On 20 April 1942, Chidori and I spent her last day before the evacuation together. We ate lunch at the Springwater Lodge and then spent the afternoon exploring the entire island, all of our favourite childhood haunts – tidal pools of starfish, beaches of sea glass and meadows of wild flowers. The last thing we did was hike the highest peak in the middle of the island to take in the view of the surrounding islands. I carved our initials in the flesh of an arbutus tree. She etched a heart around our initials and then picked up two small pebbles.
‘Here.’ She handed me one of the pebbles. ‘You take one and I’ll take one so I’ll always have a little piece of Mayne Island with me wherever I end up.’
I tucked the pebble into my pocket and gave her a kiss, but unfortunately because of the government-imposed curfew we had to leave so she would be home before dusk. We walked as slowly as possible to delay the inevitable, then as the sun set, I stood on her porch and rested my forehead on hers. She wrapped her hands around mine and we just breathed.
‘Today has been a perfect day,’ I finally said.
She nodded to agree but also sighed.
‘I already miss you.’
She tilted her head back and held my face. ‘Promise you will be here when I come back home.’
‘I promise.’ I had to gulp back the emotion that crept up my throat.
‘And promise you won’t get tired of waiting and marry someone else.’
I laughed. ‘I’m not going to marry anyone other than you, even if I have to wait until I’m one hundred years old.’
Pleased with that answer she grinned. ‘Well, I hope the war ends quickly so I don’t have to marry an old man.’ As quickly as it had glimmered, the brightness in her eyes faded again. ‘In all seriousness, please wait for me.’
‘You don’t even need to ask me to do that.’
She leaned in and kissed my cheek. ‘Will you be at the dock to see us off tomorrow morning?’
‘Of course.’
She nodded and let my hands drop as she turned away, but I tugged her arm and spun her around to kiss her one more time.
‘I love you as much as God does,’ she whispered before rushing into the house. She blew me a kiss and then closed the door.
My heart sunk into my belly with a thud and the contents of my stomach churned as I walked home in the dark.
There were chores to be done, so I finished my work by the light of a lantern. I had missed dinner but wasn’t much in the mood to eat anyway. Dreading the following morning, I built up the fire in the living room instead of going upstairs to turn in for the night. A letter addressed to me from Rosalyn was set at my place at the table, so I sat down and opened it.
Dear Haydie,
I worry how you are coping during these last days before saying goodbye to Chidori. As your big sister, I have watched your love for each other grow from the innocent joy shared between childhood friends into the adorable flirtations of puppy love and finally into the unbreakable bond of true love. To find a soul you can share all of yourself with is such a beautiful thing. It is heart-wrenching to have that person taken from you and I am truly sorry you have to feel the pain that comes from being uncertain whether you will ever see her again.
I’m saddened to report that all of the Japanese-Canadian nurses I work with were relieved of their positions at the hospital. As a result, we are very short-staffed and I have been assigned to do a special rotation at the Hastings Park facility where they are holding the Japanese Canadians before they are relocated to the internment camps. There has been an outbreak of lice at Hastings Park due to the uncomfortably close living conditions. Extra nurses are needed to make sure it is brought under control. I hope Chidori and her family will not be there long. I will write you after my shift to let you know the conditions inside the facility. Then you can inform Chidori’s family so they will know what to expect and what to pack to come prepared.
If I could give you one word of advice, it would be to not let one moment of your time with Chidori be wasted. Put aside disagreements, feel the touch of her hand in yours frequently, and speak the words from your heart freely. We only have the present moment, so treasure it before it becomes the past.
I love you,
Rose
I dropped the letter on the table and shot up. My parents were asleep, so I snuck out and carefully clicked the front door shut behind me, then ran all the way to Chidori’s house. I jumped to grab the roof of the porch and pulled myself up the same way I had pulled myself out of the Issei Sun’s cold storage hundreds of times. Chidori’s bedroom window was open a crack, so I lifted the sash and stepped into the darkness. The sheets rustled as if she had been startled.
‘It’s me,’ I whispered.
‘Hi,’ she whispered back, and her smile was audible. She shifted over on the bed to make room for me.
I kicked off my boots and climbed under the cover with her. ‘I know it’s improper to be here, but I received a letter from Rosalyn that made me realize we shouldn’t waste even one minute of our time together. Is that fine with you?’
‘Yes.’
I searched for her hand and when I found it, I pulled it up to hold it against my heart. Her fingers intertwined with mine and she squeezed them tightly. I inhaled to smell her hair and pressed my cheek against hers to commit to memory the smoothness of her skin. My lips searched for hers and she kissed me back with an intensity that I had never felt before. Being that close to her was the best feeling in the world. But I knew it was going to be followed with the worst the following day.