Chapter 47: Racial Purity?

December 1, 1983, McKinley, Ohio

"You really object to Emmy and Clark being together because they're from different races?!" I asked, completely taken aback.

"I'm sorry," Kimiko replied meekly. "I was trying to describe how Japanese felt about mixed-race children, especially those of black American soldiers and Japanese women. But it's really any mixed-race children or relationships because they are not pure Japanese."

"So if you and I were to marry and have kids who were half-Japanese, and they went to Japan, they'd be looked down on?"

Kimiko frowned, "In Japan, it would depend."

"So, if they could pass for Japanese, they'd be fine, but if they had my skin color and eyes and hair, then it would be a problem? They wouldn't be seen as Japanese?"

"Legally, they would because they would have a Japanese mother, but some people would look down on them, as you say."

"Most?" I asked.

"I don't know. But isn't that the same problem you're talking about with Emmy and Clark? That her father would never accept it? And would even become violent?"

"Len Nelson is an aberration," I replied.

"But I heard what you and Melody were talking about — that when there was a black teacher at your school, he had to leave. So it had to be more than just Emmy's dad."

"That's true," I replied. "But it doesn't make it right. But I have to ask — is that the REAL problem your parents have with me? That I'm Caucasian and not Japanese?"

Kimiko looked down and answered meekly, "Yes."

"This is part of the whole culture thing, isn't it? That one can't be Japanese if one isn't Japanese ethnically, culturally, and spiritually? And your parents are concerned not just that you will lose your culture but that their grandchildren, if we were to have kids, wouldn't be Japanese."

"Yes."

Which, at least in one sense, made them exactly like Len Nelson. Well, not exactly, as I didn't think I'd face the business end of a shotgun if her parents found out we were sleeping together, as I was sure would happen if Len Nelson ever found out about Clark and Emmy.

"But you said they liked me," I protested gently.

"They do. You are a polite, respectful, gracious, intelligent young man."

"Which was fine if we were just friends or dating," I replied. "But once you told them you might decide to stay here with me, things changed."

"Yes."

And now she was torn between her duty to her father and her own desires. And from everything she'd said, I knew the internal struggle she was having had to be tearing her apart. There was zero doubt in my mind that she was in love with me, and if I was honest with myself, I felt the same way about her. Jocelyn and others might think Kimiko was a fantasy, and while that might be true, it was deeper than that.

Fundamentally, I was at a point where, if forced to make a decision on the spot, I would choose Kimiko. I was attracted to Maggie, and she to me, but until we actually spent some significant time together, she was just a gorgeous girl who might be someone I could be with. Tasha and I were, I felt, destined to drift apart. Something told me that once she was out of her parents' house and the world opened to her, there would always be a reason to put off a decision. And, if I was completely honest with myself, I'd probably agree with her.

Then there was Clarissa. If she were straight, I wouldn't be having any thoughts of any other girls. But she wasn't, and she and I both were terrified of making a grave error if we attempted to marry. But a funny thought crossed my mind — if Kimiko was traditional Japanese, and she approved of Clarissa as a 'mistress', then it would be within the realm of possibility to achieve both my desires — a happy, successful marriage and fathering a child with Clarissa.

One thing stood in the way of that kind of solution, and it was my ordination. But given the struggles I was having over certain aspects of my future medical training, I might either ask to be laicized, or the bishop might do it of his own volition. I could be a faithful Orthodox Christian without the cassock; I didn't think I could be faithful to my patients without proper and complete training. And being laicized would take away the scandal that would ensue if those plans came to fruition.

"Kimiko, you know how I feel about you," I said gently.

She looked up and smiled, "I do. And I feel the same way about you."

"But you struggle with your duty to your father, your duty to be Japanese."

"Yes. Perhaps it's best if you do what you said and go home to see your sister and talk with Emmy. I think I'll go to Columbus for the weekend."

"To talk with your parents?"

"Yes. I think I'll try to call my grandmother. And perhaps Huong as well. They've always given good advice."

