The Purple Heart

by Vincent Yee

  “Actually, I should be headed back to my barrack,” said Minami weakly as she looked away from Kiddache.

  She began walking along the wall of the mess hall doubling back to her own barrack when abruptly, Kiddache planted his arm against the wall, barring her path. Minami took a sudden step back.

  “Why so fast? I’m just trying to be friendly,” said Kiddache in a menacing tone.

  Minami’s eyes widened with fear. Where was Hiroshi? Why wasn’t he here? He said he would be here at the mess hall to meet her. If he were here, Kiddache wouldn’t dare act like this.

  Then she remembered the ladder. Hiroshi was already here, why else would the ladder be propped up against the wall? Unless–and a frightful thought passed through her mind–unless Kiddache had done something to Hiroshi.

  “I’m going to head back to my barrack,” said Minami in a firmer tone as she tried to mask her fear.

  “Sure, you can go back to your barrack once you give me something,” said Kiddache in a low and deliberate tone.

  Minami reacted immediately to his words by turning the other way hoping to walk in the other direction. But Kiddache had already anticipated Minami’s move and stuck out his right arm against the wall to block her escape. She pressed her back against the wall. She was between his arms, and his face was only two feet away. She was frozen in fear.

  “You know, you’re pretty good-looking for a Jap,” said Kiddache with a contemptuous tone. “I think for all the good American boys your kind killed, you should give me a little something.”

  Kiddache then moved into Minami and tried to plant his lips on hers. Minami, with her widened eyes, screamed out “No!” and immediately brought her hands up to push him off. Kiddache brushed her hands aside and pressed his body up against Minami’s struggling body. She fought back by hammering down on his shoulders with her clenched fists as she shook her head from side to side in revulsion. Kiddache was persistent. He dug his mouth along Minami’s neck and roughly pulled down the left side of her jacket and dress, exposing her shoulder, which he then bored down on with his mouth.

  Minami turned away as she struggled against him. He was strong and bigger than she was. She screamed, “Help! Someone help me!”

  As she screamed, Kiddache pulled back his head, and she saw anger in his eyes. He slapped her across the face, sending the right side of her face against the wall. She brought her right hand up instinctively to quell the pain on her cheek and looked at Kiddache through the strands of hair that was splayed across the left side of her face.

  Kiddache motioned his right index finger menacingly at her. “Look what you made me do to your pretty Jap face. If you don’t shut up bitch, something is going to happen to your family, maybe to that little Jap brother of yours!”

  No! Not Yoshi! Minami thought. What kind of a man would threaten a child?

  Kiddache looked at her and she saw malevolent determination in his eyes. He grabbed the top of her dress and roughly tore it downwards. The fabric ripped away from the center buttons, revealing her bra. Minami gasped in fright as Kiddache dug his face into her chest and pressed his body even harder into hers, pushing her up against the wooden wall, which creaked against his onslaught. His hand grabbed at her breast as he tried to hike up the right side of Minami’s dress. But Minami persisted in her struggle. Mustering all the strength that she had, she clenched both hands together and brought them down onto the back of Kiddache’s neck.

  Kiddache buckled for a moment but quickly straightened up, pulling away from Minami. He reached around the back of his neck and rubbed it a few times. With a renewed determination in his eyes, he delivered a punch to her belly as she struggled to cover herself up. The blow sent a dulling pain throughout Minami’s entire torso as she blurted out all the air within her. Her knees buckled as she slid slowly down the wall and crossed her arms over her stomach. She coughed as her body struggled to breathe while recovering from the blow. She felt like gagging as she coughed even more.

  Kiddache stood over her with a contemptuous look. There was even a hint of pleasure in his expression. He shook his head disapprovingly from side to side. He then grabbed her chin and began to lift her up.

  Minami didn’t have a choice as she struggled upwardly placing her hands along the wall to support her from seemingly falling. So many thoughts were racing through her mind. What did she do to deserve this? Why was this happening to her? Please don’t hurt my family. Hiroshi, where are you?

