<Begin Segment 31>

DG: You said something about your father wanted his family because he didn't...

MM: He didn't have family (...) nothing but brothers. And he was the third son. Did he have a sister? But she died young and he always used to say, "My sister who died, Chiyo, was very similar," nite tatte to his one sister. So I think he had not a very, very happy life. Sabishii life, I think. So family meant a lot to him. So I don't know what year he bought that Ford, but he would take us out on Sunday outings. Mukashi no Ford with a big, 19' what is it? 19'...

DG: Well, I heard a story from Elmer Tazuma, that there was a period when you didn't buy it. He didn't buy a car to save money for opening the store.

MM: Who?

DG: Your father.

MM: My father?

DG: Uh-huh. That he thought that was too much of an expense and that's how he saved.

MM: That's a new one on me.

DG: You didn't hear that story.

MM: No.

DG: So the story is that your family didn't have a car for a long time, when you were really young.

MM: I remember having that, that Ford with the big glass window but not, what year model ka shiranai kedo but I don't think any other Japanese family had one like that. I don't know about Tazuma no family. I know who he is, but...

DG: Uh-huh.

MM: How did he know what, about...

DG: He said that his father told him about...

MM: He...

DG: Your father.

MM: Mr Tazuma had a store on Twelfth Avenue. But that's way after.

DG: Right.

MM: Way after. My dad was in business way before him. If I'm correct.

AM: Yeah, Tazuma was older man.

MM: Tazuma is. I think, uchi no store was older.

DG: He told me the story as an example of how your father saved and how he got his savings together. He was a real frugal man.

MM: Well, frugal, but we were not very deprived of anything.

DG: Uh-huh.

MM: 'Cause all the Isseis were frugal.

DG: They were, weren't they?

MM: Uh-huh. But I don't know Mr. Tazuma.

DG: Well, you told me a story...

AM: I never talked Mr. Tazuma personally.

DG: Oh, okay. You told me a story, I thought, about your father when he was working for the railroad? Or something? And how he saved money even then.

MM: He was working and then he got into that restaurant.

DG: But even before that, he, he got...

MM: Oh, yeah, I remember. Mr. Shiraishi is a buddy of my father, too. And, ano, weekends come and they used to go gamble and my dad was dead, dead against gambling. He saw all those men were all gambling on the weekend. And he didn't believe in that. That's where he saved his money. 'Cause I can't think of anything else.

DG: Right, right.

MM: 'Cause they all earned the same amount then, I'm sure. But they always had a Toyo Club yara.

DG: Well, see, and that's where that Kimpachi used to have his gang members recruit them into the gambling place. As they got off the train or something like that.

MM: I think he used to go and nante iuno...

AM: I never heard of Dad gambling.

MM: Yeah, my dad, oh my dad was, even in camp, de kara, we, ano, we (would) play, pinochle, or something, they nickel and dime, they'd back, no gamble surudesho, oh, he just hated it. And he says, "I don't like that. Warui kuse datte." So I know he would never gamble. And he used to tell Misa-channo father, "Don't gamble your money away." And Mi-chan says, "Yeah, so look what happened. You folks got money and we don't." [Laughs] Yeah. So, yeah, I know my dad was dead against gambling. And maybe he never joined in with the rest of the men. Maybe that's why they didn't like him. I don't know. Ne, Misa-chan no papa used to say, Mr. Shiraishi no father used to say, "Your dad never went gambling." I think after work they all (would) go and gamble, but he would not go with them. Otherwise, everybody else made the same kind of money. But when the same men are single, no wives, I think they went there for asobunoni.

AM: Yeah.

MM: Kimpachi made a lot of money but I think he lost it all. He was nothing to look at, short, crew haircut, and comes in like this. Like a big shot, you know. Typical Japanese no...

AM: Gambler.

<End Segment 31> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.