On Honshu Island - chapter 2

To read: Chapter 1

Chapter 2

 “Jasumin, it’s time to get up,” Ka-ra called, “you too, Fabio.  Breakfast is in ten minutes.”  Ka-ra’s voice was unusually joyous.  There was no waiting in bed today.  Jasumin jumped up.  She had been expecting something special to happen today.  Ka-ra sounded so happy.  Fabio, too, was up and dressed abnormally fast.  They came down to breakfast with five minutes to go.

          “My, my,” Ka-ra said, “are we in a hurry today?”  She laughed.  The children sat down, and Ka-ra served up their rice and tea, “Well, I have news for you both,” she said, her eyes twinkling, “Can you guess?”

          Jasumin and Fabio shook their heads.  They had their suspicions, but it was quicker to just have Ka-ra tell them. 

          “Fabio, Jasumin, Sir Ha-bi has consented to allow you to go to the barracks, Fabio, and Jasumin to the Girl’s School on Shang Street.  Now what do you think of that?”

          “Hurrah!” cheered Fabio, jumping up from the low table. 

Jasumin ran to Ka-ra, “Thankyou, Ka-ra, oh thankyou!” she whispered, hugging Ka-ra tight.

          “That’s alright, dear,” replied Ka-ra in a whisper, then, in a louder tone “Fabio! Do stop jumping about! Have you forgotten you are at the table?”

          “Yes, Ma’am, sorry ma’am,” said Fabio, sitting down again, happier than he had been for a long time.

          “Fabio, you start today.  Oh my!”  Ka-ra glanced at the clock, “you must be there in five minutes, can’t be late your first day.  Hurry Fabio, no, I will wash the dishes today!  Goodbye and good luck!”  Fabio gulped down his last mouthful of rice and flew out door, grabbing a jacket as he went.  Ka-ra watched him run down the lane, as fast as he could go. 

          “Jasumin, you don’t start school until Monday,” continued Ka-ra, sitting back down, “today is Friday.  Today we will go to the school, get you enrolled and buy the things necessary for school.” 

          “Will I get a pink kimono?” Jasumin asked eagerly.

          “No, I would say not.  School children usually wear a dress or skirt and shirt.  They don’t usually wear traditional clothing.  But you never know.  This school might be different from all the others.  We will go to the school today, and see what the lady there tells us to do and get.”

          “Can we go now, please?” Jasumin begged. 

          Ka-ra laughed, “Not before the dishes are done and the house is tidy and then we may go, but not before then.” 
          She washed and dried, and Jasumin put the bowls, chopsticks away.  Ka-ra swept the floor, while Jasumin made sure that all the bedrooms were tidy – she found three stray pieces of paper in her brother’s room.  Jasumin picked them up and put them in the bin.   

          Finally, they raked up the leaves dropped by the cherry blossom tree and Jasumin picked a blossom or two for the table.  This having been done, Ka-ra said, “Now we can go.” 

          Jasumin ran quickly away to get her hat and shoes.  Ka-ra put on her shoes, and got her little shopping basket down from the shelf, “Are you ready Jasumin,” she called, “let’s go!”

          Jasumin skipped alongside her mother.  They entered a large two story brick building that had a fancy sign saying, ‘Girl’s School’ in gold lettering.  Ka-ra pushed open the big oak door.  She asked a passer-by politely, “Can you please show me where the Principal’s office is?  And is that where I enrol my little girl?”

          The stranger said, yes it was, and that her office was the first door on the left after passing two corridors. 

          Ka-ra looked a little confused.  The stranger laughed kindly and said that she was heading that way herself, and would gladly show them where to go.  Ka-ra politely thanked her and hurried after the disappearing attendant. 

          The friendly teacher, for that was who she was, left them at a door which said, also in gold lettering, ‘Principal’s Office, Ms Chi Abu.'  Ka-ra hesitated at the door, before deciding to knock firmly.  Then she stood back a pace and waited.  After a few moments, a deep female voice said, “Come in.”  So they entered. 

          “Hello, my name is Ka-ra Daiki.  This is my daughter Jasumin.” 

          “Hello, my name is Ms Chi Abu, Pleased to meet you.”  She shook hands with Ka-ra.  Jasumin looked at the principal.  She was taller than Ka-ra, but by only a few inches.  Her hair was black, but it was also short, and bobbed, in the new fashion.  She had on a long skirt, and a short sleeved white shirt.  She had a gold chain around her neck and a little gold watch on her wrist.  In all, the new principal was very pretty.  Jasumin decided that she liked her immensely. 

          “…and I would like to enrol Jasumin in the school,” Ka-ra was saying. 

          “Certainly,” Ms Chi Abu said.  “I will need you to fill out this form.”  She handed Ka-ra a piece of paper.

          “I can’t read or write,” Ka-ra said unhappily. 

          “No worries,” the principal said kindly, “Here I can help you out.  This says ‘has your child been to school before’?”

