<Begin Segment 19>
TI: Okay, so now I'm going to go back to your mother now, you mentioned how, you know, during this time when your father was away, she was really strong, she really kind of, you know, kept things together. So now that your father's gone, how did the family survive? How did they survive the situation with the main breadwinner now gone?
TM: The state, it was a state, The Territorial Department of Social Service realized that we could not make a living (...), you know, a family of eight children and my mother. So quite often they came over. A worker came over, and asked whether we needed help. My mother was really strong, she felt embarrassed even getting a penny from the state, or actually from the territory. So she said she can manage. The flower business started, had been picking up at that time and Kato-san had been independently doing his taxi service. And so arrangement was made for us to get the buds picked in the morning. My mother would lug the buds over to downtown with Kato-san, and return home. And that meant working early in the morning. In other words, the children had to get up around five o'clock in the morning and then, in the dark, use the kerosene lantern with blue shields around, pick the plant, buds, and then package the buds, and then have the buds sold at the lei stands. You had to pick the flowers, actually the buds early before they bloomed. Because the (...) lei sellers wanted to make sure that they could string the buds and then open it up later. So once the (buds) were picked and then packaged and sent out, your income came from selling the buds. And it was enough to keep us going.
TI: And do you have a sense of how much the flowers... how much money the flowers made when you sell them?
TM: Well, the maunaloa flowers were really attractive, the military people wanted them because the flowers, the leis would last long but the flowers were forbidden from getting to the mainland, only local sales. And they were selling quite well so we had enough income coming in. Initially, you know, it started small but at times it (had) gone up to about fifteen to twenty dollars a day, which was every day. So you could see that income was coming in on a daily basis.
TI: So it's interesting, so this kind of ties into earlier so that plant as a six year old boy, that you planted, and then made fences for, now this is, you know, ten years plus later, is now the... gives your family the ability to make money by harvesting the flower buds, early in the morning. And then your mom and Kato-san would then take it to Honolulu to sell and that helped the family during this very difficult time. You know, for Kato-san, did he get then a percentage of the sales because he helped transport it back and forth?
TM: No, in fact, he was generous enough that he did not charge my mother riding to town and returning. He didn't collect a single penny from us. He was so helpful, we're grateful to him over the years and he accommodated us and made sure that my mother did not miss a single morning taking the flowers to downtown. And he always reserved a space in his cab for my mother. And things worked out fine because of him.
TI: Yeah, I mean, it's just when I think of how everyone had to help, your siblings had to wake up early in the morning, pick the buds, friends like Kato had to help your mother to get through this difficult time. And how did you feel because you were at this point in Honolulu away from the family while this was all going on. I mean, did that concern you? Did that worry you about the family?
TM: Yes, I felt helpless. I, at times thought (...) I should get to (...) Kaneohe, or Heeia and do my studies there and even help out. But my mother forbid me from doing that. She always said, "You have your work to do, your work is to go ahead and get as much education as you can. And the object is to get to the University of Hawaii, get your degree." So in a way, I was comforted by her thoughts. She pushed me for that. But physically and mentally, I wanted to put my share in.
TI: How did your siblings feel, your brothers? Did you ever talk with them about the situation and whether or not you should help or stay in school, did that ever come up?
TM: No, it did not come up but they knew that I was bright enough so that I was able to push myself to the university. So they were glad to chip in. In other words, they figured that even if I didn't do a single type of work, they would be able to help me through.
<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.