor there's all these gardeners, Japanese landscape gardeners living there and some have their flower shop or other business such as laundry. And those are the customers.

So go house to house, then, solicit for the orders. And I never have experience but when introduced to me and the first thing he asked me is, "Do you speak English?" Of course, Japanese they know, that's already understood they speak Japanese, but ask me English. So I said I went to high school, not only went but I graduated from Long Beach Poly, Polytechnic. Well, he says, "Good. Do you drive?" he asked me. So, "Yes, I have a chauffeur's license," because when I working, going to school, I had to help this Mr. Mizota so I learned, got the license. So I said I had chauffeur's license. He said, "Good. So you don't know anything about the price of goods or anything, so... but anyway, I hire you as a driver and delivery boy. Is that okay?" I said, "Yes, sir." So I got the job there, so not the salesman but just the delivery boy. So there's two pick-up truck, one is deliver around the neighborhood, one go to countryside. Then I had one, I choose the, because I don't know all the houses and names of all the customers are strangers. So then after farm area, that's very few, see, so easy to remember even though you go far. But he let me have a pick-up truck. And, "What do you do? You live in downtown. So in the morning, you stop at market, I give you orders so give me call, telephone call," I made part... and see, buy large box of the cucumber or dozen of lettuce or whatever you needed. So he ordered me. So I stop at the wholesale market and pick up produce and say that stop at the Chinese place and pick up and bring char siu pork and, or he says, "Stop at this slaughterhouse there and buy a box of linked sausage," things like that. Then, since I speak English, that's very handy. Before Japanese and try to do, either he do himself or other guy, pretty hard to find a guy, even a lot of Kibeis but they kinda hard go out there and order it. So tell me to wholesale place and get so many carton of cigarettes and something like that, brand, and so forth. So I am just a handyman there, also delivery, also pick-up. So it's good for him and good for me, too, learning. And this is the time I went to countryside and farmer and they're speaking some different dialect than Hiroshima --

AI: Oh, excuse me, I have a question about when you say "countryside," it's so different now than in those days, so can you tell me what neighborhoods or what towns you're talking about when you say you're going to the countryside.

RM: Oh, yeah, I listed all the places there in the questionnaire, but the thing is a neighboring, well, not the city itself, but the country such as, for instance, west would be like Culver City, Venice, Ocean Park, and Santa Monica, that's one direction there. And the other way is Compton and to Signal Hill or West Long Beach or the general area, Gardena and the other side is Bell and then Blue Hill, that's around Whittier, and to go to, this way is Azusa and Cucamonga and, you know, there's Puente and Riverside and that way. So then around Venice way is twice a week and other part is once a week. So I ask 'em next time they bring a sack of rice or keg of soy sauce or whatever they order. But I didn't tell 'em, "This is a special," and sell, I didn't do that, just they order whatever deliver. They deliver more and more or less and it's, I don't have to collect any money or not the selling. I just deliver and they send the check to company, so, or sometime give it to me and give it to boss. But, and I don't wanna degrade or anybody, but the downtown, if people go down the wholesale place such as North American Mercantile or Pacific Supply or whatever, go out there, then, "You're new aren't you?" And I say, "Yeah." And I tell... "Well, if you last one month you got it, made it," see. They just say he's pretty strict and pretty tight and... because salesmen know, because he always, I hate to use the term, but like "Jew down," something like that and anyway, they didn't want to use that word. They said ku-ichi, you know, nine and one. So, and --

AI: For people who don't understand --

RM: That's what they advise me, see?

AI: Yes.

RM: But nothing wrong with that, though, because he's just a tight...

AI: Oh yes.

RM: But, of course, he passed away a long time ago.

AI: So, my question is, for people who don't understand the ku-ichi, nine, ku, nine, ichi means "one," and can you explain for people --

RM: Yeah, put together, nine and one, ichi and ku is the "juu," see? Ten. Ten, so they call, in other words, instead of calling ten, they call it nine-one, nine and one.

AI: So it's a play on words because in Japanese, "juu" means the number ten.

RM: Uh-huh. "Juu" means number ten.

AI: Yes and they were referring to someone who was --

RM: Someone, yeah, pretty tight --

AI: -- tight with money.

RM: Yes, uh-huh. So then, advice, watch out. And so I be nice to him, maybe nice, very nice and they thought I don't last because... but I, I sometime I was, well, disgusted or something like that but I just kept myself... you know, that incident that when I was a child, but almost killed a guy, my friend, so always think twice and I take it, see, and lasted until war started, so almost seven years, until '41.

<End Segment 30> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.