TC80

The internees in the camp were encouraged to stay indoors at night by the bitter cold and the lack of illumination outdoors. Ariel and Jael were drawn to a greenhouse in the center of the camp that was lit up like Christmas and they stepped inside. Jael was disappointed by how cold the greenhouse turned out to be, but Ariel knew there would be no heat inside. There was a struggling vegetable garden, but no stove, and the glass of the greenhouse only kept away the snow and wind. The heavily-garbed JapaneseAmerican fellow who was up late at night trying to keep his plants alive seemed quite angry at being disturbed by two young people.

Jael bowed deeply. “Please forgive the intrusion, sir. We came from another part of the camp but as you can see we are not dressed for the cold. We came in here by necessity.”

The man’s initial anger faded to pity when Ariel told him they had been held prisoner in the clinic since June. Not even the first wartime internees arrived until August. Still, he demanded to know their names.

“I am Ariel Zinter and this is my brother Jael. We’re just kids from a state next door. A little town named Headwater.”

The man in turn identified himself as George Kaneko, and Jael said, “What a coincidence, Ariel! Another coincidence!”

“Yes. Not only did Bath Kol teach us about the camps, che taught us about this very internee, Mr. Kaneko. And also his family. But the strange part is, I can remember even the smallest detail of hez lecture.”

George Kaneko demanded, “What do you mean?”

Ariel said, “I know your parents are issei, sir. They were born in Nippon but immigrated here and became American citizens. And you are nisei. You were born here which makes you every bit as American as we are. You have your wife with you, and three sansei daughters. I know that you and your family worked very hard and made a good life on your strawberry farm in Washington State. But after the internment was announced you were tricked into selling your land for pennies on the dollar. Now you are forced to crowd into a single-room in a barracks where you shit, shower, and shave with three other families and eat in a common room that serves the whole block. And all this happened out of the irrational fear that descended on the country in the wake of Pearl Harbor.”

“Land of the free, home of the brave,” said Jael, bitterly. “And Agent Claude Colson bragged of making it all happen.”

George Kaneko wanted to know why schoolchildren were being taught about his family, but time was pressing. He said, “I’m very sorry, but you cannot stay in my greenhouse. When they find you they will punish me.”

“I understand completely,” said Ariel. “But please, Mr. Kaneko, do your daughters have any clothing to spare? We will not last very long outdoors wearing just these hospital gowns.”

“They are too young, nothing they have would fit you. But I will give you garments of my own. When you are captured (and that’s surely a matter of when, not if) you can tell them you stole them from my greenhouse.”

Jael said, “What makes you so sure we will be captured, Mr. Kaneko?”

“A barbed-wire fence went up in October, much to our dismay. It is nearly complete, and well illuminated. We all thought perfect obedience during the internment would prove our loyalty to America, but we were mistaken. It’s only gotten worse and the guards are armed now. Besides, even if you did get through the fence where would you go?”