I Will Love You Forever Ch. 19

By the end of August 1944 the 442nd combat team was actively fighting in the war although they were generally prohibited from fighting in the Pacific Arena. These restrictions weren't placed on Americans of Italian or German ancestry who were allowed to fight in Europe mainly because they outnumbered those of Japanese ancestry. The second Warsaw uprising led by the Polish Home Army begins; the Polish people expecting help from the Soviets who were approaching , the rebellion would last for 63 days and help didn't arrive.

Florence, Italy is liberated by the allies, the Germans destroy some of the historic buildings and bridges as they retreat, The trials of the conspirators against Hitler begin, Japanese POWs escape from a prison near the town of Cowra, Australia in which two guards die, The Germans in anticipation of the Krakow Uprising round up all of the young men in Krakow, In Seattle, Washington, the Fort Lawton Riot occurs. The riot began with a conflict between U.S. soldiers and Italian POWs in which a prisoner Guglielmo Olivotto died. This led to a court Marshall of 43 soldiers, all of them black (in 2005 the book 'On American Soil' helped convince the U.S. Board for correction of Military Records that the prosecutor Leon Jaworski made a huge mistake and that all convictions should be reversed. President George W. Bush signed legislation that allowed the army to give back pay to the defendants or their survivors). Guam is freed by American troops, Guam and the Marianas will be turned into major naval and air centers to be used against the Japanese homeland. The French Resistance inspired by the approach of the Allies begin an uprising, Romania breaks from the axis powers and joins the allies, 168 captured Allied airmen arrive at Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimer, Germany where they were fully shaved and starved, Paris is liberated, the Soviets enter Bucharest, Romania, the French government is turned over to Free French troops.

******

Ralph paid little attention to the news or the newspaper; he was too distracted by nerves over the arrival of his son and family. The last hope that they might not come was dashed when Ralph called just as Lawrence was signing the papers for the sale of his house and asked for the names and phone numbers of the schools near Ralph's house.

He and Abby had gone to the house several times to clean and to make sure that there was no evidence of Patricia, Kenji and the baby being there but Abby had a point.

"So what if he finds anything, you could always say that you had a family living here with you before the war and if they stumble across anything Japanese then say they had to go to the camps which isn't a lie."

The big problem was that he would be living with strangers, Kenji and Patricia had been strangers too but he knew where they were coming from whereas Lawrence he just didn't know. The feeling that there was more behind the move than Lawrence had let on niggled at him even though the reasons that Lawrence gave for the move were perfectly reasonable.

Ralph looked at the calendar; they would be here in less than a week. In less than a week, he would be separated from the people that he loved and who loved him as irritable as he could be. The issue of his house no longer being safe had finally been resolved, Nick found a house not too far from his that was for sale and bought it at well below asking price. There was nothing else that they could do, his hope was that once the war was over he would be able to sell it for what he paid for it, if not then Kenji and Patricia could live in it.

Hattie, Abby and Patricia had already been over to the house several times cleaning and getting it ready while he and Nick made any repairs and stocked it with essentials. In order to make it look like a move in was happening, Nick would spend the day there and on occasion sleep there. He and Ralph shopped around for cheap furniture and beds to complete the illusion.

Several times Ralph tried to apologize for telling his son that he could live with him.

"Ralph! Give it a rest!" Nick said one day as they worked on the back yard. "No one is upset with you; you did what you thought you needed to do."

Up until now Ralph hadn't shared his concerns about the reason for Lawrence's move.

"I think that there's more to it." he told Nick.

"Like what?"

"I don't know but there's something else going on." Ralph replied.

"Do you want to know what I think?" Nick asked, "I think that you're nervous because you haven't seen him in so long and you'll be meeting your grandchildren for the first time."

"Maybe you're right." Ralph said but the niggling persisted.

*******

Lawrence had never realized how beautiful the west coast was, he thought that even the ocean looked and sounded different. He had hoped to be at his father's by now but Sally wanted to stop at every historic site she saw and begged to spend the night at a hotel where the beach was just a stone's throw away.

