<Begin Segment 5>

JS: So what do you remember about when you were nine and you asked your father if the twins could come back?

KI: He obeyed and brought 'em. And I was happy because I was lonely, too.

JS: So what did he say to you at first? Was he open to the idea?

KI: He was open to the idea, because this would make the family together. And then I took, I went to Edison High School and I took homemaking. I learned to work with patterns, so when they joined me, I was -- oh, my mom had one of those pedal, Singer sewing machines that you use like that, not machine, electric part. But I made the twins' clothes.

JS: You did?

KI: Yes. And they were so proud, and they go showing it off, I said, "Don't do that." I said, "You don't have to show off your clothes." But they were happy to have a new clothes. So they'd walk down the street in their new clothes and go see Mrs. Taketomo, the store lady, and show off the dress that I made for them.

JS: So how old were you when you learned to sew, when you went to the sewing school?

KI: No, at Edison High I learned. I took homemaking, so that's where I learned to sew.

JS: I see. Oh, at Edison High?

KI: With the draft and patterns and things.

JS: Okay, great.

TI: Did the twins ever talk about the orphanage and what it was like there? Did they ever share that with you?

KI: No, they don't. They live in Chicago now, but they didn't talk about being orphans.

JS: Away from the family?

KI: Yeah.

TI: Did you ever have a sense about it, though? Did they talk about it in fond terms or in sad terms? Do you have any sense of what it was like?

KI: Let's see. You know, evacuation came. Well, we all had to go to camp. We were in Jerome and Rohwer, and then that separated my twin sisters, 'cause the twin sisters went to Chicago figuring they'll find a better life in Chicago, and I was stuck with my husband Hi. So I came back to Fresno after, you know, they released us from camp, I came back to Fresno.

TI: But back to the twins, so when they came to Fresno, were they happy to be back with the family?

KI: Oh, yes, they were. I would scold them and kind of shake them, you know, and when Takeo's head hit the window, and she claimed that I hurt her, but I didn't really hurt her, I was trying to discipline her and I shook her like that. And they learned to mind me, because I tried to be big sister to them and a mom.

JS: So they went to school, did you have to make their lunch and take them to school?

KI: No, we all walked to school.

JS: You walked together?

KI: Yeah, Lincoln school and Edison school.

JS: Okay.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2010 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.