Chapter 3: September 9th, 1978

That night Gary slept in his bed. The bed that had been ordered and moved in was not exactly the most comfortable, but it was all that could be afforded with his mother’s current budget. He felt himself slip in and out of a dream. Perhaps it was a nightmare? Only the voices he heard while he slept provided any sort of explanation.

“Ha ha...” he heard a voice in his sleep. Gary could not tell where the sound was coming from as he felt like he was in a dark room. “You just move to this place ... you are a fucking joke!”

Gary tried to look towards the voice, but it was coming from everywhere. It sounded like a voice that he knew all too well. It was the voice of Jacob.

“Leave me alone...” Gary called out to him.

“Leave me alone,” Jacob’s voice echoed, mocking his voice. Gary knew that he was hearing him but could not see him. “So predictable. You come to my school and think you can take over it. Maybe I can use you to do my school work...”

Gary thought about his words as he spoke. “No, I am not doing your work. You do it if you care about it or not.”

“Shut that fucking trap of yours,” Jacob responded to him in the darkness. “Or I will beat it out of you.”

Gary himself just stood there. The voices of Jacob would be all over the place. He decided just not to say anything as he listened to it.

“Being silent, huh?” Jacob asked. “There is one way that I can hurt you. Fuck it if you just moved to this place. I know how to hurt people. Maybe ... maybe...”

Gary saw part of the darkness lit up as he saw Fumi lay on the ground. Blood trickled around her. It appeared that she was dead.

“Want to ignore me now?” Jacob told him. “How about you come to the place that I tell you? Failure to do so and it will mean me putting my fist to her face over and over again ... you know that I will do it. Just like the other student from where you came from... , right?”

Gary felt his heartbeat increase. He refused to answer back to him.

“You know that I will hurt her because you bring your filth to here. My dad fought in that war. He saw his friend get shot ... all thanks to the Chinese. Then everyone just says they forgot about that war. Remember my complete name. Remember Jacob. Remember my last name ... Carter. Come to there ... come to my place to rest...”

Gary’s eyes opened up. The darkness of the nearly full moon illuminated the room a little bit. He realized he just had a dream. He breathed a sigh of relief. A part of his brain, however, told him that he should be ready. He would have seen Jacob tomorrow. He probably figured that his dream was a little bit extreme of what his brain was telling him and that he was worried too much about nothing.

Gary was walking down at recess the next day. His thoughts were in the scenario that Jacob put him in. He was worried about Fumi and to confront him. The school building was always to his right as he walked. It was just after lunchtime, and students were outside playing and enjoying the sun. Like it was yesterday, Gary tried to find Fumi, but she was nowhere to be seen. There were cliques of students that were all in different spots all over the playground. Girls all talking to each other and boys that hung out and played by the various gym equipment outside, recess was a place for students to relax and play.

The grass was green and natural to walk on underneath Gary’s feet. He wondered about a little bit as he thought about the bigger kid from class. There was an exposed lip to the playgrounds that he noted. It went around the other side where the fence still covered the school but could not be seen by the teacher’s eyes very easily. This was a place that Gary was getting a hint where Jacob might be located. He didn’t want to be in this section yesterday. He noticed that some students would be talking to others, but they seemed to be rather mean looking. It was not an area that he felt comfortable. He surmised that this had to be eighth grader territory, and it had to be where Jacob and his friends would typically roost.

He reached the corner and made the turn. The hidden lip would mean that the teacher could no longer see him. He felt nervous and scared. He was not in a safe place, and if he were in danger, then no one would see it. The brick walls were close to his side.

Interestingly, there was no one there as he saw yesterday before, but it was only from a distance. Up close today, there was no one there. The distant sounds of kids playing were the only sounds he could hear. With no one around him that he could see, he wasn’t going to be there any longer than he wanted to be.

Suddenly he felt a sharp blow hit him on the back of the head. It was quick and hard-hitting. He felt his body almost go limp. It caused him to fall forward to the grass below him.

Gary landed in the grass with a thud. He remembered putting his hand to the back of his head and looking at seeing a little bit of blood. He remembered hearing the laughter of kids behind and above him as he lay bleeding on the grass.

“Perhaps that should be a lesson moving to this school, Chinaman,” he heard a familiar voice.