"OK. Do you still want to stay tonight?"

"Yes, I do."

December 2, 1983, West Monroe, Ohio

"Mike?!" Emmy exclaimed when she and Liz walked into Lou's diner in Rutherford.

I was in a large corner booth with Mindy, Hannah, and Liz's friends, Valerie and Violet. I'd met Violet when Jake Baxter was bragging about his alleged conquest of Tasha's sister. Violet was the peppiest girl I'd ever met, with a personality that could only be called effervescent. She had also developed into a sexy young woman, and all I could think of was that some VERY lucky Junior or Senior would have the time of his life with her. She was a Sophomore, which put her completely off-limits for me.

"Hi, Emmy," I replied.

"Why are you here? Wait, I know!"

"It's an intervention," Liz declared firmly. "Sit!"

"When did all of you become racists?!" Emmy protested as she and Liz sat down.

"Nobody here is racist," Mindy said. "It's your dad we're worried about. You know what happened the other night."

But I didn't know what happened the other night. And suddenly I had a very bad feeling.

"He doesn't know about Clark!" Emmy protested.

"And if he finds out?" Hannah asked.

"He won't!"

"Em," Violet said, "your dad and his friends beat up Jayce Franklin! Everyone knows it."

"What did I miss?" I asked.

"Jayce is on the football team, and he's dating a white cheerleader," Valerie said. "They make a really cute couple. But Mr. Nelson and his friends caught them at Jackson Lake. Jayce is in the hospital with pretty severe internal and head injuries, as well as a badly broken arm."

"So why hasn't Len Nelson been arrested?"

"Because Kim won't tell the Sheriff who did it, and Mr. Nelson and his buddies are backing each other's stories. Kim is afraid of what will happen if she tells. I guess Jayce is hurt too bad to talk to the cops right now. And there wasn't anyone else there because Jayce and Kim were, well, busy."

"They were screwing!" Violet said, causing the girls to laugh.

"We KNEW that," Valerie replied. "I was being polite!"

"Emmy, do you SEE what I'm concerned about?" I asked. "You know I like Clark. And you know I like you. But your dad is a real problem here. And I don't want either of you to get hurt."

"Emmy, he'll KILL Clark," Mindy declared. "He and his asshole friends only beat up Jayce. What do you think he'll do to a black guy who has sex with you?"

"It's not fair!" Emmy protested.

"No, it's not," Hannah said. "But we're worried that your dad might even hurt YOU!"

I thought that was a real possibility because I knew Emmy well enough to know that she wouldn't back down even if her dad confronted her. And that had the potential to turn very ugly very quickly.

"Emmy," I said calmly, "do you love Clark?"

"No. He's just fun to be with."

"No sex is good enough to be killed for!" Violet protested.

"How would YOU know?" Emmy retorted.

"True," Mindy smirked, "she's never been with Mike!"

"Oh, puh-lease!" Liz protested, making gagging noises. "Can we leave my brother out of this?"

"Tell me more, Mindy," I replied with a grin.

"Clarissa and Mom are right!" Liz replied with disgust. "You ARE a pig, Mikey!"

"Thank you," I chuckled. "But seriously, Emmy, Violet is right. If you loved Clark and felt there was some kind of future, the risk might be worth it. But even then, I'd suggest the two of you get the heck out of southern Ohio before you became a couple, or at least got far enough away from your dad and his friends so as not to have to worry."

"California," Valerie said. "That's far enough away."

"But I like it here!" Emmy protested. "Why should I have to move because my dad is a racist?"

"I was just saying what you might do IF you and Clark wanted to be a couple," I replied. "If it's just sex, I have to say Violet's assessment is correct. It's not worth dying for or even being hospitalized."

"Though if you're as good as Mindy just implied..." Violet said invitingly.

"Can we PLEASE not talk about my brother's sex life?" Liz begged.

"My little sister has a point," I said. "I mean, besides the one at the top of her head."