          “No.”  The principal filled it in. 

          ‘Child’s detail next please.” 

          “Jasumin Daiki, eight years old, born on the 4^th January, 1936.”  Ms Chi Abu wrote it down, and then said aloud, but to herself, “Date, September 4^th.  Principal, Ms Chi Abu, Teacher:  Ms. Takin. Your signature please, Mrs. Daiki.”  Ka-ra put a little black cross.  

          “Here, this is a list of all the things Jasumin will need.  She can start Monday.” 

          Ka-ra nodded, and uncertainly took the piece of paper.  She wondered if the teacher forgot she couldn’t read.  Ms Chi Abu nodded, smiled and stood to open the door.

          “See you on Monday, Jasumin,” she said, “Goodbye.”  Once they were outside, Ka-ra opened the list.  To her surprise and great delight, it had little pictures if what Jasumin needed.  Made just for me, she thought, glad she wouldn’t be at lost as to what to get.  

          “Let’s go shopping, Jasumin,” Ka-ra said, much relieved. 

          They bought pencils and paper, books and clothes.  Jasumin tried on uniform after uniform, and finally, they found the ones that fitted properly.  Jasumin was disappointed in her clothes.  She had hoped for pink clothes, but Ka-ra got only plaid green and blue.  She did like them, but they weren’t……weren’t pink. 

          Ka-ra sighed.  She looked, and was, tired.  Jasumin slipped her hand in hers, suddenly realizing that her disappointment was coming across as ungratefulness. “Thankyou Ka-ra, I love my new things.”

         Ka-ra smiled, and said, “Let’s go home now, shall we?”

After they went home, Ka-ra went immediately to her room and pulled out a small blue satchel from under her low bed.  “Here,” she said, “this was my sister’s.  She went to school, but she never liked it much.  She was allowed to stop, and so gave me all her supplies.  I was only three then, and she was twelve.  I never lost this satchel.”

          “So can you read, Ka-ra?” Jasumin asked, having missed most of the conservation at the school.

          “I never have been taught.  After my sister stopped going, none of us girls ever went. So this is now yours.”  She gave the satchel to Jasumin. 

          “Thank you, Ka-ra.”  Jasumin took the satchel and filled it with the primer, pencils, paper and rubbers.  She was so occupied with what she was doing, arranging and re-arranging her new things that Fabio came home, unnoticed. 

          “Hello,” he said.

          “Oh, hello Fabio, I did not know you were home,” said Ka-ra, standing up, “how did you go?”

          “Oh, it was great, I had good fun.”  Fabio plunged into a detailed and length narrative of how they marched, how they made guns, when they rested, what they ate, how to think strategically and how to…

          “Very good,” Ka-ra said, interrupting, “but Sir Ha-bi will be home soon, out you go.”  The children filed into the courtyard and Fabio re-acted the day’s happens. 

          “And every muscle in my body is aching and feels like jelly.”  He flopped down on the ground.  Jasumin giggled.

          Then she showed him all of her school supplies.  Fabio was an expert on such things, and showed Jasumin how to hold her pencil correctly and so forth.         

          Sir Ha-bi was late coming home that night.  He so late that Ka-ra had fed the children their supper and put them to bed.

          “How did Fabio go today?” he asked, sitting down to his bowl of rice and broth.  He spoke without looking at Ka-ra, but his tone made her head shot up quickly from the sock she was mending. 

          “He did fine, why?” she asked, half tremulously, half fearful, “what’s wrong Ha-bi?”

          “War’s been declared.”  He said bluntly. “There’s been a war going in Europe, Hitler has invaded so many countries there is now a world war.  A few years ago, Japan has sided with him. Now they are nearly out of men of arms, and an honour call has been sent out, before they issue conscription.  Soldiers from Hiroshima are to sign in and are to leave tomorrow, by first light.”

          “No, no,” Ka-ra sobbed, “it can’t be.  Fabio can’t go to war.  He’s too young.  So many die! He may be one of them!”

          “Yes, well, he has to go.  You were the one who had to sign him up to battle school.”  Ha-bi said accusingly, as he rose and stood at the window, “We’ll leave at six.”

          “We?” K-ra faltered, “Oh, no, not you too Ha-bi.  You can’t both leave me!”  She ran to her husband, and put her arms around him, “don’t go.  You might never return, just as my father and brother never returned.”

          “I have already signed up, and besides, I want to do what is best for my country.  No emotion - a wife of a Japanese should know better than that.”  With that, Ha-bi left to sleep, seemingly unperturbed by his news, leaving Ka-ra to sob throughout the night.

          Fabio was excited when he heard he was going to war.  But, even so, when it was time to leave, he was upset, and clung to Ka-ra as if he was a little boy.  Then Ha-bi said it was time to go, so he tore himself away, straightened up and left the courtyard briskly, not saying another word or throwing a backward glance.

                                                                                ...to be continued....