<Begin Segment 39>

MN: Now, Charlie, you were very popular with the girls. But you finally settled down, you got married. Why did you decide to get married?

CH: Well, everybody, my friend was getting married. That's why I told one of my kid, "Hey, you got to get married. Windy day come, snowy day come, lightning come, rainy day come, well, you got to get married when you get old." Hey, maybe I'm telling you that. [Laughs] "Hey, you're gonna get lonely guy, all your friend, you're the only one that's left over?" No, I ain't gonna go through that, I told him. That's why I got married.

MN: So your first marriage was Florence?

CH: Yeah.

MN: Florence Ochi and then did you have children with her?

CH: Huh?

MN: Did you have children with Florence?

CH: Yeah, three kid, and this one, new one, I got too. Five.

MN: Oh. And then you married three times, you said?

CH: Huh?

MN: You married three times?

CH: Yeah, I was married... what do you call that? Common-law wife. Common-law. Hakujin.

MN: When was this?

CH: Back in Chicago.

MN: Oh, this is during the war.

CH: Yeah, yeah. No, after the war.

MN: After the war.

CH: But I went in the service, I said goodbye. That's after, though, 1945.

MN: Did you have children with her?

CH: No, no. Lucky thing. Maybe I got a lot of children in Punta Renes.

MN: You don't know that, huh?

CH: I don't know. I don't want to know. What you don't know don't hurt. Some, that's why some question I don't ask. [Laughs] But you treat people good, they respect you. And don't forget... nah, wasureta. Boy, I'm getting, dementia setting in. Oh, filial piety. Obligation, duty. You understand that?

TI: Yes.

CH: Nihongo, they used to say, Japanese, oyakoko. You know what happened? My son and daughter, I tell you, you gotta, from four kids, you gotta learn Japanese. I told them. No, they're too busy. That's a big mistake she made. One of my son is a broker. But broker, when you're working for a broker, they got a lot of business with Japan. Now, if he understands Japanese, he would go out more. But this girl that was underneath him, she went above him. 'Cause she was bilingual. I sure feel like telling Flo that. But past is past, I don't want to bring up that thing. Yeah, that's a mistake. That's why I sent my, both of, my girl and that son to Japanese school. So when I went to the Japanese school, you know, they say, "You forgot to pay your dues." "What do you mean? I've been paying for the last four years, every day without missing." "You made a mistake." "No, you didn't pay." Goddamn. So I ran over there. I know the principal. I was talking to the -- my voice is big -- "What do you mean? You're a bakayaro," I told him in Japanese, you know. I told him Japanese, "Anna bakayaro aru mon ga," I tell him. That teacher got scared, I talk loud. "I paid. Check the books." Meanwhile, the principal came. "Yeah, Hamasaki-san, what you need?" Hey, you're one of the teachers called me up, that I didn't pay, your bookkeeper, I didn't pay. I paid. Check the books. Go into the office and check the books." "Yeah, he paid." "That's why you guys are stupid. Check that damn thing." Besides, when I went to the school, now, benkyou, instead of studying and this and that, "Remember, oyakoko, you can never teach about that kind of thing. Manner and etiquette, you don't teach that kind of thing. Teach those things," I told the teacher. She didn't say nothing to me. Yeah, I told them. Me, I don't talk ridiculous kind of thing. Common sense kind of thing, you know, human being, got to have common sense. That's why when you take right, you're right. You don't take, turn black into white, you know, or white into black. Right? So what's the next question, Tom?

TI: I think my questions are answered. We've gone over three hours, this has been wonderful. I mean, is there anything else you want to say?

CH: Huh?

TI: Is there anything else that you wanted to say at the end?

CH: Yeah, my life, the fork in the tongue, maybe if I went Japan I would have stayed in Japan, married a Japan girl. But I went other way. 'Cause Japan, I went Japan about ten times, touring. You know, I spent my twenty thousand dollars touring, tour? Lot of my friends bought car, I didn't buy a car. See, like me, I had twenty cars, 'cause I'm a body and fender, I buy all different kind of cars. I sold 'em all to that, since that insurance went up, I sold every one of 'em. So I said, twenty thousand, so I went Japan about ten times already. But South America was a good place, good place to be. Yeah, they restrict Japanese, that's why it's good, instead of Chinese. Oh, I had a great time over there the last two years. I spent all the money, but I went to the capital, north San Jose capital over there. Yeah. Good time, good time. I think, I tell a lot of guys, I live a ten man's life. You guys, all ten guys together, and my one life is equal to your ten. I told them that, lot of guys. Today, I'm so busy, everybody else, they're sedentary today. All they do is watch TV all day long, don't go noplace. Like me, I'm always doing something. But when they, that's why my grandkids, I told 'em, "Don't come around my house." Everybody, they carry their grandson, "Oh, this is my grandson," they brag about it. Not me, I never carry that kind of thing. "But you say that in your mouth, but deep inside heart, you're happy." No. When I get invalid or something, don't move, stay home, I welcome 'em. Right now, today, I can't be chasing the little one around, change the diaper for them or taking care while the parents go someplace. Whew, no thank you.

TI: Well, Charlie, thank you so much for doing this. This has been wonderful.

<End Segment 39> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.