Bheela’s Blog -039
14 August 2021
Episode 38 Recap
The second son of Mr & Mrs. Sakuragi comes to Kaga-ya to meet Oshin. Kayo watches him and asks Oshin not to get married in haste. Kayo shares her knowledge with Oshin about women’s upliftment.
A stranger comes into the life of Oshin and Kayo. To run away from the following policemen, he pretends to be the boyfriend of Oshin. He apologizes to her for his actions.
Kayo and Oshin both get attracted to the man.
Please click the link to read the full Episode:
https://bheela-wadehra.medium.com/bheelas-blog-038-1c8c48ed6f03
Episode 39
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
Kuni is discussing with Kayo’s parents about the future course of action to be taken for Kayo. Mino goes to fetch Kayo and asks Oshin to get her home soon.
Mino returns to the living room, and Seitaro, Kayo’s dad, asks her about Kayo. Mino is apologetic, and she says that Kayo went out again to paint; she sent Oshin to get Kayo.
‘It’s because you buy her everything she wants!’ Seitaro blames Mino and continues, ‘I’ll throw away all her painting supplies!’
‘Let her paint! A girl should have a hobby!’ Kuni says; she is more reasonable.
‘I hope it is only a hobby!’ Mino is anxious, and she informs Kuni and Seitaro, ‘But she is talking about going off to Tokyo to study painting!’
‘She is dreaming!’ Seitaro retorts.
Kuni continues being reasonable, and she tells them that it happens to everyone in our youth. Kuni is firm on her opinion of getting Kayo a good husband. Seitaro comments that it is not all that easy to find an adoptive husband. As usual, Kuni is ready with a solution! She tells them she has an idea of proposing to Betto’s second son! (Betto is another wealthy family in Sakata). Seitaro seems to know him, and he says that this boy went to work for trading business in Yokohama right after graduating from school. Kuni affirms that she is talking about the same boy. Mino is quite unsure; she worries and says that she hopes Kayo will listen to them. Kuni is now upset; she tells them, ‘It’s your duty as parents to make her listen! If you let Kayo have her way, the Kaga-ya business will be finished!’
‘But Kayo is so headstrong.’ Mino meekly submits.
‘She is smart and knows that she can get her way with both of you!’ Kuni remarks, still upset with her son and daughter-in-law. ‘Shape up!’ she orders them.
***
‘Nobody has ever praised my work before! Do you paint?’ Kayo wants to continue to converse with the stranger. She is pretty excited.
‘I just like to appreciate art.’ The man replies with courtesy.
‘Whose art do you like?’ Kayo won’t give up, and she continues to be chatty. Oshin gets nervous as Kayo is getting late to return home.
‘I am fond of Gauguin’, he replies.
‘I am attracted to Gauguin’s work too! Kayo is excited again.
(Paul Gauguin was a French Painter in the early 20th century. More about his works can be found by clicking the link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gauguin)
Oshin is now restless; she interrupts Kayo and reminds her that her mother wants her to reach home quickly. Kayo is not bothered; she tells Oshin that her mother will lecture her, so let her wait! Oshin protests. The stranger now turns towards Oshin and says that he is sorry to have bothered and scared her; he again thanks Oshin for being a great help to avoid the police.
The man is about to go when Kayo asks him if he lives in Sakata. He says, ‘No’ and starts moving. Kayo stops him again and inquires where he was headed to. He replies that he has taken a room at an inn. ‘We will walk you there,’ Kayo offers quickly and continues, ‘You might still be followed.’ As Kayo starts walking towards the man, Oshin calls her. ‘You can go home if you like,’ Kayo becomes too careless now. The man, understanding the situation, tells them not to worry about him. Kayo does not give up; she picks up her painting material. Oshin helps her to fold the stand and then picks up the board.
Kayo tries to use her charm and says to the stranger, ‘I will regret all my life if something happens to you.’ Kayo asks Oshin to carry the painting items. She is simply unstoppable; she inserts her hands into the arm of the stranger and asks Oshin if they look like sweethearts.
Oshin is speechless at Kayo’s bold moves, and she is uncomfortable. Kayo calms her and says that she can tell Mino that Kayo went to a friend’s house. The man again politely tells Kayo that he can find his way; he asks Kayo to better go home; he looks at Oshin and tells Kayo that this girl came looking for her. Kayo continues her pursuit; she looks at the man and says she would worry about him! ‘You are hard to deal with,’ the man now gives up. He removes his hand from Kayo’s grip and walks fast ahead. Oshin quickly picks up the painting stuff, carries the heavy stand and the bag. She follows Kayo. Kayo is surprised to see Oshin behind her. Oshin tells her that she would better go with Kayo; she cannot let Kayo go off with a stranger. The man then tells Kayo looking at Oshin, that what she says is right; ‘I might be a wanted criminal,’ he says. Oshin freezes out of anxiety. ‘No, you are not a criminal, I can tell!’ Kayo is defiant. She once again catches the stranger’s arm and walks forward. Oshin is upset but doesn’t say anything; she continues to follow them, walking with difficulty as she carries the painting stand.