He had always been unable to deny her anything and agreed. He watched as she and the kids ran up and down the beach and put their feet into the water only to take off running again. Their laughter and happiness warmed him and he was beginning to be glad that they were moving when he saw that even Kenneth seemed happy.

He turned his attention to the reason for the move and what he needed to do once they got there, the first thing that he had to do was to find out if there were any groups already in existence and if there were he would have to seek them out. If there were just a few people here and there then he would try to pull them into one group. He also had to find a place to meet if the group couldn't meet at the homes of the new members. Realistically, it could be weeks before he knew what had to be done and he had to find a job to boot.

He was distracted from his planning when Sally sat down beside him, her eyes lit with happiness and a smile on her face.

"Thank you for this, I know that you're eager to get to your dad's house."

Lawrence put his arm around her and kissed her temple.

"You and the kids deserve this and so much more." he replied.

Sally hesitated before she spoke.

"Do you really want to do this? Couldn't we just move here and keep to ourselves?"

"I thought that you were behind me in this." Lawrence said.

"I am but I was just thinking that we could just ... you know."

Lawrence took his arm from around his wife.

"I'm doing this for us and our kids and their kids." he said, "I can't very well expect others to do all of the work and we reap the benefits of it. This is a war and we need every man, woman and child to join in if we're going to keep the niggers, the nigger lovers and the rest of them under control."

Sally laid her head on Lawrence's shoulder, it would have been pointless to say anything more on the subject, his mind was made up. As for herself, she didn't have any bad feelings toward anyone and agreed that the races should be kept separate but Lawrence was her husband and she had to support him no matter what she believed.

Like him she found the west coast beautiful and she was glad to be away from her demanding mother and the town that they had lived in, that Lawrence indulged her as much as he was doing surprised her a little but then he rarely told her no but he was so excited about leading his own group and that was the reason for the surprise.

As she laid her head on Lawrence's shoulder, she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the ocean as it hit the shore. The thought that she could stay where they were forever crossed her mind but there was no way that it was going to happen- Lawrence was on a mission and there was the matter of the money that the Klan had given them to get started out here to consider.

*******

Kenji studied every day in preparation of taking the tests; he had given Paul a target date of September 30 which gave him six more weeks to learn all that he could. Patricia would watch him study to the point of exhaustion and put her foot down.

"Kenjiro Takeda put that book away right now!"

"Just a little longer Kirei." he said sounding like Niko when he didn't want to go to bed.

Patricia walked up to him, took the book out of his hands, sat in his lap and kissed his face until he was laughing.

"Alright Kirei, you win." Kenji said still laughing and kissing her back.

"You study too hard." Patricia said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"It is with you and our children in mind that I study as hard as I do." Kenji replied, "Kirei things are going to get better for us, I feel it. Marie surviving was my confirmation of this belief, things are already improving and from what I am hearing, the war will soon be over."

"Not soon enough to suit me." Patricia replied kissing his cheek.

"I'm going to get ready for bed." Patricia said standing up, "You have ten more minutes Dr. Takeda." she called as she walked away.

Kenji watched her walk away and closed the book, she was right, he had been studying hard and he was tired. The thought of lying in bed with Patricia in his arms sounded like the perfect way to end the day. He realized that all of the things that they had talked about doing would be possible in a few years but in the meantime, he would be thrilled to walk down the street with her and their children.

"Please let this war end." he prayed to no god in particular as he made his way to their bedroom.

Both children were sound asleep when he reached the bedroom and Patricia was already in bed waiting for him, he looked at her and smiled. The mischievous sparkle in her eyes that he had always loved was slowly making its way back, another indication to him at least that things really were going to be alright.

Kenji stripped, climbed into bed and put his arm around her, as tired as he was, he wanted to talk.

"I have been thinking about what you said about my father."

"And?"

"I cannot see my way around what he wanted to have done to you but if you can see your way to forgive him, then I will at least try."

"I think that you'll be glad that you did." Patricia said.

