In the lead up to Mothers Day, I thought I’d just write a little about my mother. Nothing too organised - just random recollections and bits of trivia.
Here’s one of my favourite Mum-meries which I’ve told and retold quite a few times, but I reckon it’s worth another run around the block.
During World War II, Mum worked in a Japnese bank. It was a civilian-run affair but of course despite the absence of army uniforms, one was constantly reminded that one worked for a colonising power. Mum was only 16-17 then but being the eldest child, she had to contribute to the family too.
The Manager of the bank at one point started an after-work Patriotic Songs session where the staff were taught, and practiced singing, patriotic Japanese songs. Mum chose not to attend and one day the Manager came to her with a sealed letter addressed to her father. ‘You are very disobedient. Show this to your father and I want a reply soon.’
The letter said Mum was very headtsrong and disobedient and that she’d refused to attend the Patriotic Songs sessions. It ended with a request for my grandfather to discipline Mum.
How do we know the contents of the letter? Well, Mum took it back to her desk where she opened it, read it, and disgustedly threw it in the bin! A few days later, the Manager came to Mum and asked if she’d handed the letter to her father. She said ‘No! Why should i? It was all nonsense.’ thereby admitting she’d not just disobeyed him, but had also opened a private missive.
Infuriated, he raised his arm to slap her but she reached out and grabbed his hand in mid-flight, glared at him and said ‘You are someone now because your country invaded us. But after the war you will be nobody and if I ever see you again then, I will spit in your face!’
Remarkably, he did not react and did not get her in trouble. And as I understand it, she did not have to go for Patriotic Songs sessions.
When she told us this story many years ago, we said she had been mad, and that if things had gone just so slightly differently and the Manager had gotten her in trouble, we’d never have come to be. She was unperturbed and instead said something about this manager eventually settling in Singapore. His name was Sasaki and she’d never seen him again.
I checked and at the time there was just the one Sasaki in the Singapore phone book and I jokingly invited her to call and see if he was the same guy. She just laughed and said ‘Why should I?’
Here’s one of my favourite Mum-meries which I’ve told and retold quite a few times, but I reckon it’s worth another run around the block.
During World War II, Mum worked in a Japnese bank. It was a civilian-run affair but of course despite the absence of army uniforms, one was constantly reminded that one worked for a colonising power. Mum was only 16-17 then but being the eldest child, she had to contribute to the family too.
The Manager of the bank at one point started an after-work Patriotic Songs session where the staff were taught, and practiced singing, patriotic Japanese songs. Mum chose not to attend and one day the Manager came to her with a sealed letter addressed to her father. ‘You are very disobedient. Show this to your father and I want a reply soon.’
The letter said Mum was very headtsrong and disobedient and that she’d refused to attend the Patriotic Songs sessions. It ended with a request for my grandfather to discipline Mum.
How do we know the contents of the letter? Well, Mum took it back to her desk where she opened it, read it, and disgustedly threw it in the bin! A few days later, the Manager came to Mum and asked if she’d handed the letter to her father. She said ‘No! Why should i? It was all nonsense.’ thereby admitting she’d not just disobeyed him, but had also opened a private missive.
Infuriated, he raised his arm to slap her but she reached out and grabbed his hand in mid-flight, glared at him and said ‘You are someone now because your country invaded us. But after the war you will be nobody and if I ever see you again then, I will spit in your face!’
Remarkably, he did not react and did not get her in trouble. And as I understand it, she did not have to go for Patriotic Songs sessions.
When she told us this story many years ago, we said she had been mad, and that if things had gone just so slightly differently and the Manager had gotten her in trouble, we’d never have come to be. She was unperturbed and instead said something about this manager eventually settling in Singapore. His name was Sasaki and she’d never seen him again.
I checked and at the time there was just the one Sasaki in the Singapore phone book and I jokingly invited her to call and see if he was the same guy. She just laughed and said ‘Why should I?’
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