Bheela’s Blog -128
23-July-2023
Episode 127 Recap
Oshin shares her past with her grandson Kei. She regrets this event when she tries to escape Saga, but she fails to do so.
Sawa clarifies her action of betraying Oshin. Ryuzo brings Oshin home as she is injured. His brother Kamejiro gives the first aid treatment to Oshin. Ms. Kiyo suspects that Oshin’s injury was not from a fall. She taunts Ryuzo as usual.
Oshin dreams of going to Tokyo and realizes she can’t.
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Episode 128
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
Oshin’s injuries are more severe than they appear. Her head is split down to her lower neck. She is also weak from blood loss and a high fever, so she lays unconscious for three days. A doctor comes to see her and the family members sit around her.
‘She should be all right. The rest is up to her,’ says the doctor as he washes hands in a bowl of water and wipes his hands. He continues, ‘but she needs rest and nourishment. I will prescribe some medication, too.’
Ms. Kiyo sulks.
‘Thank you for coming,’ says Ryuzo, and he bows before the doctor. They walk to the door to see off the doctor.
‘Oshin is bad luck!’ says Kiyo, looking at Tsuneko, ‘She doesn’t work and costs us money! Ryuzo is so busy caring for her, and we end up caring for their baby!’
‘At least Yu is already weaned,’ says Tsuneko; she wants to make it light.
‘He is still a lot of trouble!’ complains Kiyo.
‘At least it is not life-threatening,’ comments Daigoro as he and Ryuzo enter after dropping the doctor.
‘Sorry to cause all of you so much trouble,’ says Ryuzo.
‘Tsuneko and I have to work twice as hard! I can’t have her in bed for so long!’ Kiyo complains again.
‘She didn’t choose to get hurt,’ Daigoro interrupts his wife’s constant nagging, ‘She has it the worst! A family is supposed to help out.’
‘If she got hurt working, it would be another matter. We don’t even know how she really got hurt! She didn’t do an ounce of work! How can I feel sorry for her?’ Kiyo remains caustic towards Oshin.
‘It was a holiday!’ reminds Ryuzo, ‘nobody was working in the field. So Oshin wanted to have a little fun, too. She now feels bad about it,’ Ryuzo tries to be pleasant, and he clarifies.
‘You can’t fool me with such excuses. Oshin disobeyed me. She has no right to be a Tanokura bride!’ declares Kiyo.
‘That is enough!’ Daigoro puts a stop to this conversation and gets up.
Kiyo makes a disgusting face as she hears Yu’s crying sound. ‘He is hungry again!’ she says, expressing her irritation openly, and walks off.
Oshin lies down with a wet cloth on her forehead. She opens her eyes and tries to adjust her sight. Ryuzo enters the room and sits next to Oshin.
‘Oshin!’ he calls out as he sees Oshin stirring. He feels relieved and asks, ‘Oshin, are you awake?’ Ryuzo removes the wet cloth from Oshin’s forehead and places his palm to feel the fever. He says, ‘The temperature is down.’ Ryuzo smiles ear to ear with joy.
‘It was just a dream. This isn’t Tokyo,’ says Oshin with all her strength, but she can barely speak.
‘Oshin, are you hungry?’ asks Ryuzo.
‘I didn’t get to go to Tokyo,’ says Oshin, full of regrets.
‘Forget about Tokyo and get well,’ says Ryuzo.
‘Where is Yu?’ Oshin comes to full senses and asks for her son.
‘Mother is caring for him,’ says Ryuzo.
After a pause, Ryuzo lowers his head and says, ‘I am sorry. I never expected things to come to this. I got carried away. I haven’t told anyone. So you mustn’t tell.’
‘I will be honest, I wanted to go to Tokyo. I wanted to be out of this house.’
‘Oshin, don’t ever say that! Just concentrate on getting well. If people hear you say that, we will all have to leave. Just bear it,’ says Ryuzo softly. Oshin takes a deep sigh.
***
‘May I have some rice for Oshin’s gruel? She needs to eat.’ Ryuzo comes to the kitchen and asks his sister-in-law, Tsuneko.
Looking at his mother, Ryuzo smiles and says, ‘She is conscious now!’
‘You don’t work at all. All you do is care for Oshin. Now you want to make her gruel?’ says Kiyo, disgusted.
‘I don’t want to bother anyone,’ says Ryuzo cheerfully.
‘So all that complaining about her was for nothing? That is why she gets so out of line!’ shouts Kiyo.
‘I will make the gruel,’ Tsuneko comes forward to pick up the bowl and says.
‘Ryuzo said he will make it; you just worry about cooking for us!’ Kiyo shouts rudely at Tsuneko. She continues sternly, ‘We have to work so hard caring for Yu.’
Ryuzo picks up the pot quietly and mixes rice in water.
‘Look at you! A man cooking!’ taunts Kiyo.
‘She is my wife! If I don’t care for her, who will?’ Ryuzo shouts; he now loses his patients.
Ryuzo enters the room with the soup bowl. He smiles and says, ‘Oshin, it is ready; the gruel took longer than I expected. I made it, so I don’t know how good it is. I will feed you now.’
