“…a marriage between them was improbable before evacuation as there was resistance from both sets of parents.”
When bus no. 2 left Irvington, CA on May 9, 1942, my parents, Toby and Shizu, were not an “item.” They were parts of the Hirabayashi and the Mitsuyoshi families. My dad once related to me that a marriage between them was improbable before evacuation as there was resistance from both sets of parents. The Hirabayashi family was Buddhist and the Mitsuyoshi family was Christian. Furthermore, there was an education disparity as my dad was a high school graduate constrained by family responsibilities as the eldest son on a farm while mom was a college graduate, teaching at a private school in nearby Los Gatos.
Nevertheless, about a month prior to evacuation, my dad purchased a wedding ring and put it in his pocket with the hope that the tumultuous times might shape a “yes” to his proposal of marriage.
