Taizo sat straighter in his seat as he weighed his words.
“I came to America forty years ago carrying nothing but a bedroll, because I heard it was a place that welcomed all who were willing to work hard. I labored on the plantation ten hours a day, six days a week, for ninety cents a day. I saved enough to move to Honolulu and start my own business. I paid taxes like everyone else. I came to California, and even though I was denied the rights of a citizen, I believed in ‘American principles.’ I believed my children would have even more opportunities. I listened to them practice the Pledge of Allegiance for school and I was proud. They were Americans!” He smiled at the memory of his children’s bright faces, but the smile quickly faded. “Then war came, and America was quick to cast aside its principles. Can you tell me, Mr. Merritt, that that pledge still means something? ‘Liberty and justice for all’?”
Frustrated, Merritt said, “We are trying to give you back that liberty.”
“And will I get back the life America took away from me? Will there be justice for me and for my family?”
This was met by embarrassed silence from the board members.
“For me it is a question of honor, Mr. Merritt,” Taizo said in conclusion. “If America is not willing to honor its own principles … how can I?”
Merritt looked genuinely saddened. He glanced at the three other board members, each of whom nodded wordlessly. Merritt turned back to Taizo and said, “I respect your view, Mr. Watanabe, and that is your choice. Unfortunately you give me no other choice but to order your transfer to Tule Lake Segregation Center. If members of your family wish to join you there, they may apply for transfer. You will have all the same rights at Tule Lake that you have in Manzanar, except for the right to apply for leave clearance. You will be there for the duration of the war. Do you understand?”
Taizo said he did, and with that, the hearing was over.
* * *
“Why, Papa, why?”
Ruth struggled to understand the inexplicable. She was not the only one. The family was gathered again in Taizo and Etsuko’s apartment—all but Rose, who was looking after the children—and their shock at what Taizo had told them was matched only by their heartache.
“A man is nothing without honor,” Taizo said simply. “They have taken everything else from me, but they will not take away my honor.”
“‘Everything’? What about us?” Ruth shot back. “Doesn’t your family matter more than your honor?”
Taizo smiled. “On the contrary—it is for all of you that I do this. As the proverb says: Ikka no memboku to naru, ‘To bring honor to the house.’”
“Proverbs!” Ruth was as incredulous as she was angry. “Good God! They’re putting you in a stalag and you’re quoting proverbs?”
“I do not expect you to understand, Dai,” Taizo said gently. “You are American. I do not expect anyone else to agree with or follow me.”
“I will follow you,” Etsuko said flatly. “I am your wife.”
“Okāsan, that is not necess—”
“I am your wife.” Etsuko laid down the words like a gauntlet. Taizo knew better than to pick it up. He simply nodded.
“We’ll all go with you,” Horace declared. “I’ll tell the WRA I want to change my answer to ‘no-no’!”
“No, you will not,” Taizo replied.
“So will I,” Ruth said stubbornly.
“No. You. Will. Not!”
Ruth flinched; she had never heard her father truly shout before.
“You are all Americans,” Taizo said. “That is what we raised you to be—to be accepted in this country. These old Issei who demand their children answer ‘no-no’ out of loyalty are fools. You must go your way, and I must go mine. We can only be true to ourselves. And I will not see my grandchildren raised in a ‘stalag,’ if that it is what Tule Lake turns out to be.”
This last arrow found its mark. Ruth began to see how hopeless this was. How could she take her children somewhere that might be even worse?
“Dai—Haruo—do not worry,” Jiro said. “Nishi and I will also be at Tule Lake, at least until a prisoner exchange is arranged for us. We will be there to help Taizo if needed.”
“I do not need any more of your help,” Taizo said sharply.
“And tomorrow,” Etsuko declared, “I will apply for permission to accompany my husband.”
Tears sprang to Ruth’s eyes at the thought of losing both her mother and her father for the duration of the war. But she knew not to try to dissuade Etsuko once she had reached a decision.
Etsuko slipped her hand into Taizo’s and said, “What is done is done.”
He nodded. “We shall gaman.”
* * *
The first contingent of 288 evacuees was scheduled to leave Manzanar on October 9, 1943, Taizo among them. Etsuko had applied for transfer to Tule Lake, but she would have to wait. Ten thousand “disloyals” from the nine other internment camps had been sent to Tule Lake in the first month of the program. The camp had originally been designed to house some fifteen thousand people, and adequate housing was at a premium. Etsuko was frustrated to learn she would have to wait until more barracks were constructed at Tule.
That morning in October the Watanabe family rose well before dawn, even the children, who had been told that their grandfather and Uncle Jiro and Aunt Nishi would be “going away for a while.” For their sakes Ruth did her best to stay calm and be brave in the face of the thing she had feared the most her entire life: losing her family. Ralph’s leaving was a jolt; this felt like an earthquake, and Ruth struggled to maintain her balance.
One by one everyone said their goodbyes. The children, still drowsy with sleep, each hugged Taizo in turn.
Ruth embraced her father. “I love you, Otōsan.”
“And I have loved you, Dai, since the moment the sisters brought you to us and you told us excitedly how you went to the zoo and saw a bear and a monkey and an elephant and a lion.”
“Did I say that?” Ruth said, smiling.
He nodded. “And your eyes were so full of love and tenderness that I knew you would grow up to be a fine woman.”
Tears streamed down Ruth’s face, and Taizo’s glistened as well. But before she could reply, there was a knock on the door.
It was Taizo’s WRA escort. Idling behind him was the panel truck that would take him and 287 other “segregees” to the Lone Pine railroad station, where a special train bound for Tule Lake would be leaving at ten A.M.
Unembarrassed by the presence of the escort, Etsuko gave Taizo a tender kiss. “I will be with you soon, my love. My place is always with you.”
Taizo followed the escort to the truck. Watching him, Ruth felt sorrow, loss, but also, she had to admit, an ineffable pride as he walked forward with dignity and grace—hewing to a path she feared she would never fully comprehend.
* * *