Come See the Paradise Page #8

JACK:

Yes, sir.

CAPTAIN:

You're in a whole lot of trouble, soldier.

JACK:

Yes, sir. I know, sir.

CAPTAIN:

Would you say you had pro-Japanese sympathies?

JACK:

Yes, sir. I married one, sir.

CAPTAIN:

The way the Army sees it, soldier, you're either pro-Japanese or

you're pro-American. There's no in-between. Not anymore. It's

not like being a Red Sox fan in a Pittsburgh/New York World

Series.

JACK:

My wife is an American citizen, sir.

CAPTAIN:

You think the camps are wrong?

JACK:

Yes, sir. I do.

CAPTAIN:

Well, for what it matters, soldier, I agree with you. It's like

burning down Chicago to get rid of the gangsters.

JACK:

It's a God-awful mistake.

CAPTAIN:

That scared people fighting wars often make. But there are also

a lot of apple pie Americans out there who wouldn't hate a soul

before all of this, who've got kids being slaughtered by the

Japanese Army. Everyday they hear about another Japanese unit

going Banzai and bayonetting women and kids. Maybe locking your

people away is the best place for them.

JACK:

It's unconstitutional. They had their rights taken away from

them. The Nisei who were born here are American citizens.

CAPTAIN:

So are you, soldier, and you went AWOL. So a lot of American

kids are dying instead of you.

AGENT:

How do you spell your name, McGann?

JACK:

M, small c, G-a-n-n.

AGENT:

You ever spell it M, small c, G-u-r-n? Were you ever Jack

McGurn? Were you ever a member of Local 306 of the New York

Projectionist Union?

JACK:

Yes I was.

AGENT:

I think you're in a lot of trouble, soldier.

SCENE 92The Kawamura family is watching a movie in the camp.

SCENE 93Papa Kawamura dies.

SCENE 94

MAMA K:

We had a cousin who knew Papa's family in Wakayama. She sent my

picture to your Papa. With your Papa, it was one day new shoes

for everyone. The next day, we sell the radio. Once he bought

me a new coat in the morning, and we had to sell it by

suppertime. All on the flip of a card. Seven times down, eight

times up. But now, after all of this, for Papa it was seven

times up and eight times down. Sometimes, it's better to die

than to give up on life.

SCENE 95

LILY (VO)

Then it seemed all we did was say good-bye. Dulcie volunteered

to help with the sugar beet harvest in Idaho. At least Dulcie

was free, for a while.

SCENE 96

LILY (VO)

Charlie was sent to a special camp at Tule Lake with all the

others who had answered "no" on their loyalty questionnaires.

They were called the "No No Boys."

CHARLIE:

Bye Frankie.

FRANKIE:

Bye Charlie...Hey Charlie, don't take any wooden nickels.

SCENE 97

JOYCE:

Why are you throwing up, Dulcie? You're not even on a bus.

LILY (VO)

Dulcie came back from the Idaho Sugar Harvest with a nice sun

tan, sixty dollars pay, and a baby inside of her. Mama was

furious.

SCENE 98

LILY (VO)

Then in December, the Supreme Courts ruled that the camps were

unconstitutional.

WOMAN:

Endo won his case! They can't keep us here anymore! We can go

home!

LILY (VO)

It seemed that all of our troubles were over. Shikataganai. We

had gone through the worst. We had lost everything we owned and

everything we loved. It wasn't possible to lose anymore. But

Mama says a wasp always stings a crying face...

SCENE 99

LILY (VO)

...because we also lost Harry. It was our last winter in the

camp. And our darkest.

SCENE 100 Mama Kawamura scrubs Harry's bed.

SCENE 101

LILY (VO)

Charlie decided to repatriate to Japan. There was a big exchange

for American prisoners of war. Poor Charlie. He had never been

to Japan before. He hardly spoke Japanese.

SCENE 102 The Kawamura family leaves the camp.

SCENE 103

LILY (VO)

We had no home to go back to in Little Tokyo. So we went to stay

with Mama Kawamura's cousin, Sahoko, on the strawberry farm here

in Florin.

SCENE 104

LILY:

On August 6th, they dropped a bomb on Hiroshima. It was a big

bomb. They called it the atomic bomb. In nine tiny seconds, two

hundred thousand people were killed. It had to be the end. No

one could endure more.

MINI:

Mama! It's the train!

LILY:

Let's go.

SCENE 105

LILY:

Jack! Jack!

JACK:

How ya doin'?

MINI:

Okay.

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