Torn Apart

by Susan Aihoshi

  Today Emma went to the Commission office again, trying to discover when the rest of our family is coming here. She’s been as worried as Kay and I are about our parents and Harry, and she wants to see Aunt Eiko. A bus runs to Kaslo but Emma needs a permit to travel. The Mountie stationed here, Corporal Sayers, told Emma he has business in Kaslo on Friday and offered to drive her there. When Emma asked about the permit, Corporal Sayers said he’d overlook it this one time!!

  Thursday, October 29

  A letter from Mama today at last! She’s leaving Vancouver soon and coming here with Harry. He’s had bronchitis but is over the worst of it. What a relief to finally know he’s okay. But Mama still has no news about Papa. I hope and pray he’s safe and not in a prisoner-of-war camp. I can’t help thinking about when we didn’t get any news about Geechan for such a long time. But I’m going to try to be brave and not worry.

  I walked to The Orchard this morning to see if Alex might be there. Several horse-drawn wagons were in the clearing by the road. Some farmers had their children with them. The Japanese were buying carrots, cabbages, potatoes and other vegetables. Alex was helping his father and I went over to say hello. He gave me an apple!

  Later I asked Emma why the Doukhobor children weren’t in school. She said their parents believe in home-schooling. It’s strange how we can’t go to school but the Doukhobor children don’t.

  Next Monday, Kay, Emma and other girls hoping to teach are meeting a lady named Hide Hyodo. Everyone knows about her because she was one of the four people who went to Ottawa to try and get us the vote. She’s also the first Japanese person in B.C. to become a teacher. Children in the camps aren’t allowed to attend any local schools, but their parents complained so much that the Security Commission hired Miss Hyodo to set up schools for grades one to eight. The higher grades have to wait until next year, but I might be going to school after all — at least if we have to stay here that long!

  Kay and Emma are excited about teaching. I miss school and my friends even more. I wonder if Sachi misses me as much as I do her. I hope I hear from her soon, as well as Maggie and Ellen. The gang can’t be the same without us — just two Musketeers!

  At least Mama and Harry will be here before long. And I hope and pray Papa will be too. I’m anxious about him most of all.

  Friday, October 30

  Corporal Sayers drove Emma to Kaslo and back! He was picking up Miss Hyodo for next week’s meeting here. Emma got to see Aunt Eiko, who knew that Mama and Harry are coming to New Denver next week, but STILL had no news about Papa for us. I’m trying really hard not to worry about him, or that’s all I’ll do.

  Emma says Miss Hyodo is really nice and is going to live in New Denver while she sets up the different schools. While Emma was in Kaslo, Kay and I visited Cash & Service, the dry goods store. They’ve started carrying products we need, like candles, fabric and sewing supplies. Even the grocery store is supposed to get Japanese food soon.

  Sunday, November 1

  We move to a cabin tomorrow! Maybe the Commission finally heard Emma’s complaints. We’ll have to share with another family, but it will be nice to be warm again. If only there was indoor plumbing too!

  Monday, November 2

  Kay and Emma spent most of today at the meeting with Miss Hyodo. She’s interviewing girls to decide which grade they will teach. The new schools are using the same curriculum as regular schools back home. It’s strange to think of my sisters as teachers, but I’m sure they’ll be good ones.

  Tuesday, November 3

  We moved in with the Yamasakis yesterday! They’re happy we’re joining their little household for a short time, even the baachan.

  The cabin was crowded already with five people and their belongings, and now there are three more. With just two bedrooms, Dori must share ours since there are only two bunk beds in each one. The girls were so curious when we arrived. Mrs. Yamasaki asked them to keep out of our way, but there’s nowhere for them to go. At home I used to complain about sharing with my two sisters. Now there are four of us in this much smaller room!

  It’s so nice of Mrs. Yamasaki to have us eat with their family, since our dishes and cooking things are still with Mama. To help with the expenses, my sisters and I went to the village grocery store for some food. A lady was asking the price of a bag of onions. When the clerk said, “Fifty cents,” she exclaimed, “But it was just a dime in Vancouver last month!” He replied, “Well, there’s a war on.” Emma gave him the look and said it was highway robbery, but he just shrugged. I don’t know if that lady bought the onions or not, but we had to. Kay handed over five one-dollar bills for our shopping and only got a few cents change. Next time we should get our vegetables from the Doukhobors!

