From a Town on the Hudson Read Online Free PDF

worked, as he said no more.
    It was seven years later when I found out the truth. August 15, 1993, three years after our family had returned to Japan, we welcomed a close family friend, Elizabeth from Fort Lee, as a guest in our home. Elizabeth, who taught with Mrs. Benedict in School #3, told us about the last day of school that year, and I had an urge to find out about the last day of school in 1986. My son, who was sixteen years old then, confessed at last.
    That day in June of 1986, in Mrs. Benedict's classroom, pupils were giving their last-day presents to their teacher. She responded by hugging and kissing them, but one Japanese boy hid his face in his hands when she was going to kiss him, and another boy ran around trying to escape. My son was calm, however, because he was sure that the memo in his pocket would work just as the "Thank you for not smoking" sign did. He presented his gift and with it gave the teacher the piece of paper folded twice. At first she seemed surprised at it, but then read it, beaming at the shy boy. Seeing the teacher's beautiful smile, he felt enormously relieved that she would let him go without a kiss. The teacher was even more pleased by the "Thank you for not kissing" note. She burst into laughter in front of my confused son, then swiftly hugged and kissed him. During the seven years since then, however, the crisis seemed to have changed into a happy memory as well as a reminder of Mrs. Benedict's kindness.

HANNAH PAIGE, my aged neighbor, suddenly went away on a beautiful summer morning in 1988. From my kitchen, twice I heard her shrill voice, "No, I wont go!" Tom, her dog, barked loudly. Then from the window I saw some strange cars—even a police car—and people around her house. In a minute all of them had gone. What had happened? What was the matter with her? Did she do anything wrong? Was it because her husband, William, who had been hospitalized since last fall, hadn't come back home yet or would not come back any longer? I should have asked someone, but I couldn't because I was afraid to find out the truth. Since the last Christmas, I hadn't had a chance to talk to her. We only exchanged greetings. When I rolled up the window shade that morning I saw her taking a walk with Tom as usual. She waved to me as she recognized me from the street. Who would have imagined that she would be taken away suddenly in such a way at that time? Isn't this unusual in the United States? I stood by the window vacantly staring outside. The sky was so clear and seemed to be gazing down into my confusion. A gust of wind shook the trees and it was if the fresh green leaves laughed at me, all at once reflecting the sunshine.
    Our family started American life next door to the Paiges in the spring of 1985. Because the Paiges' mail used to be delivered to us by mistake, I would take it over to them. William and Hannah looked like they were in their late eighties. William was friendly from the beginning, but his wife wasn't as open to her new Japanese neighbors. They seemed to have no children and loved Tom as if he were their real child instead. When William was feeling good, he used to work around their house. Wearing overalls, he did things like mow the lawn, make a trellis for cucumbers, and paint the balcony rail, always with Hannah and Tom. They had a small garden in front of the garage. They seeded it in the spring, took care of the growing vegetables in the summer, and harvested them in the fall. They didn't forget to collect the fallen leaves and to make mulch for new soil. They seemed never to dream of entertaining in those days. Hannah never dressed up and always wore inexpensive clothes. She had her own style, however. She sometimes put flowers on her hat and made Tom wear the same color as her dress when they took a walk together. They might have been poor, but they seemed independent. They looked even stately, like soldiers with severe looks rather than the typical sweet elderly people who