Oshin is embarrassed and surprised. Ryuzo carefully lifts the pillow under her head and places a towel around her throat.
‘Bring Yu here,’ Oshin pleads.
‘Not now; Mother is taking care of him. Don’t worry about him. She loves Yu. She complains, but she enjoys it.’ Ryuzo picks up the soup in a spoon, blows some air from his mouth to cool it, and feeds Oshin.
Oshin gulps it with gratitude on her face.
‘Everybody here worries about you. So don’t think so bad about people here. They were hard on me, too. But Mother was just angry with me for bringing home a wife she didn’t like. Please try to get along. Make up your mind to stay here. Be prepared to die here. And I will do my best to make you happy.’ Ryuzo feeds and talks to Oshin to convince her to change her mind. Oshin gives Ryuzo a blank look as she gulps down the soup.
‘I am so glad you are well enough to eat!’ Kiyo says in a biting tone as she enters the room with Tsuneko.
‘I am sorry for being unable to work,’ says Oshin.
‘It can’t be helped; just get well!’ says Kiyo, and she sits next to Ryuzo. She immediately charges Oshin with the question, ‘But what were you doing in the woods? You were supposed to be in fields working!’
‘There was no special reason,’ says Ryuzo, smiling and trying to sound casual.
‘I am not asking you!’ Kiyo interrupts. She comments, looking at Oshin, ‘A mere fall can’t hurt you like that. You were somewhere else, weren’t you?’
Before Oshin can say anything, Ryuzo clarifies, ‘She was in the woods, and she slipped.’
‘What were you doing? You skipped out on the work I asked you to do. I want to know why.’ says Kiyo, ‘Ryuzo might be fooled, but not me! I can’t have you lying to me.’
‘Oh come on, mother, she was just trying to have fun,’ says Ryuzo smiling and bringing the spoon forward to feed Oshin. Oshin, with her eyes, indicates to him to stop.
‘You are both trying to lie to me. But I will find out the truth,’ says Kiyo and leaves.
‘Here is her medicine,’ enters Daigoro with a packet.
‘I am sick of the commotion in this house!’ Kiyo grumbles and leaves.
Daigoro waits for her to leave and asks Ryuzo with a laugh, ‘Was she complaining again?’
‘It can’t be helped,’ says Ryuzo, ‘She dislikes Oshin.’
‘Don’t worry about her,’ Daigoro tells Oshin, ‘She picked Tsuneko to be my eldest son’s wife, but she complains about her, too. She is just a hard woman to get along with. Tsuneko used to cry by herself a lot. It took her more than 10 years to get used to things here. She is not being hard on just you. You will make it if you persevere.’ Daigoro tells Oshin lovingly as much as he can. He genuinely cares for Oshin.
But Oshin’s mind is elsewhere. She closes her eyes.
***
After 10 days, Oshin can now start walking with support. But she cannot move her right hand. The head injury damages a nerve. She cannot see Yu since she cannot care for him.
She comes out of the room and walks, taking support of the wall with her left hand. She hears Yu’s cry coming from Kiyo’s room. She is alarmed and turns to rush but loses her balance. Tsuneko comes forward just in time and holds Oshin preventing a fall.
‘Yu is crying,’ says Oshin looking out for Yu.
‘Come have your soup,’ says Tsuneko, ‘Until you are a little better, let Mother care for him. If you go to Yu now, he will miss you more. You are in no shape to care for him now.’ Tsuneko holds Oshin, brings her to her room, and helps her sit on the mattress. Tsuneko tries to cheer up Oshin, saying, ‘Mother is good to Yu. Atsuko is here again; she is pregnant now. Mother is happy to see her. We all have to work harder until her baby comes. The bride’s side of the family is responsible.’
Tsuneko’s words remind Oshin of her own state.
***
‘Eat a lot and have a healthy baby,’ says Kiyo; she is in a good mood to see her daughter. Atsuko sits with her mother in the dining area and eats her meals.
‘I have eggs for you to take home,’ says Kiyo enthusiastically.
‘No, there are too many in-laws at the house. They will eat them all up! It would be a waste.’ replies Atsuko.
‘Just eat the eggs yourself,’ suggests Kiyo.
‘I can’t do that!’
‘It is for the baby! Don’t let them complain!’
Atsuko giggles and says, ‘I can’t do that!’
‘In a house full of in-laws, you have to learn to assert yourself,’ suggests Kiyo; clearly, she has double standards!
‘I don’t want to cause any trouble,’ says Atsuko.
‘Then you can just come here and eat. That way, nobody can complain! Come on, eat this too!’ says Kiyo, all smiles.
‘This is good!’ says Atsuko, her mouth full. Mother and daughter have hearty laughs.
***
Oshin drinks her soup with her left hand, her right hand lying limp on her knees. She listens to the conversation and takes her meal sitting alone.
Oshin thinks about the new life within her. The new baby will never be welcome here. Unlike Atsuko’s baby, hers will not have a happy life. She touches her belly with her left hand. She feels sorry for her unborn child.
What will happen now? Will Oshin reconcile to her fate and adjust herself at Saga?
Will will know more in the coming episode, number 129, soon!