  We had supper tonight by candlelight and the food was much better than at the mess. Mrs. Yamasaki invited Mike to join us. He said how wonderful it was to have home cooking again — beef okazu, rice, pickles and miso soup. Mrs. Imai had wisely packed a lot of Japanese food staples.

  After we ate, Mike said goodnight and went back to his bunkhouse. Kay and Emma did the dishes. I read the little girls a story from my fairy-tale book before they said their prayers and went to bed. Now I’m writing here at the kitchen table — its rough boards make my writing bumpy.

  It’s still cold in here and not much better than the bunkhouse. Being around the Yamasakis makes me miss the rest of my family more than ever. I’ll run to the outhouse before I go to bed. I’m going to sleep in my clothes again!

  Wednesday, November 4

  Woke up early feeling sad, wondering when I’ll ever see Papa again. I would have stayed in bed but it’s freezing! It must be worse for those people still living in those wretched tents. Our little bedroom window is all frosted over. I can hear Mrs. Yamasaki and Mrs. Imai up already, filling the heating stove with wood. Dori is awake now too. I see her peeking out from under the covers on the top bunk across from me. I’ll stop writing now and get up.

  Later

  Mrs. Yamasaki did laundry after breakfast. It’s so much work without a wringer washer! At least we can use lake water for this. After the girls and I got some, Mrs. Yamasaki heated it on the stove and poured it over the dirty clothes in a metal tub. She scrubbed everything on a washboard with a bar of yellow soap, dumped the water outside and rinsed everything in fresh water. We all helped wring the clothes as dry as possible. The clean washing had to be hung up inside the cabin because it would freeze outside! Mrs. Yamasaki apologized for the disruption this morning, but at least my sisters and I learned what’s involved. I’ll need clean clothes soon and doing laundry won’t be fun, especially in such cramped quarters.

  Thursday, November 5

  I told Mrs. Yamasaki and my sisters that we should get our vegetables from the Doukhobors. After breakfast we all walked over to the clearing by the road. I took them over to the Davidoffs’ wagon, so I could meet Alex again. He waved when he saw me and I introduced him to everyone. The prices were much better than the grocery store. Kay got a big basket of apples for a dime and tonight she and Emma made a pie. They used coupons from our ration books to buy sugar in the village.

  The girls and I had to go back to the village to get more water for cooking and doing dishes. What a nuisance!

  Friday, November 6

  Emma mailed Tad a letter at the post office and brought back one for me from Maggie! It’s so good to hear from her. She and Ellen miss me and Sachi a lot, especially at Guide meetings and grass hockey. Rags is fine and Ida is taking good care of him. They’ve had more air-raid drills at school and Templeton has new equipment — shovels and buckets of sand to put out fires in case of bombs. I must write and tell Maggie about everything that’s happened to me so far. I’ll write Sachi too, so she’ll know where I am. I wonder how much her camp is like ours?

  This afternoon Mike taught Kay, Emma and Mrs. Yamasaki how to split logs! He wants them to be able to do it if he’s not around. The Commission workers like Mike’s friend Johnny Takenaka bring us mor
e wood every week, but we use it so quickly, just like everyone else here.

  Saturday, November 7

  While my sisters were at the Commission office this morning, trying to get news about Mama and Harry, Mrs. Yamasaki helped her daughters bathe. She heated lots of fresh water on the stove and poured it in the washtub. The little girls went first. Then I bathed too, while everyone else stayed in the bedrooms.

  Of course, we had to get more water this afternoon so Mrs. Yamasaki, Mrs. Imai, and Kay and Emma could bathe. Mrs. Imai is looking forward to the ofurō being built, but public bathing still doesn’t appeal to me!

  Monday, November 9

  No time to write before bedtime last night, so I’m scribbling this at breakfast today. Mama and Harry arrived yesterday! They left Vancouver Saturday on a special hospital train. Corporal Sayers picked them up in Slocan and brought them to the Newmarket Hotel in the village.

