Life After the War
Although I gave birth to many children, my children don't understand the Japanese language very well, so these days I've been feeling very lonesome. My oldest daughter, Ruth and I were like sisters, and we got along well. All of our boys were good baseball players even though they had small bodies. Henry's school principal took Henry to every school game, saying that if Henry didn't play, the team would lose. My fourth son, Benjamin, was the football captain. He would often come home from practice with scratches on his face. Franklin, our fifth son, was good at basketball. Lucy, our third daughter, quit college in her sophomore year because the war began. Right now, William, my second son, and Chris, my sixth son, takes care of me, so I walk around the house, going to bed and getting up occasionally during the day. Now, I can cook rice, but I'm not able to cook other dishes, so Nina comes to Webster early in the morning on weekends to clean the house and look after me.
My husband was a good man. He was down to earth, and didn't worry about things. He didn't for example, pressure our children to go to college, and he didn't get angry too often. He was honest and hardworking; he got up at three in the morning every day. He never resorted to violence. Even though he was a first generation, he never had to use an interpreter to communicate. Later in life, he acted as caretaker for the Japanese American cemetery. He passed away in 1970.
There are only a few Isseis who were able to go back to Japan. The only people who have survived are Kobayashi, who is 101 years old (she lives in the neighborhood) and myself. There are hardly any old-timers like us left in Webster. Kobayashi is too old to walk, so when her older daughters come to care for her, I sometimes visit and try to talk with her. She's usually too weak to talk with me.