<Begin Segment 12>

LH: Do you recall what you took?

MS: I do remember I had a doll. That's all I remember. I had a doll in one hand. I had a package in the other hand because each, both hands were kind of filled. But that's all I remember. I didn't realize that we would never come back, it would never be the same and the number of years. I just thought it would be, you know, a little momentary thing so that I can always come back if I wanted. So I never weighed what is more important to me. I just took what I thought was -- I'd like to have my doll, so I remember taking that. I don't remember what my brothers took, I don't know if they remember it. I just remember my parents bringing boxes that they... and then the suitcase that they carried.

LH: And they had to get -- many people had to quickly settle their affairs. What happened to your father's business?

MS: He left it in the hands of a neighbor who promised that he would take care of -- and by then we had a fourplex -- and at that point, he said, he was right next door, he said, "Well, we'll take care of it for you, so don't worry. When you come back, it'll be here."

LH: So this is a hakujin or Caucasian neighbor?

MS: That's right. And of course, you don't have that much time to look around for any other resources, so we had our things stored in the building, anything that we couldn't take with us. We thought it would be safe, and we took the things apparently that my father and mother felt were important for them, you know, right away you need. So all I remember is that. And I was very carefree -- I know my parents found it hard -- but I was very carefree at the time because we were gonna go somewhere and do something different, and as a youngster, those new adventures are kind of exciting.

LH: Would you say there was a sense of excitement about the whole prospect of leaving?

MS: For me, there was, well, you accept whatever is going to happen anyway, but I thought, "Gee, I wonder what this is gonna be like?"

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.