Bheela’s Blog -023
24 April 2020
Episode 22 Recap
Oshin’s father decides to move with his family to Brazil. He cannot take grandma with him. Grandma decides to take her life by jumping into the Mogami river. Oshin saves her.
Oshin’s mom decides to take up a job.
Read the full episode in the link:
https://bheela-wadehra.medium.com/bheelas-blog-022-c8c72bca65c5
Episode 23
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
Sakuzo, Oshin’s dad, had given up his plan of taking his family to Brazil because of the situation with grandma. Fuji had refused to leave grandma behind. All his family members had concerns for grandma. Fuji has decided to find work away from home.
It was a day in early autumn. Fuji is packing clothes as the new baby sleeps on a mat. Oshin enters the room with a wooden pale full of water. She asks her mom what is she packing in this bundle? Fuji does not reply to Oshin, instead, she starts feeding the little one and says to the baby to fill as much as she can.
A woman enters the room and greets Fuji. She says that the weather outside is clear, and it is an excellent day to start a journey. Fuji thanks the woman for coming to their place well in time. The woman says that she is glad to help out. Fuji asks her to wait as she is feeding the baby. The woman is not in a hurry, and she says the same thing to the baby to have all the milk while she can!
Oshin is puzzled by these conversations. Fuji says that Sumi (we learn that the new baby is a girl, Oshin’s youngest sister, and her name is Sumi) is well fed for now. Fuji again expresses her gratitude to the woman for her kindness. The woman now takes Sumi in her arms and says that the family she is going to is wealthy, so there is nothing to worry about. Fuji trusts the woman to find Sumi a good home. The woman says this is the best time that she takes the baby over to the new family. It will save Fuji the sorrow of parting with her. The new family will raise her as her own. The woman then continues, ‘The new family have asked not to reveal their identity to you for the baby’s sake.’ Fuji agrees with the woman readily. Fuji puts up a fake smile, and she tries to be cheerful. With her eyes moist with tears, she hands over a bundle of baby’s clothes to the woman. She is sure that the new family will arrange fine clothes for Sumi, but she wants the woman to take these soft old clothes for the time being.
Oshin gets alarmed; she asks her mom where Sumi is going and why Fuji is giving her away. Ignoring Oshin’s questions, Fuji asks the woman to proceed as the new family must be waiting. The woman says that they are waiting just outside, and she goes ahead. Oshin runs after her, shouting, ‘No! She is my sister! Don’t take her away!’
Fuji catches Oshin and kneels on the floor. She apologizes to Oshin and says that they did not have any choice. Fuji holds Oshin softly, and explains that she does not want Sumi to suffer the same as Oshin did.
She says that to be born as a girl here is to suffer! Fuji wants Sumi to have a better life.
Oshin, although very young, has matured beyond her age. She says that she does not care how poor they were. She does not want to be adopted by somebody else. Mom then argues that Sumi is just a baby and will not know who her real parents are; she will not miss them. Sumi will grow up thinking of the new family to be her own. She continues that Sumi is a cute baby and the new family will be good to her. She won’t have to work like Oshin had to do or eat Daikon gruel to fill her hunger. She won’t have to babysit, clean, or do the washing as Oshin is doing even at home. Fuji’s features are getting hard with extreme pain, and she says with resolve that Sumi will get to wear pretty clothes, eat her fill and maybe even go to school.
(Mom wanted all these for Oshin but could never provide them, these are the basic needs of a mother for her children, which poor families could not afford those days).
Grandma, by this time, is fully awake, and she sees everything lying down on her mat. She feels helpless and cries silently.
The woman who gave Sumi for adoption, her name is Oriki. She is some kind of an agent and visits the city often. She connects various employers with the villagers who are looking for jobs. She also finds families looking for adoption.
