<Begin Segment 14>

TI: Well, you mentioned you stayed in San Diego about a year, and then where did you go?

WY: I came to Los Angeles. I was going to go to art school, or so I thought. I was living with Hisaye Yamamoto for a while, and I thought... she used to charge me ten dollars a month for room and board. [Laughs] And I thought, oh, I'm just making a real... and she was cooking all the time. I was taking advantage of her, so I left there, and I roomed in with another lady and I cooked my own meals and paid half the rent. And I was getting on Hisaye's nerves, too. [Laughs]

TI: So you went to art school, and then what did you do after you finished with that?

WY: I went to art school... oh, I met Chester, my husband.

TI: Okay. And tell me a little bit about Chester's family. Because there was a connection with your brother, I think.

WY: Yeah, yeah. They were all in Tule Lake, they were going to go to Japan, you know. And I guess Chester's family is a very tight-(knit) family. And, oh, Chester's mother asked my mother for my mother's home address in Shizuoka because she wanted to investigate my family (in Japan). I was (mad) when Chester told me that. I said, "Well, give me the name of your family. I'm gonna have my family investigate your family.'" [Laughs] Pretty nasty person.

TI: Oh, I see. He asked for... because he started dating you or was interested...

WY: Yeah, the mother said that, "Let's have the name of the family so we can see what kind of family she comes from in Japan." And I told that to my mother, and I thought she would get mad. But no, she gave me the name. I guess it's ritual.

TI: Well, and she felt like she had nothing to hide, probably, too. [Laughs] Oh, interesting. So you met Chester.

WY: Through my brother because he was in Tule Lake. And my brother said -- Chester told me later -- my brother said that he used to show Chester my letters because he says, "I can't understand this," he said to Chester. Said, "(These are) the kind of letters my sister (writes) -- " he was bragging, you know. And Chester said he thought, "Boy, I'd like to take her down a notch or two." [Laughs]

TI: So what was it about your letters that...

WY: The language was too highfalutin' for my brother. But I think he was bragging: "Look what kind of letters my sister writes." (And) Chester says, "I'd like to take her down a notch or two."

TI: But obviously he was somewhat interested, because...

WY: I guess so.

TI: ...he wanted to meet you.

WY: We met when my brother Sam picked up Chester to go to a wedding of friends they made in Tule Lake. And I was in the car when he picked up Chester, and boy, what a guy he was. In those days they used to have one full seat like this in the front, and they put me in the middle, and I could feel his fingers on my... [points to shoulder]. And I thought, "Man, this guy really is fast." And so he wanted my home address and I said, "I'm not going to be there very long. I'm going to move to Los Angeles." And he said, "Well, when you go to Los Angeles, I'll give you my address and you could call me or something." I didn't call him. And then he wrote me a letter, I guess he got my address through my brother and wrote me a letter. He (said), "I thought you were gonna call me." Just, that's all he said on it.

TI: Now, during this time, when Chester was interested in you, were you interested in him?

WY: Well, I thought he was pretty bold, you know. And you don't feel attracted to somebody just because they're there. But I didn't like somebody (like that) -- I thought he probably does that to all the girls. (And) I was interested in going to art school. But he kept persisting, I don't know why. He usually likes good-looking girls. [Laughs]

TI: Well, I'm sure he was attracted to you. And not only probably your looks, but maybe your mind in terms of how you thought and talked?

WY: Yeah, but most of (our) Nisei guys are afraid of smart (girls), and I was always showing off. [Laughs]

TI: And so was, do you think Chester was intimidated by you also?

WY: No. He wanted to take me down a couple pegs.

TI: So he had high self-esteem, too.

WY: Oh, he was going to UCLA and all that. I didn't go to college.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.