"Mikey," Liz growled.

"Sorry," I said lightly. "Anyway, Emmy, seriously, if your dad just beat up a kid he doesn't know for being with a girl who isn't his daughter, what do you think he'll do if he finds out? And I'm not just talking tomorrow, but a year from now, even. Or two or three."

"This sucks!" Emmy groused.

"Is it true your grandfather was in the Klan?" Valerie asked.

"Yes," Emmy replied. "But not my dad."

"According to my dad," I interjected, "Len Nelson and his buddies are just garden-variety rednecks. Racist, but not organized. They've been like this since grade school, according to my mom. I remember from our Ohio history class in seventh grade that Ohio was one of the states which passed an anti-miscegenation law during the Civil War. It was repealed before 1880, but I don't remember the date.

"And you mentioned California, Valerie, but they had their law on the books until much later. I don't remember exactly when that was from American history, but it was after World War II. And it took a court case to end that one. There was a US Supreme Court case in the 60s which finally stopped it everywhere. What I guess I'm saying is that our generation was mostly born after those laws were repealed or overturned, or maybe right before. We have a VERY different attitude. It doesn't excuse Emmy's grandfather or her dad, but they weren't completely out of step with the general social views of the past.

"We did some pretty terrible stuff to blacks, even after slavery, and our bishops were at the forefront of the struggle, marching with Doctor Martin Luther King and denouncing racism and segregation when both of those things were part of mainstream culture. Now, the tables have flipped, and Len Nelson and his buddies are on the wrong side of history. The problem is, they're here now, and they're a real threat.

"I think the best thing that could happen would be for Jayce or Kim to tell the Sheriff who did it and have them all arrested. Short of that, I'm not sure there are any good options, only ones that are bad or worse. In my mind, the least bad option is for Emmy to not see Clark. It stinks, I agree, and I hate saying it, but I'd hate seeing my friends hurt or, worse, killed."

"Did you say anything to Clark?" Emmy asked.

"Once," I replied. "He doesn't know I'm here. And he'd be pissed at me, and rightly so, if he did know I was here. That said, I'd rather he was angry with me than end up in the hospital ... or the morgue."

"Em, we all love you," Violet said. "We don't want you to get hurt, and we don't want Clark to get hurt. Please, please don't do this. And, oh my God, what if you got, you know, pregnant! Your dad would kill BOTH of you!"

I did my best to remain impassive and not make any eye contact with Mindy or Liz because I didn't want to give away Emmy's secret. In my mind, the fact that the three of us knew about it was three too many, and if all evidence and memory of that unfortunate situation could be made to disappear from the earth and our collective memories, it would be a very good thing.

The waitress came and took our orders, and the conversation continued, basically going around in circles, but I could see that Emmy's friends were slowly getting through to her or at least wearing down her resistance to their advice. I listened but didn't say much as they debated. I ate my meal and, when we had all finished, paid the check. That's when Emmy finally relented.

"You're home for the weekend, right?" Liz asked as she walked me to my car.

"Yes. I'm having dinner with Tasha and her family on Sunday, but otherwise, I don't have any plans except for church."

"I'm surprised you didn't bring Clarissa."

"She and Glenda had plans, and this was a last-minute thing. You called me right before bed last night."

"True. Will you hang out with us tomorrow?"

"Sure. I won't have my car during the day. Nate's going to pick it up early tomorrow morning so he can change the oil, give it a tune-up, and check for any mechanical problems."

"You baby that car," Liz said.

"It has to last for another five years, at least," I said. "I'm hoping six, so I can get through my Internship year."

"See you at home?"

"Are you taking Emmy home?"

"Yes. Afraid she'd sneak into your room?"

"She's not exactly in a good mood," I said. "And who knows what she would do. Who's going to be at the house tomorrow?"

"The same girls, and now Emmy."

"OK."

