Bheela’s Blog -040
21 August 2021
Episode 39 Recap
Kuni suggests to her son and daughter-in-law to get Kayo married to the second son of the Betto family. Mino is unsure of Kayo’s intentions.
Kayo and Oshin walk with the stranger to drop him at his inn. Kayo tries her best to be friendly with the man. She thinks she found her ‘man.’ She visits the inn and goes to his room with a lunch box.
Oshin suddenly gets a call from the stranger, he shares his name as Mr. Yasuda, and he asks her help. He also requests to remain secretive.
Please click the link to read the full Episode:
https://bheela-wadehra.medium.com/bheelas-blog-039-9f694564b1b5
Episode 40
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
The older maid and the younger Otama are working in the kitchen. Oshin enters and tells them that she needs to go out and will be right back shortly. As Oshin is about to go, Ms. Kuni enters and inquires whose call was that. Kuni is concerned as she saw fear in her face when Oshin was taking the telephone call. Oshin has no other option but to lie to Kuni. She says that someone from back home has come to Sakata. Kuni tells her that she was anxious as she thought Oshin looked scared and worried. Oshin puts up a fake smile and informs Kuni that there is nothing much to worry about. She takes Kuni’s permission to go and visit the person from her village. Kuni has slight doubt, but she brushes aside and tells Oshin to go ahead, and she also asks her to bring the person from her hometown for lunch to Kaga-ya. Oshin bows in gratitude and relief, and goes out.
There was something in the voice of the stranger that made Oshin decide to help him. She reaches the inn and announces her arrival at the inn lobby. As the innkeeper comes out, Oshin asks her if Mr. Yasuda is staying here? The innkeeper says, ‘You must be Oshin; he is waiting for you upstairs.’
Thanking her, Oshin approaches the room. Yasuda is reading a book; upon hearing Oshin’s footsteps, he closes the book and gets up to welcome her. He opens the sliding door to let Oshin in and apologizes for having Oshin come like this.
‘I shouldn’t be asking you for favors, but I don’t have anybody else to turn to. I hate to trouble you again, but I missed meeting someone here in Sakata, and I am out of money.’ Yasuda starts explaining to Oshin the reason for him asking for her help. Oshin interrupts and informs him that she is just a maid and sends her wages back home; so, she doesn’t have any money.
‘No, it’s not that.’ Yasuda clarifies further and says, ‘I called home to have them wire me money. But I can’t receive it here at the inn. So, I had it sent to you at Kaga-ya address.’ Oshin is taken aback; she says, ‘To me?’
‘I can’t have people knowing where I am. You will be receiving the money by wire.’ He continues explaining his situation.
‘Why are you asking me to do this?’ Oshin is getting extremely worried by this conversation.
Yasuda respectfully replies to her, ‘I don’t know anyone else here in Sakata whom I can trust. I know I am imposing. But there is no other way.’
Oshin cannot handle this any further. She tells him firmly that she cannot help him.
‘I have already made the arrangement! The money will come tomorrow morning. Without it, I cannot do anything.’ He starts pleading to Oshin.
Oshin is still firm, she says that she is sorry, but she cannot help him. She is somewhat puzzled, so she asks him why can’t he receive his own money. She just cannot understand, and she thinks that Yasuda is up to some illegal work. She tells him to cancel the money order.
He still pleads and says, ‘If I could, I wouldn’t be asking you like this. I don’t want my parents to know where I am. I can’t even go to the post office! Please understands!’
‘I am leaving,’ Oshin says, and she begins to get up. She is utterly uncomfortable in this situation.
Yasuda continues to try; he says, ‘I thought I could count on you, please help me!’ He continues, ‘I will show you my gratitude.’
Oshin now tells him clearly, ‘I can’t help you in matters I don’t understand. I thought you had called me about Miss Kayo. I know that Kayo thinks a lot about you. I didn’t want her getting involved with a stranger.’
‘This has nothing to do with Kayo.’ Yasuda calms Oshin by his respectful tone. Oshin then tells him that she is glad to know. Oshin then bows to him and says, ‘Now if you will excuse me,’ and she walks to the door.
