Bheela’s Blog -065
12 February 2022
Episode 64 Recap
Ryuzo gifts a mirror stand to Oshin to apologize for her trouble at Ginza cafe.
Ms. Kuni finds an adoptive husband for Kayo. Kayo wants to return to Tokyo without telling anyone, but Ms. Kuni falls sick, so she stays on at Sakata.
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Episode 65
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
Ms. Kuni is still on the mattress kept on the floor, but her condition has improved. Kayo sits next to her, and Mino draws the curtains.
‘They have just brought the wedding kimono over.’ Mino informs Ms. Kuni, and then she looks at Kayo, saying, ‘You sure chose a good pattern! Kayo is tall, so she will look great in it.’
‘I can’t die until I see my Kayo married,’ says Ms. Kuni cheerfully.
‘You will be fine; your heart is a little weak, that is all. The doctor says all you need is rest,’ Mino assures her mother-in-law.
‘I know my body best! After the wedding, I don’t care when I die. I won’t die until I see Kayo in her wedding gown.’ Grandma is enthusiastic now, and she looks at Kayo lovingly.
Kayo sighs deeply. She is in a dilemma now. She gets up and comes to the backyard to take some fresh air. Mino comes running after her.
‘There is no time; if she suffers another attack, she will surely die, so please get married; that is the least you can do for her!’ Mino pleads to Kayo.
‘Then let me go to Tokyo just once!’ says Kayo.
‘You can’t cause her any more worry!’ retorts Mino, ‘she will die! Oshin can take care of your things in Tokyo. You mustn’t go to Tokyo!’ Mino turns and walks off.
Kayo still can’t give up on Kota. She plans on leaving for Tokyo no matter what. She thinks if Kota should come back, she must be there for him. She is willing to abandon her family and Kaga-ya to live her own life. She is still awaiting a word from Oshin. Kayo is in deep thought.
***
‘Has it been a month already?’ Ms. Taka enters her room and is delighted. Oshin comes to meet her. Taka welcomes Oshin in and asks her to take a seat.
‘Yes, thank you! I have been getting new clients, too. I do about ten clients each day.’ Oshin informs Ms. Taka.
‘That is great!’ Taka encourages Oshin.
‘I make it cheap, just 10 cents per customer,’ says Oshin.
’10 cents!’ Taka thinks it is far too less.
‘It is not like doing the complex Japanese style hair! Besides, I am not that good yet. But most customers tip me, too.’ Oshin is happy to give all the updates to Ms. Taka.
‘I hear you are also doing stitching? Your landlord is very impressed with you.’ Taka says happily.
‘I can’t just sit and idle my time away,’ Oshin replies, ‘sewing helps to pay my rent. I made 32 yens last month doing just hair. With my sewing and tips, it came to 47 yens and 65 cents.’ Oshin shares with Taka the account of each penny she earned in her first month. (47 yens in 1920 is equivalent to approximately $300 or Rs 22500 in today’s value)
‘Earning so much at your age?’ Taka is proud of Oshin.
‘I owe it all to you. I have brought you something,’ says Oshin, she opens her cloth bag, and takes out a kimono for Ms. Taka. She says, ‘It is not much; I hope you like it. I sewed it myself.’ Oshin places the kimono in front of Taka. She also takes out a box of sweets and says, ‘these sweets are for everybody.’
Ms. Taka is happy to see the dress; she opens and looks at the kimono. She says on a serious note, ‘Oshin, I appreciate all this, but keep in mind that you left this place on your own, and that is why we did not help you to move to your new place. We need to set that straight. Everything you did, you did on your own. So, no more gifts, please.’ Ms. Taka is a self-made woman herself, so she gives a piece of crucial advice to Oshin. She continues, ‘Oshin! Your mother must be worried about you. Send her something instead of buying gifts for me. After three years of hard work, you are finally able to help her.’
Ms. Taka looks at the kimono repeatedly; she is pleased by getting a present, even though she advised Oshin not to give her gifts.
She asks Oshin, full of hope, ‘Aren’t you glad? You have kept the promise you made to your late sister.’