We hugged, I got into my car, and she headed back to where Emmy was waiting. I drove home, backed into the driveway, grabbed my bag, and went into the house. After saying 'Hi' to my parents, I put my bag in my room, then came down to the kitchen to make some tea. Mom came in a few minutes later, and I poured her a cup.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"I am loath to call what amounts to giving tacit support to a racist «мудак» (mudak) and his friends 'successful', but Emmy isn't going to see Clark tomorrow." ("asshole")

"And you don't think I'll wash your mouth out with soap for saying that?"

"Feel free, so long as you can look me in the eye and honestly tell me it's inaccurate."

"You know our opinion of racism," Mom replied.

"And I've heard that message consistently from the time I was little from you and Dad, from Father Herman, from Father Nicholas, and from Vladyka ARKADY. And I think that means your soap will stay safely in the dish. But I have my OWN problem that is, sadly, hauntingly similar."

"You plan to date Clark now that Emmy is out of the way?" Mom teased.

"Yep. I'm going to play for the other team, and you know, once you go black..."

Mom laughed, "Why do I suspect a Blazing Saddles quote coming up?"

"You'll have to ask Emmy if it's 'twue' or not!"

Mom laughed but then became serious, "What's the problem?"

"Kimiko's family. In the past week or so, her parents have started pressuring her about losing her Japanese culture."

"I haven't heard too much about her other than you've gone out. I take it you like her?"

"Yes."

"As in, she's cute, and you are interested in enjoying her charms, or 'Mom, Dad, this is your future daughter-in-law'?"

"Much, much closer to the latter."

"Interesting. She's not Orthodox, is she? I know there are Russian Orthodox in Japan."

"No, she's not. But oddly, that's not a problem, at least not the way you imply."

"I have to ask, Mike, does Tasha know about this girl?"

"Yes. And I spoke with Vladyka about her as well."

"A mother is always the last to know! If you spoke to Vladyka, this MUST be serious. Why haven't I heard anything about her?"

"We can cover my failings as a son later, if you don't mind."

"What did her parents say?"

"Before tonight, I would have said they had some reservations. But after a conversation I had with Kimiko last night and talking with Emmy, Liz, and their friends at dinner, something hit me pretty hard on the way home. They're concerned about cultural purity. And that suddenly feels like Len Nelson and his buddies insisting on racial purity. Well, and also not being Roman Catholic, something to which they vehemently object."

"Kimiko's parents are racists?!"

"I'm hesitant to use that word because their feelings toward Japanese culture seem, in some ways, like Deacon Vasily's feelings towards Russian culture. Grandpa likes his Russian affectations, but he also wanted you to be an American. Well, minus certain extracurricular activities in High School!"

"You are a real «дурня» (durnya), Mikhail Petrovich! But yes, your grandfather and grandmother left Russia to get away from the horrors, and when they arrived here, they decided that they were in America and would raise their kids as Americans. Deacon Vasily's parents went the other direction, and he followed their thinking." ("goofball")

"Obviously, but not to the same extent. Tasha and Sasha are basically American kids, just slightly more Russian-cultured than I am. The situation with Kimiko is that nobody who isn't Japanese can truly be Japanese, and that would include what amounts to mixed-race kids we might have."

"I'm going to guess her father isn't a violent man."

"I don't think so. I've met Kimiko's parents, and I like them, and they like me. Or they did until Kimiko told them she might decide to stay in the US when they go home in three years. Then, the whole 'Japanese culture' thing came up. Father Nicholas pointed out that there are some similar ideas in Russian culture, such as to be truly Russian, you had to be Orthodox, and the two were so closely intertwined it was difficult to separate them.

"Well, in Japan, it's even more so. Everything — tradition, culture, religion, language, race, philosophy, and so on, is tied to being Japanese in a way that is, pardon me, foreign to anything we experience here in the US. There is, literally, no way to become Japanese. Kimiko told me, and I checked at the library, that less than 1% of the people living in Japan are immigrants or children of immigrants. I think there might be more Mexicans who have moved to Ohio than there are people who aren't Japanese in Japan.