Bheela’s Blog-008
13 January 2021
Episode 7 Recap
Oshin is ready to join a job at the age of 7. Her parents see her off on a raft, which takes her downstream Mogami river to her workplace. Oshin’s father, who is typically very rude, also shows his emotions. Oshin understands his situation.
She reaches her workplace but falls sick due to exhaustion. The agent has lied to the house masters about Oshin’s age; he has told them that she is 9. Her masters think that she is too young to handle the job. They wonder if she should be sent back. There is a head housekeeper who decides to train Oshin once she comes out of her sickness.
Episode 8
FLASHBACK CONTINUES…
Oshin’s job as a babysitter started, and it already foretells her upcoming hardship. She was brought on a raft to save money on a boat’s passage. She was sick due to a long journey over the Mogami river on a shaking raft. She faints due to sickness.
Finally, when she is back in her senses, she finds herself sleeping in a strange house, in a room, which appears to be a storage room. She was all alone. She peeps out of the room and quickly gets back in, hearing some footsteps.
The head housekeeper opens the room’s sliding door and asks Oshin about her health condition in a coarse voice. Oshin is speechless out of fear. Without waiting for Oshin’s answer, she says that Oshin needs to meet up with the Master and his wife. She asks Oshin to get up and follow her.
She also introduces herself; her name is Otsune. She proudly informs Oshin that she has been serving Madam here since her wedding day for over 20 years. She handles all the household matters. From now on, Oshin will have to listen to whatever she says, and Oshin would need to work hard. Oshin is not able to respond to Otsune’s loud and bossy tone. Otsune gets irritated and wants Oshin’s affirmations. Oshin says a feeble ‘yes.’ Otsune says that she has grave doubts about Oshin’s work capacity.
Anyhow, Oshin follows her to the living room. The floor of the living room is approximately one foot higher than the corridor floor level. Both Otsune and Oshin remove their slippers and climb to the living room floor, walking towards the seating area. (Very similar to Indian homes, everyone in Japan removes their footwear before entering the main living area)
The Housemaster and his wife (Baby on her lap) are seated on a slightly elevated space. Oshin sits in front of them. Otsune sits next to the house mistress. In a kind voice, the Housemaster thanks Oshin for coming and asks Oshin if she was only nine years old? He tells Oshin that babysitting will be hard work, so he asks her to hang in there.
Oshin tells them the truth that she is seven. In her enthusiasm, she also mentions that she would start school soon. The Master’s wife is taken aback and surprised that Oshin isn’t nine, as informed by the agent. Otsune is also surprised as the employment agent has lied to them. All of them realize how small Oshin looks, and no wonder she is only 7. The mistress has doubt if Oshin could handle babysitting and suggests to the Master to send Oshin back.
Oshin is alarmed, and in her defense, she speaks up. She tells them that she is accustomed to babysitting since she was already babysitting her little brother and sister at home. She pleads them not to send her back. She tells them that if she is sent back, her parents and her family will suffer badly. They are all surprised to listen to Oshin’s argument in favor of her staying. The Master understands the reason for Oshin’s taking up this job; he gets a clear idea of Oshin’s family’s financial condition.
He regrets that if they had known that Oshin is so young, they would not have gone ahead and brought her. Anyway, everyone realizes that it is too late to send her back. Master decides to keep Oshin. He finds Oshin to be a fine girl, accustomed to hardship. He believes that she will pull through the hard work.
Otsune says she will help Oshin learn all the housework. In a rude tone, she tells Oshin that she will work as a nine-year-old girl if she wants to stay, and she will be treated like one. Oshin quietly listens to her harsh voice and again, unable to speak. Otsune demands her confirmation, and once again, a feeble ‘yes’ comes out of Oshin’s throat.
The Baby in the mother’s lap stirs, so Otsune shows the Baby to Oshin, whom she will be looking after. Oshin is very happy to see the Baby and thinks it is a girl as the Baby is wearing a red Kimono. The Baby boy smiles at Oshin, and this makes her happier.
Master is happy that Oshin likes the Baby and tells her to treat the Baby as her own little brother. In a gentle voice, he tells Oshin to take good care of the Baby.
Otsune starts to take leave of the Master and his wife, saying that they will have an early start tomorrow. Master again asks Oshin if she had eaten her meals. Otsune replies that as Oshin had seasickness, she need not eat. Oshin is unable to speak since she is actually very hungry.
Otsune shows a room, more like a storage area, and tells her that Oshin should be grateful to get her own room. Otsune then tells Oshin all about her duties from the next day. Oshin would have to get up early and help to make rice. They have to make food for all the lumber mill employees. After that, Oshin will have to clean the area. Babysitting will begin when the mistress sits for accounting until close up for the day.
Otsune asks Oshin to sleep well. There was a candle in the room, which Otsune takes away. Oshin protests, but Otsune decides that the candle is not needed while sleeping.
Oshin is very hungry, and she remembers the rice balls her Mom had packed. She opens her cloth bag to take the rice ball out. As she is filling her mouth hungrily, she misses her mother. She says, ‘Mama! Mama!’ as she eats her fill.
