Private Life Read Free

little more. After the coughing subsided, she gave
    some harsh cries, and then her eyes opened. Her gaze fell on Pete, and then on Margaret.
    With great and visible effort she assembled her dignity, and finally she smiled. She
    whispered, You come.I would have come much sooner if I'd known where you were.We
    were in jail. Then, after a long pause, I didn't know. Margaret thought she must mean that
    she didn't know why.You shouldn't have been.Mrs. Kimura said, Lester ... But her voice
    died. Margaret exchanged a glance with Pete, then she said, I'm sure Lester had nothing
    to do with it. Lester is a good man. He is. It was--But Pete's hand clamped down on her
    shoulder, forbidding her confession.The doctors still did not come near. Margaret said to
    Naoko, Are you with her all day?Naoko nodded.All night?I don't mind. But I can't keep
    warm in here. I go back to my place and warm up and then come here.If they have
    nothing for her, then ...But she didn't go on. In fact, Margaret doubted whether Mrs.
    Kimura could survive being carried anywhere on the stretcher. She rubbed her hands
    together. When they were warm, and Naoko had gotten up to straighten her mother's
    covers, she took Mrs. Kimura's hand. It was small, thin, and cold. She tried to hold it as
    gently as she could and to impart a little warmth to it. After what seemed like a long time,
    she felt the dying woman squeeze her hand, just a bit. Then Mrs. Kimura gasped again
    and closed her eyes. Pete leaned down and kissed her gently, once on each cheek, his lips
    just brushing the skin, and then it was time to go. Naoko accompanied them to the door
    of the infirmary. Pete said, I brought you the things you asked for. I don't know if I can
    come back.Naoko nodded.THEY walked for a minute or two in silence. That was my
    barn, over there. Barn O. I enjoyed those days. This is a terrible thing to do.Yes, says the
    American in me.What does the Russian in you say?I hope they don't get shot.What about
    you?I won't get shot.I don't know how to think about any of it, frankly, not any of it. If
    only the Japanese hadn't attacked Pearl Harbor! What do they want? What were they
    thinking?Darling, they were thinking, Who do those Russians think they are? Why do
    you find those English fellows everywhere you turn? What makes the French act so
    superior? And look at the Americans! Such a bunch of primitives! A pack of apes in
    trousers, telling us what to do! That is what they were thinking.They got to the car. One
    of the guards was staring at them. Pete smiled and waved at him. The man kept his
    weapon down. Pete unlocked and opened her door, then went around and got in the
    driver's side. It was now quite chilly, and they didn't open the windows. As he pressed the
    starter, she said, I put all my pictures away, I couldn't stand them anymore. I used to love
    them so, but now ...They backed out of their spot and turned down the line of
    cars.Darling, there are whole categories of pictures that you never even looked at. Do you
    remember any of the scowling samurai we saw? With their teeth bared and their
    eyebrows lowered?Yes, but--Those are traditional Japanese pictures, too.I didn't like
    those.They drove out of the gate, waving innocently at the two guards in their little cabin,
    and then they made their way to Camino Real, and turned north. Pete said, What is the
    lesson to be learned?Margaret flared up. It was Andrew--But Pete stopped her again. I
    don't blame Andrew.But he--Pete raised her hand to his lips. It was clear he wouldn't talk
    about that.She felt terribly cold inside her neat suit and her heavy tweed coat. Her hat was
    still on her head. She unpinned it and set it on the back seat, then shoved her hands in her
    pockets, but there was no way to get warm. She did not even shiver. Pressed down by her
    heavy blankets, Kiku Kimura would be too weak to shiver, Margaret thought.They drove
    on in silence, this time crossing to the East Bay and passing Berkeley and