Oshin is unable to speak; she gets emotional too. Ms. Taka continues, ‘Be wary of clients. If one leaves you, they all leave. Take special care of each one!’ she laughs at her advice and says, ‘But I suppose you already know that!’ Ms. Taka now tries the dress. Oshin is overwhelmed.
***
That night, Oshin writes to her mother. She also encloses 20 yens she earned all by herself. It is a vast amount of money to a girl traded into bondage service at seven for a single bale of rice. Oshin looks at the coins; she remembers the 50 cents her grandma had given to her!
***
BACK TO PRESENT TIMES
‘Twenty yens was that big money?’ Kei asks her grandma. Oshin is staying in an expensive hotel with her grandson. They are taking tea in fine cutlery. Kei doesn’t have much idea of the historical value of money.
‘It was 1919, a year after the Great War. Prices kept going up. One sho (approx. 1.8 kg) of rice was 60 cents, which caused an uproar. An average office worker earned 25 to 30 yens per month.’ Oshin explains to Kei, giving examples.
‘So, it was a big deal for a young girl to be earning close to 50 yens!’ exclaims Kei.
Oshin has a hearty laugh. ‘Those were some of my happiest moments. It was like a dream; I worked for three years with no salary at all. Then I was making all this money every day!’ Oshin replies, smiling.
‘And now you run a chain of supermarkets!’ says Kei; he is proud of his grandma always.
‘A single yen meant more to me than 100 million yens today! How soon people forget! They are never satisfied no matter how much they have. And people lose a sense of their values.’ says Oshin.
Oshin gets ups and moves towards the window; she remembers her hard days and teaches Kei her values.
‘You are making me feel guilty,’ says Kei openly.
‘I have changed too,’ Oshin tries to put Kei at ease and continues, ‘I have forgotten what it felt like to have earned my first 47 yens and 65 cents.’
‘You were 19 years old, in your prime of youth!’ comments Kei.
‘I felt then that luck was coming my way.’ Oshin looks far out of the window and remembers events of her life as a 19 years old girl!
***
FLASHBACK RETURNS
Oshin is returning from the post office; she is cheerful, having sent money to her mother. She kicks a pebble on the road and does a little dance. She is startled as Ryuzo appears suddenly and blocks her way.
‘Your landlord said you were at the post office,’ says Ryuzo.
Oshin is stiff in his presence; she greets him politely and tries to slip out sideways.
‘Kayo asked me to come by,’ says Ryuzo; he understands that Oshin is avoiding him, but taking Kayo’s name would stop her. Indeed, Oshin turns to look at Ryuzo.
‘She is back from Sakata?’ Oshin inquires with eagerness to hear about Kayo.
‘No, she called me on the telephone. She needs to talk to you. She wants you to be next to my phone at my office around noon today. It is because there is no phone where you live.’ Ryuzo clarifies, trying his best not to cause Oshin any discomfort.
‘And you came all this way just to tell me?’ Oshin softens and is grateful.
‘How else could I have let you know?’ says Ryuzo.
‘Thank you very much! I know how busy you are.’ Oshin lowers her eyes, and she bows.
‘It is for Kayo; I am glad to help her out. It must be urgent for her to have called.’ says Ryuzo.
‘I wonder what it is,’ says Oshin, now worried.
‘She wouldn’t tell me anything,’ Ryuzo looks at his watch and says, ‘Won’t you come and wait at my place? You might come later, but you might get lost.’
‘Yes, I would be glad to follow you there.’ Oshin is eager to speak to Kayo, and she readily agrees to go with Ryuzo.
‘I will get a Taxi,’ Ryuzo looks around and says.
‘I can walk,’ chirps Oshin.
‘Sorry, but I can’t be away from work for that long!’ Ryuzo walks ahead with long strides. Oshin follows him.
***
Oshin and Ryuzo reach a building that appears to be a cloth store. A man comes out greeting Ryuzo and says, ‘I am going out to Yokohama.’
