From 'Kazuko'-A Love Story

[oneighty]

The calf muscles in his short legs bulge with the strain of pumping the three wheel rickshaw up the low hill beginning at the fleet landing and ending in Sasebo. At first I am disappointed because this is not a genuine rickshaw. My vision of a rickshaw is of a Coolie effortlessly pulling me wherever I wish to go. I will pay this man about twenty five cents for my ride up the hill. I do not feel very good about myself using a man like this. In the village I will pay him two hundred Yen a little over fifty cents. He will smile and say; "Thank you." in English.

Inside the barroom where he unloads me there are a lot of girls and a few sailors. I do not drink alcohol. I ask for a glass of milk and am answered with blank stares. I settle for a soft drink. Several of the girls sit with me. Chizuko is one of them. She is beautiful and I am in love. I tell her my name; Eddie. She calls me Eddie san. One of the girls is very young. Chizuko explains the young girl is Atomi and Atomi is cherry girl. Atomi is a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Chizuko questions me; "Eddie san you cherry boy?" Cherry boy cherry girl. I do not understand cherry boy/cherry girl. Soon I leave the bar.

In the street a girl stops me. "Come to my house sailor?" We talk. she tells me her name is Rose. I am captured. "Rose Rose I love you with an aching heart." Frankie Laine has sang that song to a young romantic Eddie many times. And he sang about perfumed flowers in her tresses and smelling of eastern things; Lotus blossoms and Jasmine. This Rose smells sweetly of all those things Frankie has sang to me; erotic exotic. I follow her to a small house. Rose explains 'cherry boy' to me. Rose is very excited with her cherry boy and my education continues. We remain friends and I look for her when I have liberty. Which as it develops will not be often. There is a war going on.

To be continued maybe.