My cousin Letty C. Espinellli wrote about a Japanese soldier we knew during the early 1940s. Here is her piece:
He just sits there… His chinky eyes always seemed to be smiling … altho most of the time he was really smiling… Us kids always took that spot right near his table for our play spot… labulan goma… sintak… piko… even kurangkurangan! And even if he did not speak a word of Kapampangan he would chuckle at our antics and childhood quarrels. He would also contribute a stick or two to our small fire during kurangkurangan cooking! I don’t know if he was a professional soldier, but he always wore a Japanese soldier’s uniform. Once he showed us a picture of his family … his wife and a daughter about my age… which reminds me… he always carried a pair of girl’s socks in his bag … maybe his daughter’s. I remember the socks, I thought they were very funny because the big toe was separated from the rest of the toes!
His name was Yoshida.. He was a lieutenant in the Japanese Imperial Army. He was detailed at the Bamban Sugar central and occupied a small room under one of the staircases at the Mansion house. He was an everyday visitor at my mother Apung Flora’s restaurant.1 He seldom orders something to eat, at least that was as much as I knew, but would sit at one of the tables near the entrance.. After sometime I felt at home sitting in his lap as he taught me to sing Japanese songs.. which I can still sing today..
Shina No Yoru which btw I taught to my music class during UN week.. and I was surprised to know that my students still know it when they had a reunion 2 yrs ago!
Haruku Oro One..2
Kimigayo owa..3
He talked to me in Japanese and I3learned to speak it quite fluently!
One day I was playing with my brother Dan and he hit a clay pot which broke just as I was running to catch his stone pato… I got 2 big cuts on my knee. I must have bawled so loud when I saw blood spurting from the two wounds to get him to run to me and stop the bleeding with his big green scarf/hanky. He went to his barracks and returned bringing some medicine which he applied to my wounds. Everyday thereafter he came and cleaned the wounds and put medicine and bandage on them till they healed enough for me to resume running with my cousin Rene and my brothet Dan. Many times we would visit him in his room at the Sugar Central. (I was not yet 6 yrs old and my brother and cousin were not yet 5 !.) and many times he would serve us lunch which we didn’t like much … sweet and sour or too spicy! But it more than made up for the candies we loved! I could not remember how long he stayed in Bamban… but late one night we were jarred from our sleep by the heavy pounding on our door and shouts of “Retche!Retche!” That was how he talked because he could not pronounce the L in Lettie. When we opened the door there stood my friend with small bayong (bag) containing about a ganta of rice and a small amount of sugar… his supply while they were on retreat to the north.. He handed both to me – and a pair of girl’s socks — and hugged me tight and ran to his truck.. That was the last I saw of him.. I swear I saw tears glistening in his eyes as he ran to catch his truck..
1 Actually, Ma’s restaurant is more of a Panciteria (noodle shop) because she served only pancit … all kinds! purus bihon…purus miki.. miki-bihon.. bkhon miki sabo. miki maki sabo.. sotanghon gisado.. .. and her favorite: halo halo.
2 (I googled this but could not find it. R)
3 Their Nat’l Anthem.. (The shortest national anthem in the world. R)
Here are the links to the two songs.