Shuri Gate

  Seeing Rick looking in the cooler Kim spoke up, "I'm thirsty. I think I want some Coke but not a whole bottle. Will you share one with me, Rick?"

  "Sure. Why a basket and a bowl of eggs?" Rick looked slightly perplexed.

  "Do you have trouble reading? It is quite clear. The ones in the bowl are all ready cooked." Kim answered laughing.

  "You're picking on me again. First you make fun of how I eat with chopsticks, now the fact that I can't read Kanji. I just guess you're not much of a teacher. We've spent about five hours together and you haven't taught me all of those things I should know." Rick said trying to keep a straight face but failing and a smile spread across his face.

  Unexpectedly Kim rose up on tiptoes and standing in front of the store and mama-san kissed him quickly on the lips and spoke a couple of words softly in Japanese, "Ai suru, Rick-chan, watashi no kobito." As she looked in his eyes. Then she took his hand and started up the road towards her home.

  Slowly moving up the slight hill so Rick could look around, they shared their Coke matching sip for sip.

  "This is my home." Kimiko stopped in front a large house with a red tiled roof. Typical of Okinawa, the wood sides of the house were not painted, but the door and door frames, as well as the sliding windows and their frames were varnished. The red tiled roof extended over a wide porch which ran across the front and both sides of the house. Surrounding the house was a four foot high, two foot thick rock wall made of dark brown basalt. Directly in front of them was a hand carved wooden gate with an arching top that was at least a foot taller than the wall. The gate was attached to the rocks with big, hand forged, wrought iron hinges and a hand forged wrought iron latch that could be locked.

  Kim swung the gate open and motioned Rick through it ahead of her. "The dog is big, but does not bite." she said seriously. But one look at the questioning, apprehensive look on Rick's face and she started to giggle.

  Kim smiled then spoke loudly, " Obasan, Obasan. Konnichi wa, Obasan."

  She was answered by the excited barking of a small dog which slid through the open front door, literally flew off the porch and jumped into Kim's arms and started deliriously licking her face.

  "There's no big dog." Kim laughed.

  "I will get even." Rick muttered under his breathe.

  "This is my obasan's dog. I call her Baka. It is a play on words. Baka is fool or foolish in Japanese. And to me it is a variation of the English word bark. You know the dog barks?"

  Rick nodded, rolled his eyes a little, but agreed with her.

  "When she was very little, she barked all of the time. All right, all right. I know it is weird, but I am but a poor uneducated country girl who is not very worldly."

  "Do not listen to this foolish girl, Rick-san. She makes up things trying to shock and fool us." The voice was strong, but not loud or demanding.

  Kimiko's grandmother was standing in the doorway. She was not as Rick expected. A tiny Okinawan lady with her grey hair done by a hairdresser. She wore a traditional informal yukata which was not in the usual subdued colors that Rick had observed many older women wearing. It had bright blue flowers and green leaves on it and was made of a very fine cotton fabric. Her complexion was clear though wrinkled, and it was easy to see where Kim had inherited her beautiful unblemished complexion.

  "Kimi-chan." Her obasan admonished her. "Invite our company in. It is not nice to have him standing out in the hot sun."

  "Okay, Obasan." She answered her grandmother with a laugh taking Rick's hand again and leading him up the front steps while she still held Baka in her left hand and arm.

  "And put down that silly dog. She is quite capable of climbing the stairs by herself, even if you have trouble with them."

  The tiny Okinawan lady held out her hand Western style and with a firm grip shook Rick's hand before she bowed. "Konnichi wa Rick-san. Welcome to our home. Kimi-chan did not exaggerate when she told me about you. You are indeed a fine looking young man with soft trusting eyes. Dozo, come sit down and Kimi-chan can fetch us some iced tea from the kitchen."

  "Yes, Obasan. Did you make the tea for yourself, or are you psychic?"