The man stops at a point, conveys thanks to Kayo and Oshin, and tells them that he can go by himself to the inn. Kayo says that she will walk him up to the inn. He refuses, saying that it is just around the corner and he would like to go by himself. He then turns towards Oshin, removes his cap respectfully, and bows to Oshin, saying, ‘Thank you for all your help!’.
Kayo quickly introduces herself, saying, ‘My name is Kayo, my parents run a rice business. This is Oshin, our maid; she and I were raised like sisters!’ she adds hurriedly. Oshin bows to him as Kayo does the introduction. Kayo asks him, ‘Who are you?’ The man thinks before answering. Kayo says, ‘I guess you don’t trust us! You can contact us if you need help. I will be glad to help you!’ Kayo takes out a pen and paper from her bag, writes the shop’s phone number on a piece of paper, and hands him the same. She continues, ‘I don’t know how long you will be here, but I hope to be able to see you soon again.’ The man again looks at Oshin and says, please take care; he briefly nods at Kayo and pushes off towards his inn.
As Kayo watches him go, Oshin says, ‘I was so scared. I didn’t know what was going to happen!’ Kayo, meanwhile, spots the inn to which the man enters, and she says with joy, ‘Now I know which inn he is staying at! I am so lucky to have met him!’
Oshin cannot wait anymore; she comes close to Kayo and urges her to rush home. Kayo is still in the influence of excitement; she tells Oshin, ‘He is no ordinary man.
He is an intellectual. He knows who Gauguin is. He appreciates my work.’ Oshin warns her, ‘But why is he being followed by police? He must be up to no good!’ Kayo quickly dismisses Oshin’s fears by saying, ‘You don’t understand!’
Kayo is on cloud nine today; she seems to have found a man for her life! She walks back home, hopping lightly. Oshin has difficulty catching up with the heavy painting stand she is carrying.
***
At home, Kuni is still waiting for Kayo to return with Mino and Seitaro. Mino is apologetic, and she says that she should have been firmer with Kayo. Seitaro is still upset; he thinks aloud that he will give Kayo a piece of his mind when she returns home. Kuni says it is worse to come too strong on the youngsters. She advises that they just pretend that nothing is wrong and get Betto’s son to marry her. Kuni further says that they shouldn’t worry about her feelings so much.
Oshin opens the door and apologizes for being late. Kayo stands behind Oshin. Mino charges Kayo and asks her to explain why she got delayed. Kayo replies that she was painting, and she made Oshin wait until she was done. Oshin apologizes one more time. Kayo says that it is her fault, not Oshin’s. Kayo then turns towards Kuni and asks her if something was wrong? Seitaro asks her if she has taken a final decision not to return to school? Kayo nods in confirmation.
‘Why is that?’ dad asks her.
‘It is my life! There is no use trying to run my life.’ She says firmly to her parents.
Dad gets too upset at her frank reply. Kuni stops her son from getting angry and says, let Kayo do as she wishes. She can stay home. Mino wants Kayo to learn some feminine skills. Mino says that Oshin has learned tea ceremony and arranging flowers. It is time that Kayo learns these skills. Kayo is not convinced; she challenges her mom, asking what good it does to know such skills? ‘A woman has better things to learn! The days of a girl learning to be a wife are over!’ Kayo declares.
Mino continues to try; she asks Kayo to learn from Oshin. Kayo replies that all human beings are different. She has her own life to live, and so does Oshin.
With this, Kayo gets up and goes out of the room.
***
Kayo sits in her room, panting with anger. Sayo enters her room. She is friendly with her elder sister. They both seem to share a beautiful bond. Sayo says, ‘Did they give you a hard time?’ She shares the secret with Kayo and says that mom has decided not to let Kayo paint anymore. Kayo replies that mom has no right to restrain her own daughter! In her wisdom, Kayo tells Sayo that human beings are all free. Kayo now sits down to reach Sayo’s level and tells her that she could take over Kaga-ya. She continues, ‘I don’t want any part of it; it is all yours! All I want is my freedom.
