And It has Come to War

Chapter Five

For three long weeks I learned the Military way of doing things, along with filling out forms, most that had to be read to me. My father had beaten English into me during the voyage ‘home’, not that I thought of America as home, but reading? Women didn’t need to be able to read was his opinion. As to the real reason why I was not active duty military, I learned that my fathers constant whippings had so damaged my back that I wasn’t capable of normal duty for years. This was driven home to me when Lt. Parker, who turned out to be my constant babysitter, dropped a standard fifty pound combat pack on the floor of my quarters, a small room that I shared with three Army women.

“Pick it up” he ordered, so I did. My back didn’t even whimper, after all even at five foot four inches in height I had been used to drawing a Namisun for over three years, this was nothing. Then he helped me put the small forty pound pack on my back. Someone set fire to my muscles, I started to scream only to have Parker place his hand over my mouth even as he yanked the pack off of me.

“Miss Laster, Medically you are fine except for your back. Yes you are too short but that has been waved in special cases before. What is wrong with you medically is that your father tore several of your muscles with his constant beatings, until that heals, which the doctors assure us will take several years and constant exercise, from your movements drawing a bow will be difficult, carrying anything heavy on your back, or squat lifting anything heavy, impossible. Apparently your father has had training, or experience in exactly how to destroy a back with a leather strap and decided that destroying your back would be fun. Those doctors that you saw talking to Sergeant Williams were not only telling him that you were still a virgin, but that it will take one or two years of light work for your back muscles to heal properly. For now though, physically you’re 4F.”

I found tears running down my face at those last words, I was 4F, I couldn’t enlist even if we were being invaded. “Then what use am I Lieutenant” I asked through my tears.

“Your knowledge of Japan, not just the language but her culture, the way a normal Japanese citizen thinks, their likes, dislikes even their hobbies.” he explained. “There are damn few who speak the Japanese language as fluently as you do.” He picked up his own pack and opened one of the pockets, withdrawing a medium sized envelope. “Your identity card, don’t lose it, and your pay records” he explained as he handed them to me. “We will take those to Finance next, you are due some back pay. You get paid like the troops, at the same time the troops get paid and I suggest that you open a bank account, because the Lieutenant Colonel decided that you are going to be paid at the rate of a Captain. Besides, you need clothing and a place to stay, you’re not active duty so you don’t belong in these dorms. Oh, and there is another thing Miss Laster, the Lieutenant Colonel decided that you need a temporary boyfriend to keep the wolves at bay, so unless you have reservations, that will be me for now.”

“A...” I looked at the handsome Lieutenant, then down at his left hand. There was no wedding ring there but he had told me on the train that he was engaged. Besides, I’d never really thought about a boyfriend since leaving Japan. “Why? I asked, “And where will I stay now?” I so missed the quiet of my home in Japan now, we were standing in the little space the officers dorm room had, what with twin bunk beds, built in closets and two desks.

“As to the boyfriend, you will be teaching a lot of very young, very hormonally ruled men, most away from home for the first time in their lives. I’ve watched your teaching style, it is pretty good but you get in close with the men. Unless you have an officer boyfriend they are going to look at you like fresh meat on the table, you really are easy on the eyes Miss Laster. Now as to a place to stay, there is a section of housing set aside for civilian use, we are going to Housing after Finance to have you assigned a cabin.” He grinned and I liked that smile on him. “I won’t call those things a bungalow, they have exactly one bedroom, one kitchenette, a toilet and a living room. Plus a garage but I doubt that you will be able to afford a car on your salary anytime soon, or the cost of training to learn how to drive the thing.”

I thought about his words, hormonally... what did that mean I wondered. But a car? Maybe, after the war when I had a long term civilian job, or a husband but not before. “Perhaps I can use the space for an office at home, where I can prepare for classes.” I paused a few seconds. “The boyfriend thing, I need to think about that sir, I have never had a boyfriend you see.”

“That could work then and we will discuss the ‘boyfriend’ thing when you are ready. Just remember Miss Laster that I am engaged and plan to marry next year, Army permitting.” He paused a minute, looking over the area I slept in. It was Army issued everything, I only had one other dress now, a nice Navy blue thing that he had purchased for me. It was a very thin world I currently lived in he realized. “Well then let us travel to Base Housing and see what they can find for a civilian instructor.”

Base Housing did have a place for me, small yes but actually larger than Lieutenant Parker had described, the place had two bedrooms along with a one car garage, it even had a back yard but I wouldn’t want to let children run around in that stone and glass infused place. I was supposed to inspect the place but had to defer to my watchdog, I just didn’t know the jargon on the page, such as ‘Electrical outlets test properly,’ what was an electrical outlet? When he explained I blushed with more embarrassment, “Mother just called it a plug” I explained.

Then we went to the bank on base Parker loaning me five dollars to open an account, five dollars that he warned me in public that I had better repay him or he would spank me. Then he took me to dinner, off base. That was a delight and as we walked back I spotted something in an ‘Antique Store’ that I had to have. It was a Yumi, a Japanese bow and was almost perfect for my height. They only wanted a dollar for it, in Japan it would have been worth hundreds of times more but, as I discovered, with the war anything Japanese was now hated.

“Why do you want this thing Miss” the proprietor asked after we entered and I had inspected the bow.

“I am to be instructing Army and Navy men in the Japanese language and culture” I explained. “Having items that I may show them will assist with the language instruction I have been told. This simple Yumi will allow me to lead into a complete class simply by itself.”

“Yer awful young to be an instructor” the shop owner observed. “What gives you tha experience?”

I smiled at him, then in perfect Japanese explained “Honored shop owner, I have lived almost all of my life in Japan, raised by a Japanese family. If not I, then who?”

Laughter answered me. “Darling” the man explained. “I spent nine years in Japan for my company, I thought I understood that language well, hell I was barely able to follow you. I’ve a few other things in tha back, if you want ‘em.”

“Perhaps” I agreed, now in English, “I haven’t been paid by the Army as yet and I owe this man money already. I do not want to fall further into debt, tomorrow they say I will be paid.”

Laughter answered me again. “Then come by when yah have money, I’ll seel yah tha stuff same price as anything else. Now off with tha both of you, its getten late ahn the drunk’sl be out soon.”

“Thank you honored shop keeper” I said as my fair well, again in English. I was unsurprised when Lieutenant Parker took the bow away from me.

“Provost is going to have to sign this in” he explained. “If you had the arrows, he’d go ballistic.”

Thus ended my day, I would be moving out of the dorm room in the morning, I would be paid 766 dollars every two weeks, not counting the amount kept out for ‘income tax, and my three weeks due pay would be given me in the morning at Finance so then I could buy furniture and clothing and I would be responsible for myself for the first time in my life. I just hoped that I was worth it.