  "You must not tell family secrets. Rick-san will think that he is amongst a very weird family."

  Rick smiled. Made eye contact with Obasan before he spoke. "I have already been treated to Kimiko's psychic abilities. Truthfully, I don't know if she was just lucky or really knew that I was flying and knew when I would be in Koza.

  Also, what can I call you? I have just heard Kim call you Obasan."

  Kim laughed. "See Obasan, He is so respectful for an American that he's scary."

  "I would be honored if you would do as Kimi-chan does and call me Obasan. My full name is Satchako Toyama.

  You're only going to be on Okinawa for a short time, Rick-san?"

  "Yes, Obasan." Rick answered trying out the new title.

  "The Air Force sends my tanker and I to different places constantly. Sometimes for a couple of days and sometimes for as much as 120 days. This trip is for two weeks. Fourteen days, not counting travel time."

  "Can you always predict where you are going to be? Know in advance?"

  "Sometimes. But many times we just have a day or two notice. Since I'm single and love to fly I don't need much notice."

  "That was the impression that Kimi-chan gave me after she met you the first time. She said that you are a Man-of-the-Wind."

  "Obasan! You have embarrassed me. I'm sure Rick can imagine all kinds of things that I might have meant by that."

  "Oh, I don't think so. He is a very intelligent man and will not jump to conclusions.

  But, just what did you mean by that, Kimi? I was never quite sure myself where you were coming from."

  "Obasan. Please, where did you pick up that expression? You are a refined and educated teacher and you are using expressions like, I quote,'where you were coming from,' unquote."

  "So what is wrong with that. I am a progressive lady and I am always listening to my students and the terms that they use."

  "My sobo teaches English part time at the university. To first and second year students. I believe they're corrupting her. She's 70 years old and thinks she's still 30. Her real full time job is an English translator for the Okinawan Prefecture. That is the government of Okinawa.

  Since Rick is looking at me strangely and you are going to keep embarrassing me until I explain myself so I will do just that.

  I meant that you are not held down by the normal hang-ups of your society, Rick.

  I believe Obasan, that the Americans say he is a 'Free Spirit'. It is not derogatory or a put down. You're still a man of values and morals, Rick.

  All right, Obasan? Does that explain what I meant?"

  "Very nicely Kimi-chan. If Rick-san understands also. He is the one who you must be sure of."

  Rick reached across the low table that they sat on the tatamis next to and took Kim's hand. "Now, I'm the one who is embarrassed, Kim. But thank you.

  Domo arigato gozaimasu, Kimi-chan.

  Is that correct, Obasan?"

  "Yes, very good, Rick.

  Now, you two must leave if your going to go to the university and go to dinner in Naha.

  Come see me again Rick-san. You are very welcome in our home. Though I do wonder how much longer Kimi-chan will live with me. She is getting more independent by the week."

  "You know that you cannot get rid of me for very long, Obasan. Even if I have my own apartment, I will always come to our home."

  "We'll take the bus that goes to Naha City. That will take us to Shuri and the university. If you would like, we can walk from there to Kokusai Dori and find a restaurant to have dinner in."

  "That sounds like a good idea to me. There used to be a castle where the university is now?"

  "Yes. The castle was destroyed during the war. There is talk of finding a new place for the university and rebuildin
g the castle."

  "I gather that the castle is important to Okinawa. But that the Japanese military used it and had a bunker underneath it as a command post."

  "That's true. The Japanese military didn't care about things that meant something to the people of Okinawa, or anything that was part of our Okinawan heritage. Some Okinawans also felt that way. A short time before the invasion these people were sent to Japan with the nonessential Japanese like clerks and teachers. That is when my family moved into the caves of the north and some of our neighbors went to Brazil.

  My father was a teacher in Naha. He wanted to stay and help his students. No one could imagine that the Japanese would impress teenage students into the military and as laborers. My father was also impressed to construct bunkers and help put make-believe guns on top of the hills."

