Densho Digital Archive - Kena Gimba Interview (denshovh-gkena-01-0012)

<Begin Segment 12>

MH: Now you said earlier that you left Ronnie with your grandmother at the relocation center in Idaho, and you came back with your husband and Jean, and you both were working. And you said you had somebody take care of Jean. How did that work?

KG: You know, he had brought Jeannie back before I was back. Yeah, he brought her back, and I followed and he'd already, I guess he must have had made plans for him to, if they would take care of Jean.

MH: Who's "them"?

KG: Huh?

MH: Who's them? Who are you talking about? Who's going to take care of the children?

KG: The Watanabes.

MH: And where did they live?

KG: They lived in Milwaukie here. And for some reason, my husband and the Watanabes were, well because I think because of the church and all that, they were very, very close. So he must have talked it over with them. I don't think he says, "I'm going to bring my child here." I really don't know the particulars because it had already happened before I came back even because he brought her back before I came back. There wasn't too much time between, but he did come back. I guess, Jean was able to adjust herself to any life, I think. She was very easy to get along with. She must have been quite a character then because I would hear stories about what she would do, you know. But outside of that, I really don't know. And when I came back, I don't think she particularly cared whether she came back to Mom and Dad or not. Baachan came back because, then Baachan was there all the time, but I think Jean was just as happy where she was. She liked company, liked people.

MH: The Watanabe family was, they had quite an extended family living there.

KG: Oh, yes, uh-huh. So they must have really, I really don't know because my husband was the one that --

MH: Made the arrangements?

KG: Yeah. Here again, I think we talk about language barriers. It isn't a language barrier, it's just that I'm not very good in Japanese. Sure, I can talk daily conversations, but whatever my husband and them talked about, I really don't know. I would swear that, maybe that Mr. Watanabe and him could have lived together like father and son, so I really don't know. That part, he did everything himself.

MH: So your daughter, Jean, she went back to live with you after your mother came back with Ronnie?

KG: Uh-huh. I think she didn't particularly care whether she come back or not. just for my husband and myself because he'd go over there but he never, well he would bring her back sometime but, you know, he would have to take her back.

MH: How long did that last?

KG: My mother didn't come back for, until the place closed. So I really don't know when that place closed. She came back just before they closed.

MH: So it was several months that --

KG: Yeah, I would say several months, yeah. I think if Grandma were back with us, I think Jean would have been old enough to go to kindergarten. That's all I can say about that part of the life. What else we're going talk about? I can't think. You got to give me a clue, and then I'll chatter off. [Laughs] Things that you do, you can't remember everything.