Fuji is cooking beans; the family is awake now. She tells everyone that Oriki has taken Sumi, and she is feeling better now. She says that Grandma and Oshin will take care of the young kids. Now, she can go and join a job. She announced that she will be leaving the next day. Oshin asks why so soon? Fuji tells her that the employers are after her to join work as quickly as possible. She was waiting for Sumi’s adoption to the right family. This process took some time.
Oshin asks Fuji again where she will go? She then answers that she will be going to the hot springs in Ginzan city. Oshin has many questions, and she asks her what is her work exactly? Grandma tries to stop Oshin from asking so many questions, but Oshin ignores and pesters her mom for an answer. In a pretentious cheerful way, Fuji replies that she will work as a maid at the local inn where the tourists visit to see the hot springs. Oshin asks what does a maid has to do, what are her duties? Fuji thinks before replying and then comes up with an answer that her responsibilities will be to cook, clean, and do other chores. Oshin doesn’t stop; her next question is if all of these would mean a lot of hard work? Mom happily replies that it is always easier than working in the rice paddy fields. Fuji tells Oshin that she is counting on Oshin to fill in for her.
Oshin starts contemplating; she somehow feels that mom is hiding something. She regrets that if only she stayed on at her old job at the lumber mill, they could have kept the rice sack, preventing mom from giving away Sumi and go out for work. Mom consoles her saying not to worry; she would anyway have to work. She asks Oshin to take care of things at home. With a fictitious smile, she serves meals to everyone.
It is early next morning and quite breezy. Fuji wakes up and goes to the washing area. Oshin also gets up and goes after her mom. She thinks that mom is vomiting, so she asks her if she is sick. Mom then replies that she is just full of milk because she could not feed Sumi. She needed to throw this excess milk to reduce the pain. Oshin feels for mom and apologizes for saying harsh words to her when Oriki took Sumi away. Mom hides her pain and looks out; she is unable to face Oshin. Dad is awake, too; he feels helpless and hides, covering the blanket over his face.
Fuji left early in the morning. Although she said she would work as a maid, the kids, especially Oshin, had no idea what she would be doing. Oshin, with two younger siblings, walk behind Fuji up to some distance.
Oshin hugs both the kids, turns around, and walks towards home. Mom takes a final look and walks fast away from the kids.
Oshin returns home, dragging her feet along with the two smaller kids to find grandma waiting for them at the door. Grandma asks Oshin if they saw Fuji off. She hopes that no one cried. Once again, grandma blames herself for Fuji’s taking up the job. Only if she was more capable of contributing to family income. Oshin comes forward, and she takes charge. She tells grandma that it is not her fault and all of them are working hard, including her. She explains to grandma as if grandma was a child and Oshin, her mother! She says it is not our fault that we are in this state of poverty; we are all putting so much effort daily. Oshin is hopeful that she will have a lot of money one day so that all of them, her mom, her dad, the kids, and grandma, can live in comfort. Grandma smiles at the childish wisdom of Oshin, and she cheers up. Oshin then helps her clean her wounds and put on a new dressing wiping the wounds with warm water.
She tells grandma to always remember that they need her in their home. Grandma is happy.
Oshin starts meal preparation; she blows air through a pipe to the burning wood in a furnace used for cooking. Dad arrives and tells her that she will have to wake up before dawn to finish all the housework the next day. They have to help out with planning cedar saplings; every family has to send one worker. Oshin will have to go in place of her mother. Dad says he and Shouji are busy in the rice fields.
Oshin has questions, but her father stops, saying that she does not have to do babysitting anymore, so she will have to fill in at the plantation site.
The villagers, the next day, are climbing a narrow hilly road carrying baskets full of cedar saplings. Oshin follows them with her basket of saplings tied to her back. The road is steep; she misses a step and falls. A woman holds her; she looks at Oshin’s face, which is full of sweat. She asks Oshin to take some rest. Oshin is tough; she ignores her tiredness and continues walking up the hill. The village woman cannot believe that her father sent her to do this arduous task when Oshin is still a child.