  The moment the car pulled up, I flung open the passenger door and hugged Mama so hard her hat fell off! I blurted out that Mike was here in New Denver too. Mama was very surprised and happy. Harry scrambled out of the car and Kay and Emma gave him big hugs. So did I. He was a little pale, but looked pretty good for someone who’s been ill so long.

  And Emma never said how handsome Corporal Sayers is! He carried Mama’s suitcases into the hotel foyer for her. Kay said, “Thank you very much, Corporal,” and he blushed. My big sister is a flirt!

  The Newmarket isn’t like hotels back home. Papa, Harry and I once waited outside the Hotel Vancouver, just after it was built, to see King George and Queen Elizabeth when they toured Canada. It’s a grand skyscraper but the Newmarket is just an old three-storey building made of wood. The San isn’t ready or Harry might have gone there instead. At least this hotel has real beds and electric lights. There’s even a bathtub, so I asked Mama if I could have a bath sometime soon. She laughed because both Kay and Emma had already asked the same thing! She promised we could all have baths another time. Mama just wanted to eat something, get Harry to bed and go to bed herself!

  That’s when Emma unwrapped the furoshiki she’d brought. It was a bentō Mrs. Yamasaki and her mother had made for Mama and Harry. Mama asked us to thank Mrs. Yamasaki and Mrs. Imai for their kindness, which we did when we returned to the cabin.

  Later

  Our turn for laundry this morning. My sisters wanted it done before we went to see Mama and Harry. Such a lot of hard work! We hung our clothes up, hoping they’ll be dry by the time we go to bed tonight. Thank goodness there are no men or boys living in the cabin with our underwear hanging in plain view!

  Tuesday, November 10

  Mama finally had news of Papa! Somehow Aunt Eiko tracked him down at last. He was released from detention in Vancouver but then was sent to Tashme, an internment camp near the town of Hope! The Commission mixed him up with another Kobayashi family living there instead of sending him here. Aunt Eiko doesn’t know how soon he can join us, but at least we know he’s safe. Mama’s still worried about him and I am too, but at least we know he hasn’t been sent to Ontario. I was so afraid he might have ended up in that prisoner-of-war camp like the Nakagawas’ son Mas!

  Several families left The Orchard for new cabins at Harris Ranch, another camp nearby. Their old homes are being used for the new school. Some of Mike’s friends are taking down the inside walls. Miss Hyodo wants classes to begin as soon as possible. Kay and Emma say it’s a disgrace that some families are STILL living in tents.

  Wednesday, November 11

  It’s Remembrance Day. We went for a walk in the village and someone had put a wreath on the cenotaph near the lake. I wonder if anyone will do the same for the memorial in Stanley Park now that all the Japanese veterans have left Vancouver.

  Thursday, November 12

  I saw Alex again this morning. Mrs. Yamasaki bought more vegetables and Kay got another basket of apples. The pie was a big hit last week!

  I had a letter from Sachi today — it’s nearly two months old! But it’s wonderful to hear from her. I’m pasting her letter in here.

  September 14, 1942

  Dear Mary,

  I hope this letter finds you well. I’m sorry I haven’t written sooner but life here in Lemon Creek is so different from Vancouver.

  I admit I was angry when I had to leave our home and my best friends. There isn’t even a school here I can go to! That seemed worse than not having running water or electricity and having to live in this tent. We’ve been promised we’ll have a cabin soon.

  But I’m so busy helping my parents and looking after my younger brother and sister, I can’t complain. You know me, I’m an optmist! It’s very beautiful here in the mountains and I’ve been picking berries and mushrooms like we learned at Guide Camp. I miss you and Maggie and Ellen but I just know I’ll see you again somehow and that we Musketeers will be reunited someday. Please say hello to everyone in your family for me.

  Affectionately,

  Sachi

  Sunday, November 15

  It poured yesterday so we were stuck inside all day. At least we didn’t have to fetch water. But we needed an umbrella to use the outhouse!

