Read Online The Legacy by Patricia Kiyono - Free Book Online Page B

guess so. They teach a lot of history.”
    They looked back at the items in the crate. “This stuff is super old.” Leigh mused. “Seems kind of a waste to have it rotting out here. Let's bring it in the house so we can look at it closer in better light and show it to the rest of the family.”
    They replaced the items in the box and hauled it to the main house. As they put it on the kitchen table, Lily came in, staring curiously.
    â€œI thought I heard a lot of bumping and thumping coming from out here. What have you got?”
    Andy simply gestured toward the wooden box.
    â€œIt’s a cool chest Andy found way in the back of the shed.” Leigh often finished Andy’s explanations. Maybe it was because they had spent so much time together, but she felt they knew each other as well as they knew themselves.
    She fingered one of the gold flowers on the lid. “This looks like a family crest.”
    Lily grabbed a dishtowel and wiped at the dust. “I think you’re right. It could very well be the Tanaka family crest. I’ve seen it on old documents, as well as some of the traditional ceremonial clothing we have stored upstairs.”
    Leigh opened the crate and took out the faded scroll. “This probably explains everything, but we can't read it.”
    His mother opened the scroll and peered at the document. “I can't either. I recognize some of the characters, but I don't know enough of them to make any sense of it.”
    She looked up at Andy. “Your dad knows even less than I do. Why don't you take this upstairs to your grandfather? He’s spent a lot of time in Japan, so maybe he can read enough to tell you what it says.”
    * * * *
    Ten minutes later, Kenjiro Tanaka removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He sat back in his easy chair. His rooms on the second story of the house were furnished with comfortable old furniture that suited him. Pictures of his family, past and present, covered the walls. Several shelves housed his collection of books. Grandpa Tanaka was a well-read man who had once harbored a dream of studying English literature.
    â€œI’m sorry, Andy and Leigh, but I can’t read this.” He set his glasses down on the side table and sighed. “My parents spoke Japanese to us, but my brothers and I went to American schools so our main focus was learning to read and write in English. I know just enough to get around when I go to Japan, but a lot of these characters I’m not familiar with. Why don’t we go and see Mr. Kimura? He should still be awake.”
    * * * *
    â€œKimura-san,” as his acquaintances called him, was a close friend of the Tanaka family. He had come to America from Japan in the late 1960s as an instructor of ikebana , the art of Japanese flower arranging. He quickly became close to the Tanaka family through their mutual work with flowers. Even now, Andy's family included him in their holiday gatherings. Mr. Kimura lived in a retirement home close by.
    â€œ Kon-ban wa —good evening, Tanaka-san. Andy, what a nice surprise. And Leigh, too. What brings you out here this evening?”
    â€œ Kon-ban wa , Kimura-san.” Kenjiro, Andy and Leigh bowed and offered the traditional Japanese greeting.
    Leigh eagerly gave the explanation for their visit. “Andy found an old chest in his parents' storage shed. This scroll was inside, and we wondered if you could translate it for us.”
    â€œI will try. It has been so long since I have done any reading in Japanese, I have probably forgotten many characters. Let me find my reading glasses, and I will see what I can do.”
    Leigh helped the older man find his glasses and Andy set Mr. Kimura’s wheelchair next to a table lamp. He started to read, but fussed about the lighting, so Andy brought another lamp over and plugged it in. The reading was laborious, and more than once he consulted an old Japanese character dictionary. Finally, the man