Angel of Okinawa; Chapter 3

 

Angel of Okinawa; Chapter 3

© 2024 by Amber Wright

“Angel!”

I spun around to find my nine year-old sister, Lei, carrying a big plate loaded with food. She had a big smile on her tanned face.

She sat down beside me. “It's such a happy day!”

“It is,” I agreed.

There was brown rice with beans and cubed chicken, pineapple chunks, banana pudding, kiwi slices and glasses of fruity orange punch.

I looked down at my plate and hid a smile. Lei could eat through a hurricane, I believe.

War news from yesterday made me lose my appetite. I didn’t have the heart to eat much knowing that human lives were to be killed pretty soon.

Sigh!

“Lei,” I smiled and pointed to the porch steps, “shall we take our supper there?”

“Yes!” Lei said in a bright voice.

Lei was my excited sister.

“I can’t wait to eat all this—I’m starving!”

I smiled at her enthusiasm.

It was wonderful to be a child and to have no worries. Even though I am just fifteen, adult worries seem to nag me. The war has taken a toll on most of us, I will admit. Every corner of our lives has been darkened to some point.

I can’t help it.

Fear seems to invade my every move now since the day I biked to the Kita Airfield to get my American books.

War is close at my heels—I can feel it.

Will tomorrow’s sun rise?

I don't know.

I only know I must eat, sleep, watch and pray. God will walk before me.

^{· · ·}

A heavy rumble woke me on the morning of March 24^th. I sat up on my pallet and rubbed my eyes full of sleepy.

Maybe it was just a dream.

I prepared to hike the thin covers back up to my chin and go to sleep again. But no, there it was again—a heavy rumble accompanied by a shrill whining sound.

“The U. S. Army’s here!” I shook Lei’s arm who was sleeping beside me on her pallet. “Get up!”

Lei made a startled, groaning noise and began rubbing her eyes as I was trying to explain to her that we were being invaded.

Lei only grunted the more.

By this time, Dai was whimpering on the other side of me.

Oh dear, what a ruckus I’ve caused!

I had a job of quieting down Dai while at the same time trying to explain the danger of war in our back yard to Lei.

Meema must have heard the commotion for she came into our room, both hushing us all and looking worried herself. The room was full of noise by this time.

Sigh!

“Are we being invaded, Meema?” Horiya asked blankly with scared eyes, chewing her thumbnail.

“I’m afraid so.” Meema took a deep breath. “But we must not be afraid, girls. God will take care of us. He always has.”

Another rumble.

“Now,” Meema smiled at each of our worried faces, “let’s get dressed and begin our day. And I think we can all have a spelling lesson from Angel’s books.”

All three of Horiya, Lei and Dai sent up a squeal, and even Ruri smiled.

Despite her silence about my English and American books, I think Ruri really likes them. As for Dai, she loves the pictures more than anything even if she does try to spell.

Smart little thing.

Dai is only three years old and already picking up on reading three letter words. She’s got four teachers, so that explains why she's so brainy.

While we were eating breakfast, a knock came on our door. Hwang went to answer it.

Meema sat on her cushion, biting her lip. I could tell she was worried and I couldn’t blame her. Since Hwang was a soldier he could be called to action any moment now. Meema was only lucky she had these past three weeks with him. It could’ve been shorter.

I tried to listen to what was being said but Meema motioned us to continue eating.

Hwang stood in the doorway speaking to a man I couldn’t see. My stepfather’s back was to me, hiding the man who was on the ground level porch below the front door step.

Hwang came back to the table with a blank stare, indicating he was either shocked or worried—or both. His answer to our silent question was short. “Yes, I must go in ten minutes.”

The younger girls started to cry and Meema began wiping her eyes. Ruri swallowed hard and blinked rapidly, a thing she did when she was trying to suppress her tears.

Only I sat there with a blank face.

Blank eyes.

A blank feeling inside.

And then a hot tear rolled down my cheek.

I would miss my stepfather. In these past three weeks, he had been a good father.

Hwang pulled out our large family Bible.

I swallowed, trying not to cry.

Hwang read in his quiet, gentle voice. “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies.”

Another tear slid down my cheek.

“Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind…”

Hwang continued reading the 2^nd chapter of Philippians with a calm voice, and I was filled with wonder as I knew his death could be near any moment after this.

I heard the others sniffling.

“…Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy…”

By this time I was crying hard.

Was it the last time my stepfather’s voice would be heard within these walls?

Even now I was realizing how much I had grown to love this quiet man as a father.

Only before I hadn’t known.

Strange how goodbyes brought the true feelings out of people.

I remembered his prayer and would forever, especially the part I repeated to myself. “Lord, be our strength and refuge, our present help in time of trouble.”

The goodbye was tough.

Somehow I managed to keep my wits together and give Hwang a steady and warm smile like a daughter should. He nodded goodbye and closed the door behind him.

Through the opened window, I saw him walk steadily down the sandy road under a canopy of vine entangled trees full of bright green leaves.

His rifle was in his hand.

His knapsack was on his back.

His little head disappeared.

Then Hwang was gone…and we were all left crying behind.

I sucked in my tears briskly, and set my mind to clearing the dishes off the table and cheering everyone up. But so far, I had only gotten a heavier downpour of tears from everyone.

Maybe it’s because I wasn’t Japanese that I didn’t fully lose my heart at that time.

Maybe it's because I'm used to loss.

Sigh!

I knew there was work to be done and preparations to be made for the horrors of backyard war.