<Begin Segment 41>

AI: So now tell me how you were able to eventually separate into your own home.

KM: Well, I sewed for one year. And I had, yeah we put a little advertising in the Fowler paper, 'cause I didn't think people from Fresno would, they didn't know me either. So it was mostly from somehow that they knew Jack's family. And then 'course after that, then after I sewed once, then they would tell other people. And I was able to save a down payment and then buy a few furniture. And we had to buy the cheapest, because you know we just didn't have anything because we had to start all over again. And looking for a house was another problem too, 'cause so many people were against Japanese and they didn't want any Japanese neighbors.

AI: Was this still in the Fowler area?

KM: Well, we were looking in the Fresno area, because we didn't want to live too close. And so we told the realtor that we wanted to have a neighbor that would accept us. "So when you introduce a house or show us a house, be sure and ask the two neighbors." Because at that time people were throwing fire things and settin' barns and stuff on fire in the countryside.

AI: You mean...?

KM: The Japanese home. Uh-huh. So I didn't want that to happen. And so they all did. And so some of 'em said that they never had a Japanese, they don't even know what Japanese is. And lot of 'em said, "I'd rather not have a neighbor." So it was quite a long time that we had looked all over. And then the last house that, the first house was right near the city college, right near railroad track. They told us that eventually that railroad track would be taken out so it would be quiet. Well, it's still there. And so both neighbors said, "Oh," they said they would love to have Japanese. Some of them said that they're good gardeners, they're neat and so forth. And one of 'em said, "Well, I've never had one and I'd like to get acquainted." And so the one in the front and both sides, they all agreed. And we be, and to this day we're just corresponding back and forth. We're all far apart now. But when my husband passed away, they came to his services. And we just had a good memory, and we would talk about how our kids were growing up. So they were the best neighbors. But after nine years living there, and we had, we paid for all our mortgage and so forth. The two boys were to the age where they wanted a separate room, 'cause our first house was a two-bedroom house. So we looked and then we found a house that they were just building from the scratch. And that's where we went. And then we had a four-bedroom house, and I could use one for my sewing, and the two boys had their own. But this one, we didn't have to go around asking neighbors 'cause our house was the first one occupied, and all the rest came in later. But then unfortunately, uh not -- fortunately, our right immediate corner neighbor was a Japanese. And then after we got acquainted with, people that we knew way back in camp. [Laughs] Right next to each other.

AI: What a coincidence.

KM: Yeah. So we became real good neighbor. But both of them died now and now there's a Mexican family living there.

<End Segment 41> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.