  Kiddache raised Minami to full height, then gripped her neck and began squeezing it while pressing her up against the wall, even harder than before. Minami grabbed his wrist and tried to wrestle it away from her throat but couldn’t. Guttural sounds seeped from her mouth. She could feel her eyes bulging as tears welled up along her lower eyelid.

  “Why are you misbehaving? If you want to go, you just have to let me fuck you and when I’m finished, I’ll let you go,” Kiddache said in a mocking tone. “Oh look what you made me do, I’m causing tears to flow out of your slanted eyes.”

  Minami’s tears were no longer due to Kiddache’s grip around her neck. They were coming from the hopelessness and despair that she felt inside. First her country took her father away for no reason. Then she and her family were forcefully removed from their home. Then they were relocated to the awful desert away from all civilization, fenced in like prisoners. And finally, she was helpless to defend herself as she was about to be raped by a man who called himself a U.S. soldier. What more would she have to sacrifice of herself because her country couldn’t get through its unfounded fear that they were not real Americans?

  Kiddache held Minami in his grip and was enjoying every moment of it. He grabbed the right side of Minami’s dress and tore it away and downwards, revealing her chest and a partial view of her underwear. He then looked at her, admired her, and then looked back into her eyes.

  “That’s much better,” said Kiddache as he planted his hot mouth against Minami’s. She recoiled immediately, but her head was already up against the wall. She wanted to break away from him, but she couldn’t. Her eyes widened in fear when suddenly he plunged his tongue into her mouth. She couldn’t breathe but the opportunity presented itself. She bit down hard on his tongue as Kiddache snapped his head back pulling his bloody tongue from Minami’s teeth.

  Minami gasped for breath and instinctively tried to pull her jacket together just when she saw the fist. Her heart jumped as her mind braced for the force that would strike her. She cowered to the right, closed her eyes, and brought her hands up to shield herself from the impact. Then she heard it: The thud of a fist hitting upon skin. Minami stayed in her protective position, her body trembling in fear but there was no impact. Slowly, she opened her eyes and turned her head. She saw Kiddache, but he wasn’t looking at her. She dropped her hands slowly and turned to see his fist in someone else’s hand. It was Hiroshi.

  Hiroshi looked down at Minami, who had begun to straighten up while he held Kiddache’s clenched fist in mid-throw. Minami turned and her eyes met his own. He saw such fear in those eyes, a fear he had never wanted to see in Minami ever again. Hiroshi looked downward and saw her torn dress, and his temper erupted as tendrils of fire coursed down every strand of muscle in his body.

  Minami felt an overwhelming sense of relief as she stared into Hiroshi’s stern eyes. His eyes stared back at her and then slowly blinked. His head turned slowly and mechanically toward Kiddache.

  Kiddache’s face was wrought with frustration as he struggled to break free of Hiroshi’s powerful grip on his wrist. He saw Hiroshi staring at him with stone cold eyes. Kiddache threw a left-handed punch toward Hiroshi’s head. Hiroshi lowered his grip and leaned back allowing the punch to go past him. Then he snapped back and grabbed Kiddache’s other wrist with his free hand as he took a firm step forward, placing his right foot between Kiddache’s feet and pushing him onto his back.

  Hiroshi stood between Kiddache and Minami. He didn’t turn to look back at her. As long as he kept himself b
etween Kiddache and Minami, she would be safe.

  Kiddache got up onto his knees and with low a laugh said, “Your lady and I were having a good time until you showed up. Maybe if you let me finish fucking her, then you can have her next.”

  Hiroshi then delivered a kick to the underside of Kiddache’s chin sending him reeling backwards. Kiddache landed flat on his back as his body slammed onto the ground with a dull thud sending up puffs of dust. Kiddache got up immediately and wiped the blood from his bloodied mouth.

  “I guess you’re not going to make this easy, Jap,” said Kiddache.

  “Go fuck yourself!” replied Hiroshi.