Gary barely recognized that it was Jacob. His pain was throbbing hard. His hands were cradled to his head as he felt nothing but pain. The agony made him want to cry as he tried to move his body. He turned his head just enough to hear laughter from another student. He recognized that it was Jacob and another jock that was with him. Jacob’s hand was balled up like a fist.

“Wh ... why ... why?” Gary struggled to say.

“Everything was doing well until more and more of you commie bastards start moving into our great nation. You Chinese need to go home and leave us the fuck alone!” Jacob yelled at him.

Gary knew that he had fallen into Jacob’s trap. He went to the area where he was most vulnerable to getting attacked at the school. Jacob was simply trying to play friends, so that way, he could hurt him.

“Please...” Gary tried to get up. He wasn’t able to finish his sentence.

Jacob walked up and delivered a kick while Gary was down. The kick struck into his ribs as he flew a couple of feet and rolled to his back. The pain was all over his body. He gripped the grass beneath him to try to anchor himself.

“Yeah, kick his ass, Jacob!” yelled his companion.

Both of the students that we’re ganging up on the seventh-grader were bigger and stronger than he ever was. He was in a two to one fight, and he was already taking a beating. He was in big trouble, and he only had one course of action.

“Help!” Gary yelled. “Somebody help...”

The teen took another blow to his arm as he felt Jacob’s foot slam into him. The pain was continuing all over him. A little bit of sand was kicked up into the air from the ground as Gary tried again to call for help. His hearing range was drowned out by building and the other kids in the distance that were playing.

“No one to help you out, Chinaman,” Jacob told him. “I couldn’t believe that you fell for me trying to offer you money to do my homework or me threatening your girlfriend. I need to do that more often. I might be able to get more people this way.”

“You tell him, Jacob,” the other student told him. “Let’s bruise him up.”

Gary tried to get up but felt the large boot press down on his stomach. Jacob then bent down and grabbed Gary’s hand. He suddenly grabbed a finger as if he was ready to break his finger in front of him.

“Leave him alone!” a voice called out.

The voice they heard took everyone by surprise. It did not come from the three teen boys. It was the sound of a girl. It was a voice that Gary already knew.

Jacob stopped and stood up as he looked at who came up behind them. Gary could recognize that it was Fumi that came up to them.

“Fumi run!” Gary yelled out to him.

“Shut up, Chinaman,” Jacob responded as he kept his gaze at the girl. Fumi was keeping her ground. She did not move and simply stood there defiant. She had a look of determination as she held her ground against the two towering boys.

Jacob and his friend simply walked up to the little girl as Gary struggled to get up. He felt pain throughout his body. He felt the need to protect her from the two bullies.

“Little Jap, get the fuck out of here, or we will do as we did to him to you,” Jacob almost yelled at her. “Don’t think we will hesitate to hit a girl!”

“Leave Gary alone,” Fumi told him. “I won’t let you hurt him.”

“Oh, and what are you going to do about it?”

Fumi tried to step around him, but Jacob’s friend stood in the way, trying to block her from getting to him.

“I am warning you, Jap! Get out of the way, or we will put you down!”

Gary managed to get on his knees as he pulled himself up. The sooner he could reach them, the better. Fumi was determined to stop the two.

“I am going to Gary, and he is going to get help,” Fumi said.

“Last warning, “ Jacob told her and then looked at his friend. “John, grab her by the throat!”

“No...” Gary told him.

Gary watched as John, Jacob’s friend, took his hand and grabbed Fumi by the throat. His large hand engulfed her throat with ease. His adrenaline surged as he watched the scene unfurl. He practically tried to charge forward even with the pain in his ribs. There was something though that was odd with the scene though...

“John, squeeze her throat!” Jacob commanded.

“I am! Nothing is happening!” John responded.

Gary paused as he watched the event. John had a firm grip on Fumi’s throat, but no matter how hard he squeezed, nothing happened. He did not harm her.

Suddenly Fumi, with one hand, went and grabbed John’s hand and yanked it away from her throat. She then twisted john’s hand and used her other hand to grab onto the wrist of John. With one quick jolt, she rotated her hand and pressed down hard on John’s elbow. John was in no position to struggle as Gary could hear a sickening sound of bones breaking.

“Ah!” John screamed as Jacob was taken by surprise. Fumi broke and dislocated John’s hand. He was in no position to try to fight back. Fumi let go of him as she then looked up at Jacob. She kept the same determined composure as before.

Jacob’s surprise went to anger. He balled up his fist, pulled it back, and with all his strength, slammed it directly into Fumi’s face.

