<Begin Segment 9>

DC: Can you tell me more about what happened when you returned to Albuquerque, where you lived and what your parents did?

MM: Well, you know, it wasn't bad at all. All of us, those seven cars, I mean, with truck included, we all stayed in a motel on... in the south, wasn't it? South valley? Well, there's a motel there we stayed at.

ET: Well we stayed, then probably rented a big house. And then we went, we went to work for different people. I went to go work at a doctor's home, and she went to work, Mr. Katzen, I guess.

MM: All of us young people, my cousin went to a lawyer's home. And you know they took us in and then we stayed with them, and so I thought, well, we knew the family I went to before we, you know, we knew them in Albuquerque so it was easy for me. And they'd say, "We want you to eat this breakfast, lunch and dinner with us," and I felt like, no, I shouldn't be doing that. And so they insisted I do, so eventually I became a member of their family. You know, it was nice. I took care of their baby and...

DC: How long did you work for them?

MM: Oh, what was it? About two or three years, I guess. Because Connie was just a little baby. And I was able to take her home with me and everything. They trusted me that much, you know. So it was nice.

DC: This was a white family?

MM: Huh?

DC: A white family?

MM: Yes.

ET: He had a restaurant and... Court cafe, wasn't it? Mr. Katzen.

MM: They were Greek, Greek, I think he was a Greek man. But boy, he was nice. I mean, both he and his wife were nice. Oh, they were nice.

ET: I worked for a doctor, Dr. Rice.

MM: We had to get out and do something because... a whole bunch of family.

CM: Lot to feed.

MM: Oh, but it was fun.

DC: Were you all living in one house or...

MM: Two house.

DC: Two houses.

MM: I think his family had, right next door, huh, Charlie? And then, yeah, and one big house. I think there might have been fifteen of us in that big house, huh?

ET: Oh, I don't think that many. [Laughs]

MM: I mean, it was a... so we cleaned, cleared out the huge garage there, I mean really cleaned it up, put a table in there so everybody can eat there, and it worked out fine. And I think my cousin and I did all the cooking while the others all went out to work on the farm. And I mean, I wouldn't do it again, though.

DC: So you didn't live with the families you worked for, right, you stayed home?

MM: Well I stayed with them because they wanted me to stay with the baby a lot. And she became like a family. I was able to take her home with me and all. She was just... and right now, when she comes to Albuquerque, she looks me up. She's a lawyer now, the little girl that I took care of, yeah.

DC: You did a good job with her.

MM: She's a really nice lady.

ET: It was a good family. It was a good family.

DC: So how did your lives unfold in the years following that?

MM: Oh, you know what? She got married first, right?

ET: Yeah.

MM: And she took off. So my sister, my younger sister and I stayed at home. We should have took over, too. But no, it was okay, there's nothing to be afraid of now. I don't think anybody should be afraid. They should take the responsibility and work it out, because it works out.

DC: Shouldn't be afraid of what?

MM: Nobody, you shouldn't be afraid of anybody. But they were afraid of us, I think. [Laughs]

DC: In Albuquerque did you feel like anybody was afraid of you?

MM: Huh?

DC: In Albuquerque did you feel like anybody was afraid of you?

MM: I don't think so, they were really nice. They were really nice.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2012 New Mexico JACL and Densho. All Rights Reserved.