  And more rain today. Mama didn’t think Harry should go to church yet. She’s being extra careful that he doesn’t get sick again. Emma and Kay and I went to mass with the Yamasakis and our shoes are a mucky mess.

  Thursday, November 19

  Maggie sent me another letter! She says that she forgot to tell me that Billy Foster is in Ellen’s class this year. He got a detention for calling Edith Brady “four-eyed” because she wears glasses. I guess there aren’t any more Japanese kids for him to pick on now.

  And Maggie says the grass-hockey team lost three games in a row without me and Sachi.

  It’s so UNFAIR that I can’t be with my best friends. But there’s nothing I can do about it, so I’ll try to be more positive like Sachi.

  Sunday, November 22

  Mama and Harry came to St. Anthony’s this morning and finally met the Yamasakis. It was Harry’s first real outing since he arrived here. Afterwards, Mrs. Yamasaki invited Mama and Harry for tea, so everyone came back to the cabin. Harry’s eyes almost popped out of his head when he got inside, but he didn’t say anything rude, thank goodness. He did eat more than his fair share of senbei, though! At first the girls were shy around Harry, but they played Jan-Ken-Pon and were soon laughing together. And Bonnie beat Harry twice!

  Tuesday, November 24

  Dr. Uchida, the camp doctor, checked Harry out today. His lungs are clear and he should be fine to live in a cabin with the rest of us. That’s good news!

  Thursday, November 26

  This morning Alex said it’s going to snow soon. At least all the people living in tents finally have their cabins.

  We had a letter from Tad today, addressed to us here, so he knows we’re in New Denver. He’s driving a truck in Toronto now. The pay isn’t great, but it’s better than Commission wages. And he says people in Toronto are very friendly. I’m glad to hear that, because the village of Silverton, south of here, wanted to put up a barrier on the main road to keep us out. I just don’t understand why some people hate us so much!

  Sunday, November 29

  Papa’s here and we’re finally all together! Except for Tad and of course Geechan. Papa was at last permitted to leave Tashme. He got here late yesterday afternoon. All of us anxiously waited at the village gas station. It’s been so long since we’ve seen him that I didn’t think I could stand waiting even one more second.

  When Papa stepped out of Johnny Takenaka’s truck, he was surrounded! We’d never seen him hug Mama before but he held her tight until tears ran down her cheeks. Then he hugged each of us. We all cried because we’re so happy, even Mike!

  I can admit in these pages that I was really afraid we might never see Papa again. He was very tired from his long trip, so we didn’t ask him too many questions. He’s spending the night with Mama and Harry, but said it would be the last time he’d leave us.
I’m saying lots of thankful prayers tonight now that Papa is back with us again!

  Monday, November 30

  Too busy to write — my sisters and I have to move again. But our family is going to be together. The Commission is finding us our own cabin.

  Wednesday, December 2

  We left New Denver for Rosebery. This morning Johnny helped us move all our things here. He sure spends a lot of time helping us lately. I think he’s sweet on Kay — someone else besides Corporal Sayers!

  We said goodbye to the Yamasakis this morning. Mrs. Yamasaki gave me a little present for helping with her daughters, a heart-shaped origami bookmark. I wasn’t much help, really — we were only with them for a month — but she insisted! I hope someone nice will share the Yamasakis’ cabin now that we’re leaving.

  Johnny drove Papa, Mama and Harry from the hotel. Mike is staying at the bunkhouse until the San is finished. The rest of us took the shortcut along the railway tracks Alex told me about. Now I see why he likes this route. There are big trees everywhere and it’s so quiet! We saw several different paw prints in the snow beside the tracks. I hope none belonged to bears!

  Rosebery is smaller than The Orchard but is also right beside the lake. Our new home is exactly like the Yamasakis’. There’s still no electricity or running water but we don’t have to walk as far for fresh water. I hoped we wouldn’t have to use outhouses here, but I’m wrong. And that bath I had at the hotel last week may be my last real one for a while. Johnny got the heating stove going, but it’s as cold here as anywhere else we’ve stayed. Poor Harry is finally getting better and now he has to live here. But I shouldn’t complain. We’re together at last. That’s all that really matters!