Gary watched in horror as the fist struck hard and did absolutely nothing to Fumi. The fist hit her and came to a dead stop as it impacted her. The punch almost sounded like it impacted a brick wall altogether.

Jacob’s fingers buckled and snapped under the impact. There was a horrific scream that came from the teen as he fell to the ground screaming in pain. Fumi was entirely untouched like nothing happened to her.

Fumi decided to ignore the two teens and instead go straight to Gary. Gary’s jaw dropped at watching everything that happened.

“You ... were just ... like a ninja with how you ... fought,” Gary tried to say.

He felt the warmth of Fumi’s hand as she wrapped her hand around his.

“What the hell is going on?” said a running teacher that came around the building. The male teacher saw the scene in front of him. He saw the two teens on the ground with Gary barely standing beside Fumi, who came to his side.

“Those two boys attacked Gary, and he tried to defend himself,” Fumi explained. “I saw everything, Mr. Jackson. Jacob tried to hurt me, as well.”

“Jacob Carter...” Mr. Jackson shook his head, looking at the two boys on the ground. “I had a feeling it was you trying to do this,” the teacher then turned to look at the other on the ground. “And his friend John Baxter. Why am I not surprised at this?”

“That bitch hurt Baxter!” Jacob yelled back.

“Enough! I know enough that you go and try to hurt other students. Perhaps I should tell your coach and make sure that you get expelled from the football team? It looks like Gary here was just trying to defend himself. Isn’t that right?”

Gary, for a very brief moment, felt Fumi’s hand tighten around his as if she was gesturing him to play along with what she said. “Yes ... yes, Mr. Jackson. They attacked me and then tried to hurt her. I fought back.”

Mr. Jackson came up and looked at Gary. He went and put his hand and could see the welt in the back of his head. A little bit of blood was still dripping from it. The teacher was categorizing the scene. He could see Gary was cradling his ribs.

“Gary, we are getting you to the clinic. Jacob and John here will be treated as well, but I think principal Blackwall will see you two boys in his office after this. You will be explaining all that after you are treated and see the principal along with the new paddle that he got.”

“Dah...” Jacob stood up. John himself was cradling his wrist as he got up. Led by an escort, all the students were led around the corner of the building. They were then led to the back entrance of the school. A few students could see the group of students as they neared the door.

Busted and in pain, Gary’s eyes went to Fumi as he turned and walked with her. She held onto his arm with the most gentle and calmness she ever had. He was left with bewilderment at what he saw earlier. Fumi simply smiled at him and seemed more concerned about him than herself. It would be something that would echo in his mind for some time.

“My poor baby,” Mrs. Lee said as she was at the school. Her mother had been called in to notify her of the incident that transpired.

They stood in the school clinic. Fumi, along with the principal and the school nurse, were all present. They were being told of what had happened. The school clinic was a small room dedicated to taking care of the sick or injured students. Jacob and John were kept in a separate place under supervision and were also being treated as well. Gary and Fumi sat on the bed for the sick students as Gary’s mother stood to talk with the principal. The school nurse, a friendly young woman, was checking over the teen’s wounds.

“On behalf of the school, I apologize for the way your child has been treated today, Mrs. Lee. I will assure you that the two students will be dealt with.”

“How is he?” She asked the nurse.

The nurse had her hand, checking the worst spots. She already had finished examining the back of the head and was now testing the ribs by lifting Gary’s shirt. There was a nasty bruise that she saw.

“From what I can tell,” the nurse explained. “He took a blow to the back of the head, but it will heal up quickly. The ribs do have some bruising. I don’t see anything broken on him, but it will take a few days for it to heal. I would recommend that he return Tuesday to allow enough time for it to heal. I wouldn’t recommend that he doesn’t do anything wild or crazy until it heals then.”

Mrs. Lee nodded her head. She was looking at Gary with concern, but it seemed that the injuries were not that bad, at least.

“I will promise you that Jacob and John will be dealt with,” the principal continued. “From the report, they tried to attack Fumi, but Gary tried to protect her. He managed to do just that. Jacob was making racial obscenities towards both of them. Your son is lucky not to be in the worst shape. If you wish, you may go and press charges on the two, and we can proceed further, but I assure you that they will be dealt with. They already have a record, and they will face harsher punishment as a result.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think that will be necessary. What about Fumi?”