Yasuda makes the last try; he says, ‘You think I am a suspicious character, but I am not! Yes, I am being followed. But there is something I must do.’ Oshin cannot stand this anymore, and she slides the door open. Yasuda has no option left but to share his true identity and his purpose. He stops her by saying, ‘Oshin, do you know about farmers called sharecroppers? They don’t own their land and grow rice for others. They pay half their crop to the landlord for rent. The remaining half is never enough to sustain them. They must keep taking loans from the landlords. They have to pay this rice back with interest. Life is hell for them.’
Oshin freezes, hearing his words. She turns around slowly. Yasuda is passionate about his cause; he continues, ‘They grow rice, but they can’t eat their fill. They mix daikon turnips with the rice for gruel. They don’t even get enough of that!’
Oshin sits down; her knees are week listening to his words. What he says is extremely close to her heart. Yasuda says, ‘The landlords do not work at all, and they live off the sweat of their sharecroppers. It is so unfair!
We want to get society right. I guess you wouldn’t understand. I want sharecroppers to have a decent life.’
Oshin, after listening to him, suddenly overwhelms with hope and doubt. She asks him if it is possible to change the system; if one doesn’t have one’s own land, one has no option but to rent that land from the landlord.
‘Yes, it can be done; it is possible! If the rent paid to the landlord can be reduced from 50% to 30%, to begin with!’ Yasuda is convinced about bringing change in century-old custom. Oshin is not; she says, ‘You are dreaming.’
‘All sharecroppers must band together first. We must explain this to all the sharecroppers! But today, ideas like these are considered dangerous. I saw how sharecroppers live in the Tohoku region.’
(Tohoku region is in the North-eastern part of Japan in the Honshu island. For more on this region, please click the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dhoku_region)
He continues, ‘I wanted to devote my life to their cause. That is why the secret police are after me. That is why I can’t even tell my parents where I am. To be afraid is to do nothing. I will one day form a union of all sharecroppers and show people that life can be better!’ He says all of these with utmost passion towards the cause he believes in.
Oshin bows to him and says, ‘I will bring you the money once it is wired to me.’ Oshin has a smile of hope and gratitude towards this man. Yasuda is relieved and thankful.
Oshin now smiles and speaks up; she tells him all, ‘I am a daughter of a sharecropper. I grew up eating daikon gruel. I know how hard poverty is. I have been working away from home since age seven. My grandmother died without ever eating much white rice. My little sister was given away as a baby. My parents still can’t make ends meet. A sharecropper’s life is worse than that in hell. Sharecroppers feel that there is nothing they can do.’
Yasuda is now apologetic. He says, ‘I did not know anything about your background. I was telling you what you already knew and experienced.’ He hangs his face out of embarrassment. Oshin tries to make it light; she tells him that she can help him more. She can do his laundry; this is the least she can do for him.
She bows to him, but Yasuda stops her. He thanks her again.
***
Oshin comes out of his room and returns; her cheeks are flushed. She enters the kitchen, and both maids welcome her. She says sorry to them for leaving them in the middle of work. Otama tells her that she has finished cleaning all rooms. Oshin realizes that it is time to start preparing the dinner. The older maid informs Oshin that Miss Kayo is looking for her. Oshin goes to Kayo’s room. Kayo is standing in front of the mirror and trying a new western dress.
Oshin knocks at the door and enters. Kayo says that she heard that Oshin has gone to see a visitor. Oshin apologizes for not being around. Kayo dismisses Oshin and tells her that it is not that often that she gets visitors from home. Oshin asks Kayo why she was looking for her. Kayo wants Oshin to pack her a meal as she is going out. ‘You are going to visit Mr. Yasuda?’ Oshin asks Kayo with concern in her voice. Kayo tells Oshin that Yasuda is not his real name; he is working undercover for a cause. Kayo is full of excitement. Oshin wants to know if Mr. Yasuda told her about himself. ‘People like that don’t talk about themselves.’ Kayo informs Oshin wisely. She continues, ‘But I know a little bit about these things. I have tried to get him to talk, but he won’t. It is proof that he works with some secret organization. That is what is so cool about him!’ Kayo combs her hair but is unable to manage. Oshin comes forwards and takes the comb from her, and helps with Kayo’s hairdo. Oshin is thoughtful. She realizes that the stranger trusted her with his information; he never divulged the details to Kayo.