They start planting the sapling, and Oshin wants to know when these will grow tall? The village woman replies that it takes about 40 to 50 years before they are ready for cutting. She says that she will be dead by that time. She then asks Oshin how old will she be when the trees grow. Oshin does quick mental math and replies that she will 48, in the next 40 years and 58, in the next 50 years. The villagers are amazed to hear Oshin’s correct answers and her ability to compute. Oshin tells them she will be wealthy by then buying all these trees that she is planting today.
She doesn’t want anyone else to have it, so she will buy the whole hill! Villagers realize and talk among themselves that Oshin is no ordinary girl.
BACK TO PRESENT TIME
Oshin and Kei are staying at a hotel near the banks of the Mogami River, enjoying their time together. Kei gives his grandma a good shoulder massage, much to the relief of Oshin’s old bones. Oshin remembers events of the past vividly. At this point, when Oshin remembers telling the villagers that one day she will buy the entire hill, Kei asks her if she ultimately bought those trees. Oshin laughs and tells him that she didn’t, as those seedlings subsequently gave them a lot of trouble. Oshin tells him that she worked hard to not fall behind the others villagers, who were all adults. This work went on for days, but she never quit; she just kept working.
Oshin is happy with the shoulder massage, and she thanks Kei for treating her well. She is thankful that Kei accompanied her as he is a great help during her journey towards her past. Kei is somewhat embarrassed by this praise and says that he might be a bother as he asks too many questions. Oshin thinks she would have been lonely if he did not join her. Kei is amazed to listen to her past events; he says that Oshin is not like the younger generation. She is much stronger as she endured those hardships during her youthful days. He comments that Oshin enjoys her hard work. Oshin says that nobody wants to work hard, but she had no choice as a poor farm girl.
By this time, Kei serves tea from a thermos flask in two cups, and he offers his grandma a cup. Oshin relishes, taking a sip, and continues that it wasn’t just her; all the villagers had it tough those days. Oshin tells Kei that she felt going off to work as a live-in maid probably would not be as hard as planting the trees. Many village teenage girls had to get jobs such as catering to male customers at the inns. Compared to that, it was good to work at home. She says that she was made to work hard, but she considered herself lucky. Kei laughs with her.
She then reveals the next chapter of her life; she tells him that soon she found a live-in maid’s job. She was actually happy to have found that job. She had to work for two years, and the employer will pay them five barrels of rice. It was an attractive offer!! Kei is alarmed to hear this; he exclaims, why was she again had to work against rice barrels? Oshin brushes that alarm aside and calmly replies that she was glad to go and help her family. Kei repeats after her sarcastically, ‘I was glad to help my family,’ he mimics her. He says he does not understand how a father readily lets her 7–8 years old child slog at strangers’ houses!!
FLASHBACK RETURNS
Oriki, the agent, comes to Oshin’s places. Dad, grandma, and Oshin are listening to her. Oriki says that a rice dealer is looking for a babysitter. Oshin can get five bales of rice for two years of work. Oshin is a good worker, they will like her. Father thinks, and he asks Oriki if they know that Oshin failed at her last job and returned without completing the term. Oriki ignores this worry; she says that they do not know, she won’t have to worry. The mill owners are at Sakata, which is so far away that they will not hear about it.
(Sakata is about 75 km northwest of Oshin’s village at Obanazawa (near Ginzan hot springs), see google map by clicking this link: VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS)
Oshin is very hopeful and enthusiastic; she says that she will go, and this time, she will not run away. She tells her dad that she won’t cause any action for them to lose their face.
Grandma looks at Oshin with her eyes filled with worry and fear. She exclaims, what will they do without her? How will they manage the house and younger children? Father has glee of greed in his eyes, and he says that they will earn five barrels of rice!!
He just can’t believe of having so much rice.
Will Oshin join the work at Sakata, which is so far away? How will she travel? What kind of work did Fuji find at Ginzan city?
We will know what happens next in episode 24 coming soon.