The Teahouse of the August Moon Page #6

Yes, you know something?

As a matter of fact,

Lotus Blossom was at Awasi.

Nearly wrecked his plan for recovery.

"Ah, so." Don't give me that, "Ah, so."

Listen. Do you know that she has been

booted out of every village...

...by every commander on the island?

- Oh, poor little Lotus Blossom.

- Oh, poor little Lotus Blossom.

Now I know why Mr. Sumata, or whatever

his name is just... off he goes, disappears.

I know why. I know.

The major gave him 100 yen

to get that girl out of that village.

Well, by golly, she's not gonna cause

any dissension here. No.

Ladies. Ladies. Ladies.

Close the door. Close the door. Wait.

Ladies. Ladies. Ladies. Hey, ladies.

Just a minute, please.

All right, just one minute.

Please, just...

What is it you want, ma'am?

She say she waiting

for some democratic action, boss.

And if she don't get it, boss...

...she gonna write this Uncle Sammy

you talk about.

Wait, no, we don't want to do that.

We don't want letters going to

Washington about any trouble around here.

The discrimination,

which all these lovely ladies have been...

...worried about.

We're gonna take care...

We'll take care of it,

it'll be taken care of.

Oh, no, she say please

not eliminate discrimination, boss.

Just give her some.

Now, what does she mean by that?

She say Lotus Blossom

unfair competition.

Oh, well, granted.

And she say you promise

that everyone gonna be equal, boss.

And I intend to keep my word.

But she say she can't be equal, boss...

...unless she have everything

Lotus Blossom have.

What Lotus Blossom has

the government doesn't issue.

All right, all right.

Yes, just a minute now.

What is this?

She say she want you to get her

and the Ladies League the following items:

A, red stuff to put on lips like geisha girl.

B, stuff that smell very nice.

What do you think

the Post Exchange would think...

...if I put in a requisition for lipstick?

This is ridiculous.

This, I can't do.

- Now what?

- Oh, she say...

...she think she gonna have to write

this Uncle Sam after all, boss.

No, you don't...

Wait a minute.

Ladies, wait a minute, please.

Ladies, ladies,

please, will you come back?

You, ladies, just come back here.

Look, no, just one. Look, sit down.

You, sit down. Come on. Here now.

There's a nice girl. Sit down.

The rest of you... Don't... Please don't.

Now, will you explain...?

Sakini, listen very carefully.

Will you...? Oh, my.

Just explain to her that I will phone

the Post Exchange at Awasi...

...and I will see if I can't get some...

I'll get some talcum powder,

and some shaving lotion.

You know, tell her.

Yeah. All right?

Yeah?

Yeah, it's all right. Yes?

What now? What did she say?

Oh, she say one more thing, boss.

She say she want you to get Lotus Blossom

to teach all the ladies...

...to be geisha girl.

No. No. No.

No. No.

Fisby- san!

Oh, boss, look who's here.

Lotus Blossom come to see you.

All right, now.

Where have you been all day?

Oh, don't bother to tell me. I know.

You've been out, upsetting the agri...

Oh, no, upsetting

the agricultural horsecart?

Oh, she say sun burst through clouds

now that you smile on her, boss.

I'm not smiling.

- Oh, boss, you know what she give you?

- The works.

No, when lady give a gentleman

chrysanthemum bud in Okinawa...

...that mean that her heart

ready to unfold.

Well, this is one bud

that's not going to bloom.

Now, what's this?

She want to know

if you want some tsukemono, boss.

- No.

- iTsukemono good to eat between meals.

No, no, no.

Will you...?

Will you, please...? Will you...?

Tell her to leave my feet alone.

What?

She very worried about you.

Now, when you go out in hot sun,

you must wear kasa on head.

Well, you know something, you tell her to

stop worrying about my head and my feet...

...and one thing very important,

she's just got to stop...

...interfering with my recovery program.

- Do you want some tea, boss?

- No, I don't. No, no, no.

- Oh, you want to hear some music, boss?

- No. No, I don't...

She say you jealous, boss.

- You want to tell her your trouble, boss?

- Tell her my...? What?

What do I want

to tell her my troubles for?

Oh, she geisha girl, boss,

that's her business.

Yeah, some business. Some business.

Oh, she very sad, boss.

She want to help you because she...

She say you best boss she ever have.

You not take money from her.

You not make her work.

Do you mean to tell me

that the men who owned her...

...hired her out and then...?

And they took money from her?

Oh, sure, boss.

Oh, well, now, really. I mean...

You know, where I come from,

the men who do that sort of thing...

Oh, you got the geisha business

in America too, boss?

No, but... Well, I mean...

Look, will you please explain to her

I have no intention of making her work...

...and I'm certainly not going

to take any money away from her.

- I mean, that's...

- Why not, boss?

She pay dues to geisha guild.

She member in good standing.

This is really... I mean this is

the most immoral thing I've ever heard of.

No, I mean, I don't say, Sakini...

...that where I come from

we don't have...

Well, you know. But, I mean,

by golly, we don't have unions.

And we don't set rates

and we don't collect dues.

No, no, boss, no.

- Geisha girl not do what you think.

- Wait a minute.

Everybody knows what they do.

Oh, no, everybody wrong, boss.

What do they pay her for?

Well, very hard to explain, boss.

Poor man like to feel rich.

Rich man like to feel wise.

Sad man like to feel happy.

So all go to geisha house

and tell trouble to geisha girl.

Now, she listen very politely.

She say, "Oh, that's too bad, boss."

She very pretty.

She make tea, and she sing,

and she dance, boss.

Pretty soon, troubles go away, boss.

So that not worth something, boss?

Sakini, I apologize to you,

I really apologize.

I'm very glad you cleared things up.

That's kind of...

That kind of puts a new light on things.

She say... She say why you smile

at her all of a sudden, boss?

You mad or something?

Sakini, will you ask her...

...if she'd be kind enough

to give geisha lessons...

...to the Ladies League

for Democratic Action?

Boss.

Oh, boss.

They all come to see you, boss.

Oh, what can I do for them?

Oh, they have a meeting in democratic

fashion and majority agree on resolution.

They want you to build them a chaya.

A what?

- A teahouse, boss.

- A teahouse?

Sure, now that Tobiki got

the geisha girl like big city, boss...

...they want a teahouse like big city too.

They say you give Ladies League

what they want, boss.

I can't build a teahouse.

I have no authority to do that.

You say rule of majority is law, boss.

You gonna break the law?

No, I'm not going to break...

Well, look, they're going

to have a school, you see.

Now, that's enough.

Oh, school. Well, majority too old

to go to school, boss.

They want to have chaya, a teahouse.

We haven't got the materials

to build a teahouse.

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