Hawaii - James Michener [604]
And then, by one of those lucky flukes that save some meetings and wreck others, Mrs. Sakagawa thrust into the congressman's hand her glass box of medals, and in Japanese said, "These are Minoru's. These are Tadao's. These are Goro's. And these five are Shigeo's." As she said the latter, she patted her son on his arm, and communion was re-established.
Carter studied the medals and said, “Your family accomplished a great deal."
"Congressman," Shig began quietly, "each of us boys had to fight his way to get into uniform. We had to be better soldiers than anyone else in the world." He felt words coming into his mouth that he would be ashamed of later, but he could no longer hold them back. "We performed as perhaps no other family of boys did in the last war. We accumulated wounds and glory, and by God, sir, when you refused to shake my hand the other day I almost wept. Because whether you know it or not, Congressman, I'm one of your constituents, and by God I will never again accept such treatment from you."
"Constituent?" Carter gasped.
"Yes, sir. Congressman, have you heard of the Lost Battalion?"
Carter had not only heard of it, he had orated about it; and in relief the words came back to him: "It was one of the high water marks of Texas bravery, sir."
"How many of your men died there, Congressman?" Shigeo pressed.
"Too many," Carter replied sorrowfully. "The scars upon Texas are great."
"Do you know why any escaped?" There was a pause, and Shig asked harshly, "Well, do you?"
"I supposed that the gallant fighters of Texas . . ."
"Horse manure!” Shig snapped. "Your men of Texas live today, sir, because my dead brother Minoru, one of the finest men who ever touched earth, and Goro and I led a gang of Japanese boys to their rescue. We lost eight hundred men, rescuing three hundred Texans!" He cried bitterly, "I want you to read this." And from his wallet he produced a treasured card, and Carter took it and read it, and he saw that it had been signed by a friend of his, a governor of Texas, and it stated that in gratitude for heroism beyond the call of duty, Shigeo Sakagawa was forever an honorary citizen, of the State of Texas. Said the card: "On our day of desperate need, you succored us."
Gravely Carter handed back the card, but as he did so, he kept his hand extended, saying, "In all humility, Mr. Sakagawa, I should like to shake your hand."
"I should like to shake yours," Shig said, and the moment could have been extremely fruitful for Hawaii statehood, except that Mr. Ishii chose this instant to break into his father-in-law's house with momentous news.
The skinny little man with eyes like bowls of frightened tapioca saw the tall stranger, hesitated and started to back out, but his wife Reiko-chan blocked the doorway, and Carter, always careful to catch the eye of a pretty girl, bowed in a courtly manner and said, "Have you come with your father?"
"He is my husband," Reiko-chan said in perfect English.
"This is a congressman, from Texas!" Shig announced proudly, and at this news Reiko-chan, who knew what her husband was up to, tried to edge him out of the house, but he had heard the word congressman, and now asked with compassion, "You come to arrange the surrender?"
"What surrender?" Carter asked.
In desperate embarrassment, Reiko-chan tugged at Mr. Ishii's sleeve, but she could not silence him. "The surrender of Hawaii to Japan," Mr. Ishii explained.
"How's that?" Carter asked.
"See what the paper says!" Mr. Ishii cried joyously, flashing the Honolulu Mail, which headlined: "Japanese Fleet to Make Courtesy Visit to Islands." When the paper had passed from hand to hand the excited little man cackled, "Long time, sir, I tell them, 'Japan won the war.' But nobody listen, so I ask you. 'If Japan lose, how their fleet come to Hawaii?'"
"Is he saying what I think he's saying?" Carter asked.
"He is a poor old man," Reiko-chan said softly. "Don't listen to him, Congressman."
But now Mr. Ishii produced a worn photograph of the Japanese surrendering on board the Missouri.