***
Oshin is making a bed in her room. Kayo enters quietly to make sure no one sees her. She instructs Oshin to pack a good lunch for her the next day. Oshin wants to know if Kayo is going somewhere. Kayo replies that she will take the lunch for him. ‘Whom?’ Oshin asks. ‘The man we met today!’ Kayo replies. Oshin is taken aback; she thinks it is too risky. ‘I want him to enjoy some real cooking, so do your best!’ Kayo is excited; she wants to continue meeting with this stranger. Oshin tries to warn her that he may be a wanted man, so meeting him will not be safe. Kayo does not budge; she tells Oshin, ‘All you have to do is make the lunch!’ Oshin pleads to her not to venture into this risky game; what if she gets into any trouble.
‘I won’t cause you any trouble, do as I say,’ Kayo gives her instruction and goes away. Oshin is worried now.
***
It is the following morning. Oshin, as usual, wakes up early and is preparing a lunch box as directed by Kayo. The older maid enters the kitchen and asks Oshin whose lunch box Oshin is preparing. Oshin replies that Miss Kayo is taking the lunch box to her friend. The older maid laughs and comments, ‘what kind of friend?’ Oshin asks her to remain quiet and not to tell anyone about it.
Kayo rushes towards the inn carrying the lunch box prepared by Oshin. A woman, the innkeeper, comes out and welcomes Kayo. Kayo asks her if a man is staying here from Tokyo? The innkeeper replies that they have Mr. Yasuda; is Kayo looking for him? Kayo asks the woman to tell him that Kayo is here. The man is in his room reading one of the several books kept on the central table. The innkeeper knocks on the door and tells him that he has a guest. The man gets alert instantly. He closes the window and asks the woman who is there? The woman replies that her name is Kayo. The man asks the woman to tell Kayo that he is not in.
As he speaks, Kayo already enters his room. She says that she knew he was there. The man quickly goes to the door to see if anyone is looking.
(It seems that the man indeed is into some revolutionary activities against the authorities. He has to remain discrete at all times to avoid secret police. We will know more later.)
Kayo sits and places the lunch box on a side table. She tells the man not to worry; she didn’t tell anyone about him. She opens the cloth cover of the lunch box. She offers him the lunch she brought and requests him to eat. The stranger says that she should not have come to this place. Kayo assures him that she is on his side! Kayo is too curious. She looks at the books and tells him, ‘Just as I thought. I, too, enjoy books like these!
The man snatches the book from Kayo’s hands and starts hiding all the other books. Kayo continues, ‘My classmates in Yamagata used to read books like these.’ With a short pause, Kayo asks him if he is a college student in Tokyo. The man replies negatively. Kayo is further excited and asks him if he is in a political movement. She wants to know why he has come to Sakata.
The man smiles at the enthusiasm shown by Kayo, and he tells her not to try speculating; he is just a merchant in town for business. Kayo does not believe and tells him that she is a new-age woman and he cannot fool her. She has studied Marx and Lenin. She is sympathetic to socialism. The man politely tells her that he is not into all these. Kayo tells him he can trust her. Although she is a daughter of a capitalist, she always hated it. The man advises her not to get involved in these matters. Kayo tells him, ‘I don’t expect you to understand me right away. I just want you to know that there are women here in Sakata like me.’
***
Oshin is cleaning Kayo’s room. She is concerned for Kayo. She had no idea what Kayo is thinking. Why is Kayo in such a hurry to be friendly with a stranger?
About three days later, Oshin was doing the usual household work in the kitchen. Suddenly, one of the workers from the Kaga-ya front office comes in and tells her that she has received a telephone call.
(Kaga-ya store meanwhile has its own telephone set. In 1877, Alexander Graham Bell introduced the telegraph services in Japan during his visit. However, Japanese middle-class households started having telephone sets from 1910 to1920. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_in_Japan to know more about the history of telecommunication in Japan.)
‘For me?’ Oshin is taken aback. Who will call her? The worker tells her that it sounded urgent. Oshin wipes her hands and reaches the front office. Kuni and the supervisor are busy at work in the lobby area. There is a telephone room at the corner having glass walls and a door. Oshin bows to Kuni and the supervisor. She enters the phone booth and closes the door.
She picks up the receiver and places it to her ears, and says, ‘Hello! Sorry to keep you waiting. Who is calling?’ As she hears the voice at the other end, her face is ashen out of fear.
Mr. Yasuda, the stranger, is calling from the inn. He says, ‘We met at the sand dunes the other day. Can you come to the inn? I need help. My name is Yasuda. Please do not tell Kayo or anyone at the store. Please, help me.’ He pleads.
Oshin is in shock! She looks out of the glass door of the booth. Kuni looks at her, and she gets anxious seeing Oshin’s pale face.
Why is he calling her and wants this to be a secret? How will Oshin hide this conversation from Kayo and other family members?
We will find out in the next Episode 40, coming soon.