  Kiddache then charged at Hiroshi’s mid-section. Hiroshi caught Kiddache under his arms, planted his left foot back for leverage and halted the failed charge. Kiddache struggled, dug his boots deeper into the ground until Hiroshi effortlessly shifted his weight to his front foot, pivoted left and swung his back leg around. The momentum of Kiddache’s charge spun him around in a full circle, and Hiroshi threw Kiddache face down onto the ground.

  Kiddache picked himself up and spun around to face a strong-willed Hiroshi, who was standing in front of him.

  “That’s some of that Jap martial arts crap,” stated Kiddache with indignation.

  “Yes and you’ll be eating a whole lot of it,” Hiroshi answered.

  Kiddache lunged at Hiroshi and threw a right hook at his head. But Hiroshi stepped back and blocked it with his left hand. Kiddache then launched another punch with his left arm, which Hiroshi also easily blocked. Hiroshi brought his left hand under and over onto Kiddache’s left forearm and parried it as his other fist connected with Kiddache’s nose. Kiddache staggered backwards as he brought his right hand to his bleeding nose, and his mouth opened in shock as Hiroshi’s foot spun through the air and slammed into his cheek. Kiddache spun a couple of times in mid-air before landing face first on the ground yet again.

  Minami was awestruck as she clutched her jacket over her torn dress. She was so relieved to see Hiroshi and even more pleased when Hiroshi started to fight back. But she wasn’t prepared for his ability to fight so skillfully. She was expecting a brawl, but for Hiroshi, it was flawless combat execution. She watched in astonishment as Hiroshi anticipated each of Kiddache’s moves and threw him around like a helpless rag doll. She was astounded at Hiroshi’s spinning kick that sent Kiddache to the ground. She wasn’t even worried about herself anymore–she knew she was well protected. She just wanted to see more of Hiroshi kicking Kiddache’s sorry ass.

  Hiroshi still had his back to Minami. He watched Kiddache attempt to get up and he began to walk over in deliberate steps when a bright white light flashed in his eyes. A low demanding voice yelled, “What’s going on over there!”

  Hiroshi took a step back and covered his eyes with his forearm. Minami also shielded her eyes away from the light that came from the left. It was a spotlight from a jeep. The jeep hummed gingerly toward them and then stopped. A man got out of the passenger side along with two others from the jeep. It was the general.

  “I said what’s going over here?” demanded the general as he stepped in front of the jeep. The spotlight then focused on Kiddache, who was on all fours with blood dripping from his mouth and nose. The general looked tall and authoritative in his black calf-high military boots with his brown pants tucked into them. His brown shirt was decorated with medals and citations and his face was stern and serious. A butt of a cigar was in his mouth.

  Kiddache was the first to speak. “Sir, I’m so glad you came. I found this man assaulting this woman and when I came to intervene Sir, he suckered punched me…”

  Minami vehemently interjected and stepped forward, “That’s an outright lie! You attacked me!”

  “She’s lying sir, she’s just trying to protect him because they’re both Japs…”

  Minami rushed toward Kiddache, but Hiroshi caught her around the waist and held her back. But he couldn’t hold back her words, “You lying son of a bitch! You tried to rape me! Look!”

  Minami stepped out of Hiroshi’s arms and pulled her jacket open to display her torn dress.

  “Miss, you can cover yourself up,” the general said.

  Minami in frustration covered herself up once more with her jacket.

  “Don’t believe her, Sir, I was only trying to help…” Kiddache said.

  Minami lunged forward again before being caught by Hiroshi, “You liar! Hiroshi saved me, you sorry excuse for a man!”

  The general watched the exchange back and forth and looked at the pitiful Kiddache, who stood up holding his nose. It was still bleeding profusely and drips of blood oozed copiously from his mouth. There was also a bruise on the left side of his face the size of Idaho.

  Finally the general yelled out, “Enough! Silence, the both of you!”

  His voice shook the very ground that everyone stood on. Everyone fell silent. He turned away from Kiddache and looked at Minami and Hiroshi. The general took a couple of steps toward them. “Aren’t you the one that hit that home run?” asked the general.

  Hiroshi looked at the general straight in the eyes as he held Minami, “Yes Sir, that was me.”

  “Fine hit son, fine hit. Seems like you and this private have some disagreement going on between the two of you.”