"I have also been thinking about what we will tell our children when they are old enough to ask about us and Kirei, we will tell them the truth, all of it."

Patricia thought about it and decided that he was right, she was going to tell him that she agreed when she heard his soft snores, she kissed his cheek and closed her eyes; a few minutes later she was asleep.

*******

Elam hadn't called or made an appearance since he and Nick last talked but Charles came by frequently always calling before hand. According to Charles things at the office were much the same with one major change, Elam Martin had been demoted to field agent.

"It turns out that you weren't the only person whose life he was prying into without cause." He told Nick over a cup of coffee.

"Who else?" Nick asked.

"Some of the higher ups." Charles replied, "Including the director himself."

That shocked Nick; surely Elam wouldn't have been that stupid.

"Why was he doing this? It had to be more than just curiosity." Nick replied.

"I don't know and he's not talking, he's lucky that he still has a job. From what I hear, he only has a job because he's been with the agency for so long and he was instrumental in arresting Mitch and his partners.

Nick's head spun, it didn't make sense but it didn't matter he was out of the game and it was going to stay that way. He had already started making preparations to reopen his law office, he wanted to leave the mystery and intrigue to those who liked that sort of thing.

"Who replaced Elam?" Nick asked.

"No one as of yet."

It then struck him that this wasn't a strictly social visit.

"Other than to say hello and to fill me in on the office scuttlebutt, why are you here?" Nick asked.

Charles looked a little uncomfortable and squirmed under Nick's gaze.

"The director sent me because he knows that we were partners for a short time." Charles replied.

Nick knew what was coming but waited for Charles to finish.

"He wants you to replace Elam."

"Why didn't he ask me himself?" Nick replied.

"I think that he's well aware of your feelings toward..... Shall we say authority? He knows that you've been fucked over too many times to count and he thought that you would at least listen to me." Charles replied.

"No."

"You're not even going to think about it?" Charles asked surprised by Nick's quick response.

"There's nothing to think about." Nick replied, "I meant it when I told Elam that I was done."

"Nick..."

"Tell the director that he has my thanks for the offer but the answer is no." Nick said cutting Charles off.

Charles smiled, "I told him that you would say no."

"But you asked anyway."

"I had to try." Charles said.

"So what office is Elam working out of?"

"Ours for now but he's looking to be transferred to another office. As you can imagine, he doesn't have many friends where we are. Everyone is wondering if he was snooping into their personal affairs and if he was, what did he find out?"

Nick and Charles talked for a few more minutes before Charles excused himself.

"I'm taking a nice young lady out for dinner."

"Good for you!" Nick said as he walked Charles to his car.

"I think she might be the one." Charles said as he got in.

"Then by all means keep me posted." Nick replied.

Hana waited anxiously in Nick's office, she knew of Charles and based on what Nick had told her about him, she liked him. She wondered what the discussion was about and hoped that it wasn't about Nick going back to work at the office. She had gotten used to having him around, she breathed easier knowing that he was safe and she liked helping him get ready to open his law office again. That's what she was doing when Charles came to the door and she continued sorting through his papers while she waited for Nick to come back.

Nick called her name to let her know that it was safe to come out, as always when he saw her he was struck by how beautiful she was and how he was stupidly going to let her get away just because she was Japanese.

"What did Charles want?" Hana asked.

Nick told her the gist of the conversation stopping to reassure her that he wasn't even thinking about taking the position when he saw the panicked look on her face.

"Relax baby, I told him no."

Hana relaxed breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." she said hugging him.

Nick hugged her back but his mind was working, something wasn't right about the whole Elam thing, what he didn't know and decided that he didn't care. He was where he wanted and needed to be.

*******

Ralph paced the living room, Lawrence and his family were due at any time now. He had already made several searches through the house and was finally satisfied that there was nothing that could invite questions that he didn't want to answer.

"I don't want to be here." he murmured already missing the laughter and noise of the children and Niko begging him to read to him. He missed Abby and her calling him "old man". He didn't know how he knew it, but he knew that Lawrence being here was going to be trouble.

