Read Online From a Town on the Hudson by Yuko Koyano - Free Book Online
Authors: Yuko Koyano
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to serve any purpose as a form of greeting in the class.
There were other ladies in the class who liked to hug and kiss. Once I was almost smothered by Marthas breasts because she hugged me tightly, holding her completed doll in her hand. A vivacious lady, Hazel, embarrassed me: with an exaggerated swinging of her hips she used to approach me as she pursed her lips. A kind lady, Rose, made a point of hugging me in a motherly way when she wanted to show her feelings. All the ladies kissed me on both cheeks on my birthday. Their way of showing affection was different from mine, but I liked it. At the same time, however, the more demonstrative the American ladies were, the lonelier they seemed to be somehow. I could give them neither a hug nor a kiss, myself, because I hadn't become familiar with behaving in such an American way. But in addition to talking to them, I remembered the ladies' first names, smiled at them, and gave their dolls loving hugs. These actions might have been too simple but were natural for me as a way to show my friendliness toward the members of the class.
In three years I got so that I was able to respond in class. When the women hugged me, I tried to put my arms around them but usually couldn't because they were too big. When I explained to some lady how to stitch, I would put my hand on her back or shoulder. It was helpful for me to convey my feelings to the ladies that way because I couldn't express them well enough in English. When I was busy cutting cloth for a doll's dress, I boldly put out my cheek to make Alice's kissing easier and I enjoyed her reaction: "Oh, you're ready!" In my childhood, I remembered, my parents used to hug me. I too kissed my sons on the forehead as I said good night to them when they were small. Even though it was not common to hug and kiss in Japan as a form of greeting in public, it didn't seem in the least to affect the way I behaved in the class. I came to think I would be able to hug someone whenever she needed it.
One day, however, I found I couldn't. When I heard that Rose had lost her brother a few days previously, I never even imagined that I would try such public display. "Rose, are you all right?" I repeated. I just sat close beside her. She had tears in her eyes. I felt her trembling next to me as I sewed a tiny doll dress for her. In this situation, I unconsciously behaved as I had used to do in Japan, after all. What I felt sure about then was that she was important to me.
FOR THE first two years I volunteered, I met many ladies who loved dolls, and I came to know the roles of each member of the class. I will introduce each of them briefly here.
Elmie was wonderful. She always sat near the classroom door. She liked to make dolls very much, and she also liked to go to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to gamble. When she won, she talked about it a lot in class. Elmie frequently served us coffee and showed us beautiful pictures of her grandchildren. I was happy to help when she asked me to apply her eye lotion after she had an eye operation.
Edith Dunson liked reading books as much as making dolls. I often saw her reading while she was waiting her turn. That was why she preferred making dolls that appeared in stories. Once she made Adam and Eve dolls. They were the Adam and Eve who hadn't yet eaten the forbidden fruit, so they were naked. It embarrassed me when I explained to Edith how to stitch Adam's private parts together, because I didn't know the words in English. I assumed that the words I knew for the parts of the body were in German, because I had studied German in my college days. Although I was embarrassed, I asked Edith how Americans said it. She looked at me suspiciously, then answered quickly and added, "You should know that already since you're married!" The members of the class giggled. The subject seemed to have taken an unexpected course. If I had been Edith, I would have answered quietly and modestly so as not to embarrass the other person. At
There were other ladies in the class who liked to hug and kiss. Once I was almost smothered by Marthas breasts because she hugged me tightly, holding her completed doll in her hand. A vivacious lady, Hazel, embarrassed me: with an exaggerated swinging of her hips she used to approach me as she pursed her lips. A kind lady, Rose, made a point of hugging me in a motherly way when she wanted to show her feelings. All the ladies kissed me on both cheeks on my birthday. Their way of showing affection was different from mine, but I liked it. At the same time, however, the more demonstrative the American ladies were, the lonelier they seemed to be somehow. I could give them neither a hug nor a kiss, myself, because I hadn't become familiar with behaving in such an American way. But in addition to talking to them, I remembered the ladies' first names, smiled at them, and gave their dolls loving hugs. These actions might have been too simple but were natural for me as a way to show my friendliness toward the members of the class.
In three years I got so that I was able to respond in class. When the women hugged me, I tried to put my arms around them but usually couldn't because they were too big. When I explained to some lady how to stitch, I would put my hand on her back or shoulder. It was helpful for me to convey my feelings to the ladies that way because I couldn't express them well enough in English. When I was busy cutting cloth for a doll's dress, I boldly put out my cheek to make Alice's kissing easier and I enjoyed her reaction: "Oh, you're ready!" In my childhood, I remembered, my parents used to hug me. I too kissed my sons on the forehead as I said good night to them when they were small. Even though it was not common to hug and kiss in Japan as a form of greeting in public, it didn't seem in the least to affect the way I behaved in the class. I came to think I would be able to hug someone whenever she needed it.
One day, however, I found I couldn't. When I heard that Rose had lost her brother a few days previously, I never even imagined that I would try such public display. "Rose, are you all right?" I repeated. I just sat close beside her. She had tears in her eyes. I felt her trembling next to me as I sewed a tiny doll dress for her. In this situation, I unconsciously behaved as I had used to do in Japan, after all. What I felt sure about then was that she was important to me.
FOR THE first two years I volunteered, I met many ladies who loved dolls, and I came to know the roles of each member of the class. I will introduce each of them briefly here.
Elmie was wonderful. She always sat near the classroom door. She liked to make dolls very much, and she also liked to go to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to gamble. When she won, she talked about it a lot in class. Elmie frequently served us coffee and showed us beautiful pictures of her grandchildren. I was happy to help when she asked me to apply her eye lotion after she had an eye operation.
Edith Dunson liked reading books as much as making dolls. I often saw her reading while she was waiting her turn. That was why she preferred making dolls that appeared in stories. Once she made Adam and Eve dolls. They were the Adam and Eve who hadn't yet eaten the forbidden fruit, so they were naked. It embarrassed me when I explained to Edith how to stitch Adam's private parts together, because I didn't know the words in English. I assumed that the words I knew for the parts of the body were in German, because I had studied German in my college days. Although I was embarrassed, I asked Edith how Americans said it. She looked at me suspiciously, then answered quickly and added, "You should know that already since you're married!" The members of the class giggled. The subject seemed to have taken an unexpected course. If I had been Edith, I would have answered quietly and modestly so as not to embarrass the other person. At
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