<Begin Segment 15>

TI: It sounds like you were, you were good at it?

KT: It's something that... I amaze myself. [Laughs] I said, "How the hell?" But somehow, I did it.

TI: Now, when...

KT: And the people was very nice to me. Very nice.

TI: Now, were you, like, one of the first women to have this position?

KT: I don't know if I was the first one, but anyway, in Hawaii, well, I had to take over my father's fund, so I'm the only one in that field for that company and for Hawaii. I don't know about the other islands.

TI: Did you ever travel to Honolulu to meet with the people?

KT: No, I never did that.

TI: And when they gave you the job, did they give you the job because they thought you would do a good job?

KT: No, not that. I don't think so. Because they needed someone there, right? Because they gave them permission to continue to run the newspaper, so they needed someone right away. And they knew I came from Japan, so they knew I can do it. They said, "All you have to do is to send the, write something. We'll ask you what to do then." That's what I did.

TI: So let's go back to your, your father now. When he was at the military camp, KMC, you know...

KT: KMC one I don't know because my sister below me had the power of attorney for my father. So she had the contact. We didn't have.

TI: Because I was wondering if anyone from the family had visited him.

KT: I don't know if we visited him. I think my sister did, no? Haru?

Off camera voice: No, I don't think so.

KT: I think we couldn't, I think.

TI: Because there were some other families that were able to visit, and that's why I was curious.

KT: Yeah, maybe some other family, but not my father.

TI: And so did you ever correspond with your father?

KT: No, I cannot. I didn't do anything. I just took the job and that's what I did. Just to continue so we can eat.

TI: And so you became, kind of, one of the main breadwinners for the family?

KT: Something like that. [Laughs] But the others helped, too, you know. Because my brother was working, and my two sisters were working and me working. So four of us or so was working. So we could manage somehow.

TI: And how did you, did you have a car to travel around?

KT: That's the part, that is the part. I didn't know how to drive yet, so my sister drove for me and we went. And downtown, I walked. I walked. Only the far one that... then after that, I got my license, then I went to travel all over and I got it all done.

TI: Oh, so but initially, you had to have a sister drive you.

KT: Yeah, my sister or my friends or somebody drive me, but we had the car.

TI: Interesting.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.