Nineteen years after leaving his home country (7)

　
(7) Realities of Okinawa beyond imagination --- departure for new life's journey

The realities of Okinawa we saw were out of our imagination. Seeing the territory of our homeland that was still under the rule of USA, the former enemy of our homeland, I had a sad feeling.

I was received by Mr. Teruya's real younger brother and the families of his elder sisters and heard circumstances of Okinawa in detail, though the time spent was only three hours or so. I could especially imagine Mr. Teruya's mind to some extent when he heard of his parents' death. He seemed threatened by uneasiness when thinking of Okinawa at that time and of his future.

The ship departed at around four o'clock. Mr. Teruya's family waved hands until the ship went out of their sight. I never thought that it was the last parting for Mr. Teruya and his family.

Mr. Teruya after the departure from Okinawa was quite a different man. He spoke little and took no meal. As he was absorbed in deep thought, I asked him "what did you do?" He seemed to suffer alone with a dream that his brothers and sisters had been wiped out.

The ship was sailing calmly through a thin night fog by Goto Islands. Looking forward to landing expected in tomorrow morning, I went to bed. It was about one o'clock in the night. I woke up to do my needs. Mr. Teruya lied awake in his bed and spoke to me when I came back. He asked me if "he may land with a map of Vietnam." Although I thought the question strange, I replied "It's nothing to worry about and you can land with it as your memento." I fell in a deep sleep with no actions.

At around four o'clock on the next day, we were waked up by Mr. Takeda, who came from a cabin in the front, and became aware of Mr. Teruya's absence for the first time. Without any definite idea, I went to the cabin in the front after having a wash. I asked where Mr. Teruya was, but nobody knew. I looked in at the lavatory but he was not. I was caught by gloomy presentiment and searched the afterdeck but could not find him even there.

With an ominous presentiment, I went astern and discovered Mr. Teruya on the upper deck where he had killed himself. I took him in my arms, called everyone with a loud voice, and tried artificial respiration in vain. In this way, Mr. Teruya closed his unfortunate life by his own hands in distress just short of home.

This kind of misfortune could arise from many things, but if the ship were not old and if it did not make a call at Okinawa, the tragedy might be avoided.

Saying good-bye to the struggles for nineteen years and being embraced by warm people and mountains of my home country, I am now going to start a new life.

(The end --- written in 1959)