***
It is breakfast time. Kaga-ya family sits around the table as Oshin serves them food. Kuni addresses Kayo, ‘You will be starting lessons today in tea ceremony and flower arrangement.’
‘I don’t have time to bother with that,’ Kayo replies casually. Mino is upset by Kayo’s way of talking to her grandma.
Kuni is still patient, and she tells Kayo that she need not go back to her school at Yamagata. But a girl must know about these arts; these are not skills; it’s training for one’s heart. Kuni further tells Kayo, ‘It is so hard to figure out what you are thinking!’ Kayo is upset with this type of daily conversation. She bangs her spoon on the table and gets up. Her dad tries to stop her. Kayo says, ‘No more lectures!’ She leaves the dining room and rushes to her own room. Kuni tells Kayo’s parents that there is no use being too hard on her; she will rebel! She instructs Seitaro to just arrange a marriage for her. Kuni will ensure to set Kayo right once the wedding is fixed.
Mino feels helpless; she turns to Oshin and asks if Kayo has told her anything about her plans. Oshin shakes her head sideways in the negative.
Suddenly, a man from the Kaga-ya front office gives a packet to Oshin and tells her, ‘You have a telegram money order. I signed for it.’ Oshin thanks him, bowing down. Seitaro wonders who could be sending money to Oshin! He asks her. Oshin fumbles and composes herself soon. She smiles and tells them that a friend in Tokyo wants her to send her something from Sakata. She continues with her made-up story and says, ‘The food in Tokyo doesn’t taste good.’
Kuni gets the feeling that Oshin is hiding something. She looks at Oshin but doesn’t say anything.
***
Oshin takes the packet of cash to the inn and places it in front of Yasuda. Yasuda smile with gratitude and thanks Oshin saying that she has been a great help.
He puts the cash in his dress pocket. He then opens a book and takes a small amount of money. He offers to Oshin for the trouble she took for him. Oshin instantly says that she didn’t do it for the money. ‘I insist; you went through a lot of trouble for me.’ Yasuda persists.
‘I am glad to be of help.’ Oshin says and bows in front of Yasuda. The man indeed is grateful to Oshin.
Oshin smiles and asks tells him that the money order had a large amount of cash. She was wondering why Yasuda would need so much. Yasuda says that he hates to trouble his parents, but he needs to be away from home for a long time. He needs to eat well to be able to fight for his cause. Oshin says that his parents must be worried about him.
‘They have given up on me, and they just want me to be safe. My parents think that they are at fault that I entered the farm movement.’ Yasuda wants to share everything with Oshin. It appears that he has already developed more feelings for Oshin than a simple trust. He continues, ‘My father is a big landowner. I can’t even liberate our own sharecroppers. And I get tainted money from my father.’ He looks down with regret and shame. ‘It is pathetic!’ He exclaims.
‘I better go.’ Oshin tells him. Yasuda asks her to stay as he has ordered some tea.
‘Miss Kayo will be coming soon.’ Oshin warns.
Yasuda tells her, ‘I asked her not to come here. I don’t want her to bother me!’ Oshin seems to be surprised by Yasuda’s straightforward statement about Kayo. Oshin isn’t sure yet, so she asks him, ‘Miss Kayo seems to know a lot about you.’
‘She is brilliant, but she just wants to be fashionable in an excessive way. She is just rebelling. She is at a dangerous age.’ Yasuda explains to Oshin about his understanding of Kayo. He continues, ‘I appreciated the food she brought. The food at the inn is terrible. The food Kayo brought was delicious, especially since you prepared it. It was perfect!’ He says with genuine appreciation towards Oshin. Oshin is elated; it is her first experience getting praises from a man since she grew up. She is unsure of her feelings. She looks down.
‘I am leaving tonight. But I will be back. Will you see me when I come back?’ Yasuda is trying to make Oshin understand him. He says, ‘I will write to you.’ As Oshin looks up, he looks into her eyes and tells her, ‘Please be waiting for me.’
Oshin is puzzled; she swallows as her throat is dry.
How will Oshin manage to hide her interaction with this strange new man in her life?
We will find more in Episode 41 coming soon.