“Fumi is alright,” the nurse told her. “She is unharmed.”

“I have already contacted Mrs. Yuki and let her know of the situation that happened,” the principal continued. “She is going to be coming to pick her up. I am releasing Gary and Fumi today after the recent events. It will allow everyone to heal after the events today.”

“Thank you, Principal Farrow. Go ahead and contact Mrs. Yuki. I will go ahead and bring both my son and her back home.”

“I will do that. Take care, and I wish you a good weekend for all of you,” the principal concluded. He opened up the door and left the clinic as he went to deal with the troublemakers that started the problem.

“Fumi, would your mother have any issue me taking you back home since we are next door anyway?” Gary’s mother asked her.

“No, if anything, my mom would be grateful for your courtesy,” Fumi replied. “Thank you, Mrs. Lee.”

“I don’t mind helping you. Anything to help out our neighbors.”

Gary put his hand to his side. There was a nice bandage wrap that was there that protected the bruise from where he was struck. He tried to shake away the fight as Fumi put her hand to his arm. He still remembered the fight well and the mysteries of this girl. Why did she not get hurt during that fight?

The return home was a calm and peaceful one. Gary and Fumi sat in the back seat as the mother was driving them back home. It was an excellent fifteen-minute trip back home as the mother concentrated on taking both of the kids back home. The car ride was comfortable and easy for everyone.

“I wish that we had a chance to meet under better circumstances, Fumi,” Mrs. Lee told her with her eyes momentarily looking at the rearview mirror towards her.

“It’s alright, Mrs. Lee,” Fumi replied. “Your son protected me from those two. If it weren’t for him, they would have hurt me.”

“They didn’t care, mom,” Gary told her. “They attacked me, saying that I was a commie.”

Gary’s mom simply shook her head. “Such cruelty that can befall us. At least you are safe with us.”

“Indeed,” she replied as she continued her talk with Fumi. “So tell me, how long have you lived in this neighborhood?”

“Over ten years, Mrs. Lee,” she replied. “I am used to this, and I love this place.”

“So, you were born here and not Japan?”

“Yes, I was born here, but my mom was born in Japan.”

“Do you like it here in California?”

“Yes, I do. Gary tried to tell me that you married in Chinatown?”

“That is partially correct,” Gary’s mother replied. “There are a couple of Chinatowns in California. San Francisco and Los Angeles are good examples. I met and married Mr. Lee in San Francisco. That is how I had Gary here.”

Fumi turned her head and looked at Gary. There was a smile on her face that made Gary smile back. Gary had made his decision then and there.

“Mom, can I go and see Fumi at her house today?”

“You certainly can if you feel well enough.”

Fumi looked at Gary’s body and then back to his eyes. “Are you ok?”

Gary nodded in response. “I feel pain, but nothing that should stop me.”

“You pretty much asked me yesterday about this,” his mother replied. “You managed to finish up unpacking up everything in your room, right?”

“Yes ... for the most part.”

“Hmm ... alright. Say hello to ... who is your mother’s name again?” she asked Fumi.

“Eshima Yuki.”

“Eshima. Say hello to her for me, will you?”

“I will.”

There were a couple of turns here and there along the way. The car crossed an intersection, as they were getting close to home.

“So Fumi, does your mom like to go shopping?” His mother asked her.

Fumi paused very briefly before answering. “Yes, she does.”

“Well, tell her this weekend I wouldn’t mind going shopping with her. I have so much to learn about this place.”

“My mom would be more than willing to help you get acquainted with this place, Mrs. Lee.”

“I wouldn’t mind getting a chance to learn about some traditions that the Japanese do,” she replied with a smile. I am used to Chinese traditions and customs ... of course, I guess it doesn’t matter now...”

“Your husband...” Fumi looked down. “I am so sorry what happened to you and Gary.”

She kept her attention forward as she spoke to her. “I miss him ... dearly.”

“I know what it is like to lose family,” she told her. “I never even met my father.”

“Well, us women learn to stick together, Fumi. If you ever need my help, just let me know.”

“I will, and thank you.”

“You are very welcome,” she replied with a smile.

It was a couple of hours later, and it was after an early dinner. Gary was ready to meet and get to associate with Fumi some more finally. He was more than anticipating the event. Even with the recent move, he was thinking about her more and more. In less than a day, he had made a friend and a seemingly invincible one. He had to learn more about her if it were the last thing he would do.