<Begin Segment 32>

BK: So you worked the two jobs?

MH: Oh, yeah, a long time. A long time.

BK: You had --

MH: But I never minded. You know, that's the way it is.

BK: And so, when did your husband pass away?

MH: In '87.

BK: In '87. Okay.

MH: And he was on the kidney machine for four years before he died. And I always thought that's how he died with, and then I asked the doctor. Well, he said, "No, Mary. His heart just couldn't take it anymore."

BK: Uh-huh. You had said, probably a couple minutes ago, in terms of, you hope that your children don't have to wait as long as you did in order to get back into the Japanese American community. What kinds of organizations are you currently, do you currently belong to?

MH: Well, of course, my brothers insisted -- my brothers were more, like Ken is into the Japanese community, and he said, "You know, there's a group of widows called Tomonokai." He says, "Why don't you go? What have you been doing at night?" And I said, "Well, nothing really, you know." I just go work, and come home. I had a little Chinese supervisor. She didn't live too far from me. And Christmas, the kids were all going out, the first Christmas I was alone. And her and her boyfriend came down and spent an evening with me. I was so surprised. And Ken says, "You can't be doing that. You know, what are you eating?" And I, I don't know, I had some toast, and some peas, or I had a salad. He says, "You gotta get out." So, I had a friend, Margaret Yamaguchi, that was in Tomonokai, and she said, "Why don't you come?" So I called her, and I said, "I think I'm ready." So I went, and, you know, they were always so busy. And we didn't do as much then as we do now. We worked for Cherry Blossom and those kind of things. But that's how I met Steve.

BK: I see.

<End Segment 32> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.