<Begin Segment 9>

MN: How about your mother after the war? Did she have to work?

RO: Well, she never, after the war, went out to work. Remember, she's pretty high born, but she's very resourceful. And she'd make a victory garden, and we had very little money, but with all three families pulling together and all, we always had food. And, but she'd like to take in some sewing. She learned in camp how to sew and become a tailor, so she would take in some sewing or tailoring jobs. So these ladies would come from, we would say Wilshire area, Beverly Hills, and my mother would make outfits for them. So she'd turn around and she'd make herself the same dress. And this is, this is the glamorous time where the women wore their hair up like Yvonne De Carlo, Esther Williams, you know, all up in the big up-dos, and the shoulder pads and the draping and all. I have pictures of my mother, you know. You would never believe that here's this lady taking in sewing in East Los Angeles. She's just very glamorous looking. And what I appreciate about her was, I was this funny-looking ragamuffin, you know, little tomboy, and I didn't like put on pretty dresses. I don't like to even get dressed because they wanted me to wear my sister's clothes because she was older. And I didn't want to wear her clothes, I'd rather wear jeans and t-shirts, wear my brother's clothes. [Laughs] And somehow, I like clothes now, today, but my bane. But it comes from her. She really liked to glam up. And so, somehow, it's a way of not really buying into their circumstances. But there's parts of that experience that probably affect me today. We have a neighbor, two old maid women next door, and they had chickens and roosters and other little animals. And at this poultry shop, they would give us little chickies at Easter time, or little bunnies and all. And after we finished playing with them, you know, then we'd give 'em to our neighbor and all. And then maybe one day, my mom was serving dinner, and they don't tell me, and then I'll find out. [Laughs] "Is that Pipi?" And then I felt really betrayed and angry, and somehow I think that subliminally, I don't want to eat animals.

MN: So your mother, did she do the cooking for all the family?

RO: They sort of, like, the cousin's auntie, the Tsukidas, I think they used to pool together at some points, but for the most part, they all have their own little kitchen, yeah.

MN: So you didn't have to eat in shifts.

RO: No. But now, we had six at our table, which is a lot.

MN: That is a lot. Now, at this time, were your parents in communication with relatives, family in Japan?

RO: Well, you know, I have to tell you, that was a big part of our life. We're struggling, and yet, whatever, whatever money they could have set aside to buy coffee and sugar, and I don't remember what, because we had a regular ritual where my dad would pack these care packages with coffee candy. I remember they put that in. And some other rice, which is just the basics. And my dad, it was a struggle for the family, but he was very dutiful. He's the only son, and he sent a care package. My mother, it was about her last month, and I visited her at a convalescent hospital, and she said, "There's something I need to tell you." And I said, "Okay." She said, "I told Papa I wanted you to go dance class." My cousins, June Sukita became a famous dancer, probably still dancing, and her sister and all the other girls, the other one is, she's a dancer, what's her name? She was in West Side Story. Yeah, anyway...

MN: Kim Miyori?

RO: No, younger, older.

MN: Nobuko?

RO: Hmm?

MN: Noboku Miyamoto?

RO: Yeah, Nori. They all went to dance class, and I wanted to go dance class. And now, here, my mother, this is, she's failing, and she says, "There's something I need for you to know. I fought with Papa to tell him you should go dancing." But he needed to send the money to Japan so they could build a new house for his mother, so somebody would take care of it. And so I told my mother, "That's good." Because I didn't dance, I played football, I wrestled, I was out there with the boys, and you know what? I became a better job, doing a better job at Justice Department and at the White House. 'Cause most all my employees have been males, and I've been able to adopt some of their values.

MN: And your mother passed away in 1982?

RO: Uh-huh. But her heart was clear. I said, "Is that what you want to tell me?" Don't matter.

MN: But it stayed with her.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.