  "Make-believe guns?"

  "Yes, they made bunkers to place big guns in, but did not have the guns to put in them. So they made guns from logs so it would look like there were many big guns all around Naha."

  They were quiet for a few minutes and were watching the houses pass by as the bus took them into Naha.

  Coming to the top of a hill the bus slowed and Kim spoke. "This is Shuri, Rick. We will get off here. Just up that side street is the entrance to where the castle was."

  When they stood on the side of the street waiting for the bus to leave, Kim reached for Rick's hand and pressed her face against his arm. "My father was last seen working near here when the American ships started to shoot their big guns and the airplanes came. He was never found. Nobody knows what happened to him."

  "I'm sorry, Kimi."

  "It was a long time ago. Obasan said it was two months after he disappeared before the family found out he was missing. We were way far north and hiding in the caves so we did not know what was happening here in the city. Of course I was too young to know or understand anyway.

  Both my grandparents were also teachers. It was decided that they would go with their daughter and granddaughter to the caves. Then they could teach the children who were in the caves with them. My father had only us, and his students, no other family. Obasan said that he wanted to stay with his students to protect them from the Japanese military as much as he could."

  Walking up a dirt street together, Rick saw a tall, and fancy structure with a high peaked red clay tiled roof. It stood at what appeared to be the end of the street. "What is that, Kim?"

  "That is the Shurimon. The entrance to the castle. Shuri Gate in English.

  The university is just over there. I pass the gate whenever I go to or come from school. If you want to find me at the University you can wait here and I will come here to meet you. Before you leave I will give you my schedule and I would like to send you my new schedule when I get it."

  "I'd like that. I'll give you my address in the states where you can send it.

  I don't know when I'll be back, Kim. A while ago I thought I was coming back in the middle of October for 120 days. Then they sent me here now. So I don't know if the October TDY is still going to happen."

  "I will hope and pray that it does. That is what, two months away?"

  "Yeah, something like that.

  Let's find a place to eat. It's starting to get dark and I'm hungry. You must be also?"

  "I am. We can walk through the University then go down Kokusai Dori."

  Kim led them to an Okinawan restaurant that she knew and liked. "It has no 'A' Sign. Do you care Rick?" Kim asked him when they paused outside a somewhat fancy restaurant on a side street near the Ryubo Department store and Kokusai Dori.

  "Makes no difference to me. Especially if you say it's good and would like to eat here."

  "Sometimes I meet Obasan here to have dinner after she finishes work and I get out of school. We come here almost every week."

  The maitre d' ignored his reservation list after he greeted Kim. They exchanged a few words in Japanese as he guided them to the back of the restaurant.

  As she always did, Kim told Rick what had passed between them. "He is an old friend of my family. He asked about Obasan and was concerned that I was with you instead of her. I don't think that I ever come here alone and have never been in here or anywhere else with any man Okinawan or GI."

  "I'm amongst the honored. Thank you." Rick said with a smile as Kim reached across the table and took his hand.

  “Should I be really happy and excited?"

  "I hope that you will be happy and maybe a little excited.

  I know that you will be traveling a lot and not be on Okinawa very often. Then just for small periods of time. But I hope that you will want to see me and we will spend as much time together as we can. I'm saying that I really want to be your girlfriend and later," Kim hesitated and Rick could hear her and see her chest rise as she took three or four deep breaths. She looked down at the table and then looked deep into his eyes matching Rick's intense look. "Later we will be more than friends and closer. Become lovers." Kim's voice trailed off until Rick could barely hear. Her blush rose from her neck and up onto her face. Her high cheek bones seemed to take on a color of their own.

  "I like you very much and have enjoyed every minute we have been together. I won't make any promises today, right now. As you said, I'll be flying many places and I have no idea when I'll be back to Okinawa.

  I do promise to find you and see you when I am on Okinawa and will always be truthful with you."