‘Good work,’ Ryuzo pats him appreciating, and enters the building. He asks Oshin to come inside. An older man sits there with an abacus and some bills.
‘This is Oshin, the hairdresser,’ says Ryuzo, introducing Oshin to the old man, ‘she is a friend of that caller from Sakata. She is expecting a call around noon.’
The man removes his reading specs and scrutinizes Oshin from top to bottom.
‘Pardon the intrusion,’ says Oshin, greeting him.
‘I have to get back to work, take a seat,’ Ryuzo shows Oshin an empty chair and rushes to another door leading to inner rooms.
Oshin observes the activities going on. Ryuzo pulls up a heavy bundle of cloth material with the help of another worker and goes inside. The phone rings at that time. Ryuzo quickly comes and picks up. Oshin expects the call to be from Kayo.
‘Tanokura Trading! Yes, I have just the material you wanted! Thank you, I will see you later,’ says Ryuzo and puts the phone receiver down and hurriedly returns to the inside offices.
Oshin is disappointed, but she keenly looks at the surroundings. The old man continues to be busy in accounting. Oshin figures out that Tanokura Trading deals in clothing fabrics. Oshin had never seen a business such as this one before. She is impressed.
The phone rings again, and Oshin looks with anticipation. This time she picks the call.
‘Oshin, is that you? Sorry for calling you up like this,’ Kayo speaks from the other end. She continues after a pause, ‘I have to get married and take an adoptive husband. So much has happened since I came here to Sakata. But if Kota should come back, I will return to Tokyo as soon as possible, so please call me! But if I get no news before my wedding day, I will forget Kota once and for all.’ Kayo speaks in a sad voice, ‘I will accept it as my fate. I am counting on Kota. So, please call me, even if it is my nuptial night!’
***
Ryuzo takes Oshin to a restaurant after the call with Kayo is over.
‘At the office, it is all men, so we can’t make tea. We are only busy in the mornings when we take the orders.’ Ryuzo feels happy to be with Oshin. A waitress serves tea to them. He talks of his business and says, ‘the men make their deliveries in the afternoon. So, we have time for a leisurely lunch.’
Oshin remains in the thoughts of Kayo’s phone call. Ryuzo understands, and he asks, ‘what Kayo had to say was that serious?’
‘She is taking a husband at Sakata,’ Oshin replies.
‘Oh,’ says Ryuzo, taken aback, ‘She is?’ He laughs and says, ‘That’s great! She used to tell me a lot about her lover. I am glad that she is finally getting over him. I hear he is involved in those illegal labor movements! She could never be happy with such a man. It is best that she stays home and takes over the family business. I used to tell her all the time,’ says Ryuzo. (as Ryuzo is one among the rich, he considers the labor movements illegal.)
‘You know that much about her?’ Oshin asks, somewhat surprised that Ryuzo could be so close to Kayo.
‘She didn’t have many friends with whom she could share about her family. I am happy for her,’ Ryuzo takes a sigh of relief and continues, ‘I think this is all very good for Kayo.’
‘Do you think so?’ Oshin begins to open up with Ryuzo.
‘She is like a flower in a greenhouse. If she tries to live like the weeds, she will wither. After she gets married, she will forget all about her lover!’ says Ryuzo philosophically.
Oshin disagrees, but she keeps quiet.
‘Order anything you want,’ says Ryuzo, changing the topic.
***
As usual, Oshin goes to Kayo’s room to clean. She opens the door using the spare key Kayo gave her. As soon as she enters and opens the window curtain, she feels uneasiness by a movement.
‘Who is there?’ she screams out of fear.
A man comes out who was hiding behind a table and stands in front of Oshin; she steps back.
‘Oshin, is that you?’ says Kota, and Oshin freezes.
Kota looks somewhat tired. He is delighted to see Oshin and says, ‘I wasn’t sure who it was, so I hid, I am still running from the secret police. I never expected to see you here!’
Oshin and Kota look at one another and they both are speechless.
***
What happens next? Will Oshin call Kayo, now that Kota is here in Tokyo?
We will know in the next episode, no 66, coming soon.