He checked the food in the oven and then the place settings, "six" he mused, "and five of them strangers. Abby had offered to stay for moral support and he turned her down, now he was wishing that he hadn't. Just as he was considering calling her to ask her to come back, he heard a car horn out front.

They were here.

*********

Sally looked at the house and then at Lawrence.

"It's awfully big." she commented.

"He said he had plenty of room and I guess he does." Lawrence said as he looked at the house and then the yard.

Sally looked too and was thrilled, she loved yard work and this yard needed it. She looked back at the kids who hadn't said anything since they arrived.

Lawrence turned around in his seat.

"Listen up, mind your P's and Q's you hear me? Grampa doesn't know why we're here and we need to keep it that way. That means that you can't use the words nigger, kike, fag, spook; none of it, you got it?"

The two younger ones nodded their heads that they understood; Kenneth the oldest one looked out of the car window with a bored expression on his face.

"Good, now let's get out."

******

Ralph's heart hammered and his stomach twisted as he watched Lawrence and his family get out of the car. He took a deep breath and went outside to greet them.

"Lawrence?" he called as he approached the car.

"Pop?"

Father and son stood looking at each other for several minutes until Sally stepped forward.

"Hello, I'm Sally and these are our children Kenneth, Dianne and Eli."

After the introductions, Lawrence held out his remaining hand to Ralph who took it without hesitating.

"Well come on in, you must be tired and hungry." Ralph said as he walked away.

Ralph led them into the house, showed them where the bathrooms were and took the food out of the oven.

"Two bathrooms!" Sally gushed as she washed her face and hands.

"How about that?" Lawrence replied quietly.

Lunch was quiet and what little conversation there occurred was stilted. The kids looked at Ralph but beyond the initial hello hadn't spoken. Sally once again stepped in.

"I love your yard, do you mind if I work in it?"

"Sure, have at it." Ralph replied. "There's a yard out back if the kids want to go out to play..."

Ralph suddenly remembered Kenji's work area; there were poles out there that he had written on in Japanese.

"Damn it!" he thought to himself as he watched the faces of the younger kids light up. "Maybe they won't notice." he thought. If they did, he would do as Abby suggested, he would tell them that he had rented a room to a Japanese man but he had to go to one of the camps.

"Grampa?" Dianne called.

"Yes?"

"Do you have fruit trees?"

"I have a lemon and orange tree in the back." Ralph replied, "Help yourself."

After that, the atmosphere relaxed slightly but not by much. Lawrence and Ralph appraised each other before Lawrence finally spoke.

"Thanks for letting us stay here, it's a nice place."

"You're welcome." Ralph replied. The niggling feeling was back.

"I hope that we won't be here too long, I sold the house back home and plan to buy one here."

"Stay as long as you need to." Ralph replied secretly hoping that they would be gone sooner rather than later.

"Thanks pop, I plan to start looking for a job in the next few days, any suggestions?"

"Well, you sold insurance at home, there are a few companies around like National Life you might have some luck there." Ralph said, "And it helps that you have a car."

"Perfect" Lawrence thought to himself, if he could land a job like that, it would be easier for him to meet people and make contacts.

Ralph showed the kids where their rooms were and then showed Lawrence and Sally where they would be sleeping which happened to be the same room that Kenji and Patricia slept in.

"It's like it's a place all unto itself." Sally said looking around.

"The man who lived here set it up that way, he kept to himself."

"You mean a Jap slept in this room?" Lawrence asked forgetting himself.

"I mean that I rented this space out to a very nice young man who happened to be Japanese." Ralph replied.

"Is that the bed he slept in?"

"No, it isn't." Ralph replied.

"Well I guess that's something." Lawrence muttered under his breath.

Ralph bit his tongue and continued to show Sally around. He left Lawrence and Sally in their room and was walking by one of the kids rooms when he heard a disturbing conversation.

"Did you see how many niggers and spics were walking around?"

Ralph recognized the voice of that of the oldest boy's.

"Shhh, daddy said that we can't say those words here, grampa might hear."