  "I have an 8 o'clock class in the morning. So I am going to stay with Obasan in Nishihara tonight.

  You didn't say anything about your next flight. Do you know?"

  "No, I don't, but I should know when I get back to the base tonight or first thing in the morning. I'll tell you as soon as I can. All right?"

  "Hai, domo. I would like that.

  Obasan likes and respects you. Sometimes she can be very critical of my choice of friends. I had a boy friend, Okinawan, who she could not stand. All she would say is, 'You can do better. What is his future going to be? You are ambitious and educated, Kimi-chan, find somebody else.”

  I finally realized that what she was saying was true. The fault was not that he was Okinawan. He just didn't want to improve himself. He would be happy driving for the American Navy forever."

  "What made you see that Obasan was correct? He must have done something to make you aware of who he was."

  "I have a cousin who is a translator and dispatcher for the Navy in Naha. My ex-boyfriend worked for him. That is how I met him. The Okinawans who work for the Navy had a party and Kusii, my cousin invited me, actually took me so he could impress everyone to what a beautiful cousin he has." Kim giggled at her own words. "That is what Kusii said when I told him that I was not going to go out with his friend anymore."

  "He's right. You are a beautiful cousin. So, are you going to tell me more? Did he do something bad or did you just know he wasn't for you?"

  "Other than try to take me to bed? I think it was just that he wasn't for me.

  No!"

  "No, what?"

  "I never slept with him. I never wanted to. Even after being together for a dinner date and a few drinks, I never had any desire to take off my clothes with him. It was not like what you are doing to me. Now I am going to leave you and catch a taxi to Nishihara before I embarrass myself further."

  Kim got up and came around the table to Rick. Bent and kissed him on the lips for a long, more than sisterly kiss.

  "Finish your kohi and I will talk to you tomorrow." With a warm smile she waved to him as she went out the door and hailed a passing pink cab.

  Rick paid for their dinner and catching the warm smile from both the waitress and maitre d' left the restaurant to also catch a taxi, but to go in the opposite direction Kim had taken.

  TWELVE

  It was about 2330 when Rick unlocked the door to his room in the Kadena transit barracks. The desk light was on and on the desk were two r
ipped out blue lined pages of a small pocket sized notebook. He picked up the two notes and read the top one which was from Don Naylor.

  "I'll be back about midnight. Went to see Yoshi.

  As you can see we will have a busy day tomorrow with a 0900 take off. Set the alarm for about 6 so we can get breakfast. Please."

  He didn't bother to sign it.

  The original, first note was from Bob Kruse who had worked the day shift on the flightline.

  "Greetings; You have an exciting and fun filled mission tomorrow. Takeoff at 0900 so I'll pick you up at the snack bar about 0700. Or meet you before for coffee if I can make it. Your turn to buy.

  Did I mention that you are going to Yokota, Japan for lunch?"

  Love Bob K."

  Rick chuckled as he stripped and headed for the shower.

  About 6 hours sleep. About par for the course, but worth it. Being with Kimiko was fun.

  I'm a little unsure what she was intimating with those remarks about being lovers and sharing. Or why she took me to meet Obasan?

  The two crew chiefs met Bob Kruse in the snack bar. Though it was shortly after 0600 when they got there, Kruse was ahead of them and eating his breakfast.

  "I will have to come back for you guys. I've got a EC135 going out at 0700 that I have to cover. I’ve all ready checked your forms, Rick. 3653 is ready to go as soon as you finish your preflight."

  "Thank you, Sir. We do appreciate the service."

  "No problem. I had nothing to do for the last hour so I looked after my buddies."

  "Okay. What is it going to cost us?" Don Naylor asked.

  "Damn. You do train your assistants well, Rick. He's as cynical as you are."

  "It pays in this dog eat dog military world, my Friend." Rick responded.

  "You'll be picking up some special cargo in Yokota. Make sure that the flight crew picks up a couple of extras for us."