The flashback scene now takes us to Oshin’s home. Fuji is doing needlework, and her father, as usual, is working on a straw bundle. Fuji is worried if Oshin reached safely or not. She wishes if they could hire a boat instead of sending her on that rickety raft. Father yells, ‘where is the money?’ Mother does not give up. She reminds that the rice barrel of Oshin’s wages was there, and they could have used it to pay for the boat. She is so worried if something would go wrong. Father says if there was something, they would know. As there is no news, they need to consider it as good news. Oshin’s Mom is worried that the place is so far away. It takes half a day’s journey down the Mogami River. It is not a distance that they can cover easily. Grandma is lying in bed; she listens to the conversation and prays silently for Oshin.
Very early next morning, Oshin is woken up harshly by Otsune. Otsune barges into the room. She throws the quilt away and pulls Oshin out of her bed. She also says that Oshin will have to wake up by herself or not be allowed to work. Oshin somehow collects herself and fills water in the wooden bucket from a well. As she takes the water to the kitchen, she is surprised to see that they are cooking rice, mixing it with Daikon vegetable in this wealthy household. Otsune informs her that as there are many employees at the lumber mill, they cannot afford white rice for the laborers. Oshin is further surprised but comes back to her senses as Otsune shouts and asks her to pour water on the dish.
All the employees line up and sit with their individual wooden mini tables for morning meals in the living area. Master and his wife are seated at the elevated space. Master greets them and encourages them to work hard in a pleasant manner. Otsune and Oshin arrive to serve the meal. Oshin also sits next to a worker, but Otsune orders her to first clean the area now. She has to finish all her other work before she starts babysitting. She asks Oshin to squeeze the rag hard so that the floor gets clean and dry.
Oshin starts cleaning first with a broom, but Otsune shouts at her to push the broom harder and alongside the grain. Oshin then wipes the floor with a rag. It is indeed hard labor for a child who is just turned 7. Otsune continues to shout and asks Oshin to dry the rag, even more, squeezing harder. Oshin complies quietly without a word.
The Baby wakes up and cries. Otsune tells Oshin to quickly finish her meals as her babysitting duties would start now. She also instructs Oshin that the work must be done faster from tomorrow to be ready before the Baby wakes up. Oshin forgets the hard work and smiles when she hears Baby’s voice.
Otsune and Oshin come to the kitchen to eat. Otsune wants Oshin to eat fast. Oshin takes her bowl and looks for rice in the big vessel. She is taken aback to see that there is hardly any rice left. What we see is shredded pieces of Daikon (Radish). Otsune continues her rude remarks that a child should eat only one bowl. She asks Oshin to take a bowl of leftover soup as well. She shouts again at Oshin to hurry up. Workers are expected not to take extended breaks for meals.
The mistress arrives with the baby, and she tells that she will be going out to the front desk. It seems she looks after accounting of the lumber mill.
Otsune blames Oshin for them not being ready for the baby yet. The mistress is kind towards Oshin and says that as Oshin is new, she might take more time, but slowly will get used to the timing.
Mistress hands over the baby to Oshin. She would call Oshin when she is ready to feed the baby, so she tells Oshin not to go far away.
Oshin somehow finishes her meal hurriedly and ties the baby on her back. She takes the baby out of the house. The entire area is covered with layers of snow. Suddenly she looks at some kids of her age run past with school bags. She is somewhat sad as she too wanted to go to school.
The worker who brought her on the raft from her village, Naka, talks to Oshin. He is impressed to see the way Oshin is carrying the baby on her back. Oshin asks him if those kids are going to school. She tells Naka that she is jealous of them. Naka is surprised and asks Oshin if she is fond of going to school. According to him, school is no fun! He did not learn to read write, but he has learned to row the raft and measure the timber, so he advises Oshin that there is no need for schooling.
He looks at Oshin and finds her somewhat sad. He tries to cheer up Oshin by saying that Otsune is strict, but she is a good teacher and will teach Oshin well. He is considerate towards Oshin and asks her if her back ached with Baby’s weight on her shoulder. Oshin replies that she is accustomed to carrying babies on her back. Naka feels for Oshin and tells her to come to him if she feels like talking; he promises to help Oshin.
Baby is indeed chubby; Oshin cleans up the snow on a log and tries to sit for a moment. The Baby’s Mom arrives and takes the Baby from Oshin as it is time for milk. Oshin’s legs are aching for carrying the Baby for such a long time. She tries to rub her ankles to get some relief. The very next moment, Otsune orders her to wash Baby’s soiled diapers clothes while he has milk. As Oshin is quiet out of tiredness, Otsune declares that washing is part of the babysitter’s job.
As Oshin starts washing the clothes near the well, it begins to snow, and suddenly it gets freezing. Otsune tells Oshin that diapers can’t be washed next to the well as the well water is used for household and must remain clean. She instructs Oshin that washing needs to be done at the river.
It is freezing out there. The river water is too cold; most of it is has a layer of snow. There is one small pocket where the water hits the rock and creates a swirl. Clothes are washed using river water at that spot.
Oshin keeps the bucket with soiled clothes on a wooden plank supported with bamboo. She sits and washes the clothes. Her hands are frozen with cold river water, and she tries to warm them by blowing air from her mouth.
The baby felt heavy on Oshin’s shoulders. If she sat for a while, he starts crying. Oshin remained on her feet all day. She never had any real break from her duties. She had to withstand the icy waters of the Mogami river while washing diapers.
She cannot return home. She had no option but to preserver.
Will she be able to continue this hardship?
Episode 9 is coming soon …