Bheela’s Blog -133
05-Nov-2023
Episode 132 Recap
The family members do not believe that Oshin has any serious problem with her right hand. Oshin just ignores them.
Eventually, Ryuzo comes to know about Oshin’s pregnancy. He is angry at first but is also delighted with this news. He takes a decision to support Oshin. He informs his parents of his decision not to send Oshin away. Daigoro supports him, too.
Ms. Kiyo is very upset and she orders Oshin out of the house.
Please click the link below to read the full episode:
Episode 133
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
Oshin is summoned to face Ms. Kiyo. She sits in front of her mother-in-law with a grim face.
‘What has Oshin done that she has to leave? You shouldn’t say such things anyway,’ Ryuzo questions his mother.
‘I am saying that she has done a terrible thing!’ replies Ms. Kiyo and then she turns to Oshin and says, ‘Oshin, I understand that you tried to run away from us without even a word to us! I am sure you had a place to go to. There is no need to run away. You are free to leave! We Tanokuras will be glad to be rid of you.’ Ms. Kiyo says sarcastically, as usual, and then she looks at Ryuzo and says, ‘Ryuzo, you have no complaints about that, do you?’
Before Oshin could say anything, Ryuzo intervenes with a fake smile, saying, ‘I don’t know who told you Oshin tried to leave, but I am sure it is just silly rumors. Who saw her trying to leave? What proof is there? You are being silly even to believe such a rumor! It is so silly!’ Ryuzo tries to laugh it off, ‘If she was planning to leave, she would be gone by now.’
Turning to Oshin, Ryuzo says, ‘You don’t have to listen to this. I am tired, what a waste of time!’ Ryuzo gets up and helps Oshin get up by gently holding her shoulders. He says, ‘Oshin, let us go.’
‘How dare you try to make me the fool!’ Hisses Kiyo as Oshin tries to get up holding Ryuzo’s arms with her left hand.
Kiyo continues, ‘I am not just repeating some silly rumor. Someone was concerned enough to tell me personally. It is embarrassing to have a bride who hates her mother-in-law so much as to try to run away! We have lost face! If you wish to leave, go right ahead. I was also told that you invited Sawa to run away with you. You tried to break up her family, too. I feel so sorry for Kozo’s mother!’
Oshin, hearing this, feels weak and she sits down again. Kiyo says, with disgust, ‘She let her son buy that harlot out of a Shimabara brothel, and how does Sawa pay her back?’
‘Sawa told you?’ Oshin asks; she starts getting concerned about Sawa.
‘She confessed to Kozo’s mother,’ replies Kiyo, ‘It is no rumor! It is all your fault! Sawa never would have done it on her own.’
As Kiyo spits venom, Oshin is alarmed. She gets up with all her strength and heads to the door.
‘Oshin, I am not done with you yet!’ shouts Kiyo. Oshin continues to run without caring for Kiyo. Ryuzo runs after her and grabs Oshin’s shoulders.
‘Where are you going?’ asks Ryuzo.
‘To see Sawa!’ says Oshin.
‘What good will it do now?’
‘I am worried about her, let me go!’ Oshin is in a hurry, replying to Ryuzo, she dashes out of the house. Ryuzo goes after her.
‘Ryuzo, stop chasing that woman!’ Kiyo shouts. This time, Ryuzo doesn’t listen and he, too, rushes out.
***
They reach Kozo’s home. Oshin spots Kozo standing next to the streamlet, in a disheveled state.
‘Kozo! What is wrong?’ Oshin asks.
‘Sawa! I want Sawa back!’ says Kozo; his eyes burning with anger. He catches Oshin’s arms and shakes her, shouting, ‘I want Sawa back!’
Oshin tries to free herself and asks, ‘Has something happened to her?’
‘I want her back!’ cries out Kozo as he shakes Oshin violently.
‘Kozo,’ Oshin pleads and she tries to stop Kozo. By this time, Ryuzo arrives and he pulls Oshin out of Kozo’s grip with all his force. Kozo falls on the ground. He gathers himself and shouts, ‘I want my Sawa back!’
‘She is gone?’ asks Oshin, in panic.
‘She left the house, you gave her train fare to leave! She left after my mother confronted her.’ Kozo once again charges toward Oshin but Ryuzo stops him.
‘Your mother found the money?’ asks Oshin.
‘My sisters were checking through Sawa’s things. They were looking for some of Sawa’s kimono to wear themselves. That is when they found more than 30 Yens among her things. They confronted her about it.’ Kozo narrates the incident which Oshin and Ryuzo visualize.
***
‘How dare you hide money from us!’ ‘You took the money that we earned!’ ‘You must have more!’
Sawa’s mother-in-law and her sisters-in-law beat Sawa with a stick and they push her. She falls to a corner of the room.
‘That is enough!’ Kozo enters the room and he stops the women beating Sawa.
‘She is taking from us for all we are worth!’ Shouts Kozo’s mother.
Kozo comes close to Sawa and asks her softly, ‘Sawa, did you take money from the household?’
‘How could you think that? What money is there to take? You know that!’ Sawa tries her best to defend herself, her eyes are filled with tears of shame and disgrace.
‘Then you stole it? Or are you selling yourself to men again? Once a harlot, always a harlot!’ Kozo’s sisters continue beating Sawa with the stick and laugh out loud after insulting her.