  “That was just the game, Sir. This is personal,” replied Hiroshi.

  The general took a puff from his cigar and let the smoke escape from the side of his mouth. “Personal, you say?” he asked.

  Hiroshi looked down at Minami who was leaning her face into his chest. Hiroshi let out a short sigh and then looked the general in the eyes, “Yes Sir. Personal.”

  “I see,” said the general. “You know son, sometimes in baseball, we all have to take one for the team.”

  There was a pause before Hiroshi responded, “Yes Sir.”

  The general stared at Hiroshi for a moment and turned in Kiddache’s direction. “Private, climb into the back seat of the jeep. We’ll drop you off at the infirmary before you bleed to death. And for Christ’s sake, don’t bleed all over my jeep!” He then turned to Minami and in a softer tone, “Miss, you go on home now.”

  Minami shook her head in disapproval but Hiroshi nudged her head upward and looked down into her eyes. He brushed away the strands of hair that was splayed across her face and smiled down at her and without words, he simply indicated to her to go home. Minami understood and pulled her jacket snugly across herself, crossed her arms and reluctantly pulled away from Hiroshi. She kept her gaze on Hiroshi, turned and briskly walked back toward her barrack.

  She was about fifty feet away when she heard what sounded like a sack of potatoes dropping to the ground. She turned around to see Hiroshi falling to his knees as a soldier held his arms back. A large soldier who was standing directly in the headlights had just delivered a punch to Hiroshi’s mid-section as the general stood watch.

  Minami was alarmed at what was happening as she raced back toward Hiroshi. Didn’t the general believe her? It was Kiddache who assaulted her, not Hiroshi. Then Hiroshi turned his head up suddenly in Minami’s direction and though she was some thirty feet away, he met her eyes. He shook his head slightly and glared back at her. “No!”

  Minami froze. She couldn’t believe Hiroshi was telling her to go back. She didn’t understand, but there was such intensity in his eyes. She didn’t know what to do. There must have been a good reason for him to say “no.” Would she inadvertently make the situation worse by going back? Was there something that she didn’t know? The soldier holding Hiroshi’s arms pulled him back into an upright position. Hiroshi looked at Minami with that gaze before he turned his head. The other soldier delivered another punch to Hiroshi’s mid-section as he doubled over onto the ground.

  Minami didn’t understand why she did it. She felt entirely helpless all over again. She ran back to her barrack, leaving Hiroshi in whatever cruel hell he was in as tears streamed down her face.

  T H I R T E E N

  Minam
i hopped out of bed the next morning. She didn’t get much sleep as her thoughts raced. She wondered what happened to Hiroshi after she had left him. She felt a deep regret that choked her heart. Why did I listen to Hiroshi? She tormented herself by asking why she didn’t run back to Hiroshi, her rescuer, place herself in front of him, and plead for mercy from the general. She would have, she should have. But his eyes evoked such vehement intensity that they stopped her in her tracks. She remembered the sweat dripping from his eyebrows, the anguish in his contorted face but there was something in his pupils, an urgency that held fast.

  She zipped up a pair of jeans, threw on a sweater and the jacket from the night before, and slipped into her shoes. She grabbed the water pail just when her mother was stirring, and left the barrack.

  She bit her lip, the same thoughts still churning in her mind. Why did she feel so helpless at that moment? What was it that made her turn her back on Hiroshi? The guilt started to taunt her, weighing on every single thought. She felt the weight of it on her lungs and found herself gasping for air as tears of guilt started to fill her eyes.

  She didn’t even know why she headed toward the water pump. Did she honestly think that Hiroshi would be there? She wiped away her tears and walked faster. He had to be there. From the first day they met at the water pump, he had always been there. She needed him to be there. Her will then turned to one of determination as she turned right and walked up the length of the barrack to where the water pump was. He had to be around the corner, she thought. She was hopefully determined to find him standing there, tall and lean, in his white T-shirt and blue jeans, leaning against the wall of the barrack. He would have his arms casually crossed and he would greet her with that big smile of his.