Hannah lived in Block 28, barrack 4, behind our barrack, close enough to call out to each other through our back windows. Our parents reprimanded us severely when we tried it, so we tried putting a string between our barracks and talking into tin cans, but that was not satisfactory, either. We therefore talked together when walking to and from school and outside our respective barracks.
The Eijima family, like ours, came from Berkeley. Hannah was the youngest of three children. Her smiling, round face and quick wit made her the leader of us fourth grade girls in block 28. Her parents were pleasant people, older than my parents, and they spoke hardly any English.
The Mizuhara family lived on the opposite side of the block. Mitsuko (“Mitzi,” we called her) was the second youngest of five children. I did not often go into their place: the incense from their Buddhist practices filled the room, and I preferred staying outside. Mitzi, Hannah and I were the same age.
The Tomita family lived in barrack 4. Mariko was a year younger than I, as was Ruth Koide, who lived in barrack 11.
Ruth, Mariko, Mitzi, Hannah, and I found common interests, especially in the summertime. We often included Kay (my younger sister) in our group for she had no girls her age in the block. The older girls of the block had a club, a group they called “The Toughies.” The boys too had a gang, and seemed to have good times together. They seemed quite grown-up and sophisticated, and we girls wanted to be a “gang” too.