A Piece of Cake
In 1960 I was a young Marine serving on Okinawa. While it is a semi tropical place; it still has a change of seasons. It has a fall season, and the temperatures drop down into the 40's; and even colder at times. Growing up at home, I had always looked forward to Fall. It was a time to hunt upland game, and wild ducks. Okinawa has wild boar and ducks. I would often go hunting on those cool fall days. I never managed a boar, but I did shoot ducks. The Native Islanders were always glad to get them, and I had no way to cook them properly. The goal of these expeditions was as much for the peace of mind that one gets from communing with nature; as it was of supplying a little extra food for my island friends.
Growing up at home, I could always find a little food for these hunting trips. A couple of heels of Moms' bread, an apple, or whatever, and I was good for the day. In the Marines there was a mess hall. Leaving early, before dawn, I could not get any food; so I would often go without eating for the day.
I started out one morning early. I was intent on hunting some new ground that I had never hunted before; because of the distance from the base. About halfway to the area the road turned into a path. The path passed through reeds that grew higher than my head. It went down a little slope and across a small stream. I had been there before and the place always gave me the willies a little. A hunter is always "reading sign," and this place had none. Never any foot prints to tell of any visitors, animal or human. As you know Okinawa was the scene of great human tragedy, many lives were lost. When I first arrived, I spent some time exploring some of the many caves in the area. To my dismay, most of them contained human remains. I gave up that past time, the Island was haunted by its' past.
I passed through the reedy area and on I went. The day passed in a sort of dream, and I lost track of time and distance. I did not seem to recover from this dreamlike state until the sun was sinking and the day was long in the tooth.
I realized I was far from the base and all I had "taken in" that day, was water from my canteen. I was very hungry! I started back at a brisk walk, but night overtook me. I was thankful for about half a moon, that gave me enough light to see my way. Soon I reached the place where the reeds and the little stream were. I crossed the stream. As I made my way on the path through the reeds, I was startled to see someone approaching me from the other direction. "Who would be coming through here in the night, where so seldom one comes in the day?" As they drew nearer I saw it was an old woman.
She must be terrified to see a strange man with a gun here! I stepped to the side of the path to make room for her to pass. I pointed my gun toward the ground, so she might see that I meant no harm. When she reached my side, she stopped, and turned to face me. She held out a package, about the size of a small brick, and said, "This is for you." I was shocked! "Oh no thank you Mamasan, I don't need anything," I told her. I was a rich man on Okinawa, where the average monthly income was $28.00 a month. It grieved me to take from the little the native had.
She began to talk, and she told me how during the war the Marines were good to her and her family. They had gotten them out of a cave and given them food and medical care. She said she felt she had never thanked them properly, and her gift was a thank you for the care she and her family had received.
I felt that under those circumstances, it would be impolite to not accept her gift. I thanked her politely and we went on our way. Eventually I reached the perimeter of the base, where there was a blacktop road. Street lights cast their light on the night. I dropped down on the ground under one and looked at my package. It was wrapped in an Okinawan newspaper and felt fairly heavy. I opened it, my starving stomach started to talk; it was the best cake I ever did eat. (true story)
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