‘It is not true!’ not being able to bear the pain of words anymore, Sawa spells out the truth, ‘Ryuzo’s wife gave me that money.’
‘Oshin gave you the money?’ charges the mother-in-law, shouting at Sawa, ‘why would she give you money?’
‘Is it true?’ asks Kozo softly.
‘She gave it to me for train fare,’ says Sawa, sobbing.
‘You were planning to run away from me? With another man?’ Kozo panics after hearing from Sawa and he catches her by her dress collar.
‘I wouldn’t ever do that!’ Sawa tries hard to free herself and pants with pain. She continues, ‘Oshin wanted me to go to Tokyo with her.’
‘That is a lie,’ Kozo couldn’t believe.
‘Then go and ask her, I want you to believe me. Something came up, and we weren’t able to leave. We were going separately, so she gave me the money to buy my own ticket. I haven’t spent any of the money yet. It is the truth!’ Sawa spills out everything as she is in love with Kozo and indebted to him. She says, ‘I would never lie to you, no matter what!’
Sawa is exhausted, she breaks down and starts crying, clinging to Kozo.
***
Oshin and Ryuzo listen to the ordeal Sawa and Kozo went through. Kozo says with a dazed face, ‘I believe her! I believed Sawa! But she left the house. She is finally gotten sick of me. Because I wasn’t able to protect her.’
‘I am sorry, it is my fault. Forgive me!’ says Oshin, bowing down in front of Kozo.
‘No, it is not your fault. My family was always taunting her for her harlot’s background. It is only natural that she would want to leave. I was always fighting with my mother over her. It must have been so hard for her. She must be relieved to be gone now. To leave me is probably best for her.’ Kozo gets emotional as he acknowledges his defeat.
***
‘Am I wrong in saying this? If she wants to leave, she should go!’ says Ms. Kiyo. Oshin and Ryuzo return home and sit again in front of Daigoro and Kiyo.
‘Is it true what Kozo’s mother says?’ Daigoro asks Oshin.
‘Yes,’ says Oshin with her head down.
‘What kept you from going?’ Daigoro wants to get to the bottom.
‘I stopped her,’ says Ryuzo, finally gathering the courage to tell the whole truth to his parents. He continues, ‘Sawa told me about Oshin’s plan.’
‘Sawa betrayed you?’ asks Daigoro, turning to Oshin.
‘She was worried about me, she didn’t betray me,’ Oshin, too is now ready to tell the whole episode.
‘Sawa told Kozo’s mother, that is how she is!’ Kiyo says.
‘Sawa thought Oshin wouldn’t make it in Tokyo all by herself.She was thinking of Oshin and that is why she told me,’ Ryuzo speaks up.
Daigoro starts worrying and he takes a sip from his tea cup.
‘I wish she hadn’t told her then, Oshin would have been gone by now!’ Ms. Kiyo regrets that Ryuzo took his wife’s side. All she wants is that Oshin and Ryuzo should separate.
‘That is not all,’ Ryuzo gets ready to tell everything, ‘Sawa knew that Oshin was pregnant. That is why Sawa tried to stop her from leaving.
Hearing this news, both Daigoro and Kiyo freeze. They hadn’t expected this. Oshin lowers her head.
‘I see!’ says Daigoro after a pause, ‘Oshin is with a child?’
‘She is in her fifth month,’ replies Ryuzo and he continues, ‘Oshin was planning to go back to Tokyo to support Yu and the newborn by being a hairdresser, but with an injured hand, she can’t do it now.’
‘She got hurt on her own!’ Kiyo snaps Ryuzo.
‘I am responsible for her injury,’ admits Ryuzo; he wants to be done with telling everything. Oshin tries to stop him, but he goes on, ‘After Sawa told me, I went to stop Oshin. We got into a fight and I pushed her. I am responsible for Oshin being like this,’ Ryuzo owns up whatever happened to Oshin, just like Kozo had owned up Sawa’s miseries.
He takes a pause and continues, ‘I am responsible for caring for her! No matter what anyone says, I can’t force her out of this house. Oshin will have her baby here, and I will look after her until her hand is better. She is my wife. Any complaints? ’ Ryuzo declares.
Daigoro feels proud of his son and says, ‘I understand, do what you think is right! There is no reason for us to send her away now.’
Kiyo tries to stop, but Daigoro ignores her, saying, ‘You keep quiet!’
Kiyo feels insulted and goes out of the room.
Daigoro laughs out loud and tells Oshin, ‘Things will be tough, but don’t give up. You have Ryuzo and me on your side.
Oshin smiles. She didn’t expect things to turn out this way. She was prepared to be sent away. She bows in front of Daigoro in gratitude. She is also happy that Ryuzo protected her. Ryuzo supports her as she gets up and both enter their room and settle down on the floor.
‘You will have to listen to your mother complain now,’ Oshin tells Ryuzo.
‘I don’t care! I will bear anything if that lets you have a good healthy baby!’ Ryuzo feels his burden evaporates because he could tell the whole truth. He takes the Kerosene lamp, starts lighting up and says, ‘it is my baby, too!’ Oshin smiles with happiness.
***
Kiyo had not forgiven Oshin. She had reasons for not wanting Oshin to give birth to her baby there. Oshin and Ryuzo did not know that yet. Oshin looks at Ryuzo with love and respect.
What will happen now? Why does Kiyo want Oshin out so badly?’
We will find out more in the next episode, no. 124, soon!