Hawaii - James Michener [498]
The brother and sister looked at each other and it was Shigeo who formulated their doubt: "On the other hand, Pop used to prowl around every night."
"Shigeo!" Reiko-chan cried. "That's unworthy!”
"I'm only trying to think like the F.B.I., Shig explained in justification.
They were further disturbed when Mr. Ishii, in a state of maximum excitement, ran up with this startling news: "The Japanese army is making a landing at the other end of the island. They've already captured Maui and Kauai."
"That's impossible!" Shigeo cried. "I've been all over Honolulu this morning, and I heard nothing like that."
"You'll see!" the quick little man assured them. "By tomorrow night Japan will be in complete control." To the amazement of the Sakagawa children, Mr. Ishii seemed positively exhilarated by the prospect, and Shigeo caught him by the arm.
"You be careful what you're saying, Mr. Ishii! The F.B.I. just arrested Pop."
"When the Japanese win he'll be a hero," the little man exulted. "Now everyone who laughs at Japanese will behave themselves. You watch what happens when the troops march into Honolulu." He waved a warning finger at them and dashed on down the street.
"I think he's out of his mind," Shigeo said sadly as he watched the community gossip disappear. As Mr. Ishii turned the corner, a patrol came through Kakaako, announcing with a loud-speaker: "All Japanese are under house arrest. Do not leave your homes. I repeat. Do not leave your homes."
Shigeo went up to them and said, "I'm the Sunday delivery boy for Cable Wireless!
There was a moment of hesitation, after which the patrol made the type of decision that was going to be made many times that day throughout Hawaii: the Japanese are all spies and they are all disloyal; they must be clamped into house arrest; but we know this particular Japanese and the work he is doing is essential, therefore he is excused. The patrol looked at Shig's bicycle with its clear marking, and one man asked, "Aren't you the kid who plays for Punahou?" "Yes," Slug replied. "You're all right. You go ahead."
"You got a pass I could use?" Shig asked. "I don't want to get shot at."
"Sure. Use this."
At two o'clock that afternoon Shig reported to his main office for his fourth batch of telegrams and he was handed one addressed to General Lansing Hommer, but since Shig knew that the general lived at the extreme end of his route, he tucked that particular message into the bottom of his pile and as he pedaled through the western part of Honolulu toward Pearl Harbor and saw the devastation he understood better than most what had happened and what was about to happen. From the porch of one house where he delivered a cable, he could see the anchorage at Pearl Harbor itself, and alongside the piers he saw the stricken ships, lying on their sides and belching flames.
The man to whom he had given the telegram said, "Well, the goddamned Japs hit everything they aimed at. Papers said Japs couldn't fly planes because they were cross-eyed. You ask me, we better get some cross-eyed pilots. And some 'gunners, too. I stood on this porch for three hours and I didn't see our men hit one goddamned Jap plane. What do you think of that?" "You mean they all got away?" "Every one of the bastards."
"Some monkey was telling me the Japanese have already landed," Shig said.
"They'll never make it," the man replied. "So far the Japs have hit only the navy, which is a bunch of do-nothings anyway. When they try to land they run up against the dogfaces. That'll be different. I got two sons in the infantry. Plenty tough. You got anyone in uniform?" "Two brothers." "Infantry, I hope?" "Yep. They're plenty tough, too."
"I don't think the yellow bastards'll make it," the man said as he ripped open his telegram.
At four thirty-one