前のエピソード――第16話 --Chapter 16-- September 1984

　　　The dancers went out of the front door, collectively throwing their very curious eyes on me who had been just patiently waiting in the receptionist room for a long time for Joseph to finish his talk with them.

　　　"I'm very happy to see you again, Trina!" Joseph sank himself into a chair behind the receptionist desk. "You've finally decided to become my secretary-receptionist, haven't you?"

　　　"You still have your say like that, Joseph!" I responded. "It's amazing. But are you still looking for your secretary, in fact? Well, I've been a little curious why nobody was at this desk. I'm sorry for you, Joseph. How many girls have deserted you since you tried to lure me into being your personal secretary?"

　　　"Hey, you don't know anything, Trina. My target has always been at you, solely. I've never thought about putting somebody else here, behind this desk. ..Well, patience always has rewards. You still are so beautiful..."

　　　Saying so, Joseph smiled as broadly as he could. But, a moment later, he already was very serious. "And now, what can I do for you, Trina?"

　　　"I need to go to Japan, again."

　　　"I know that, Trina. Virtually, all the girls who come see me here, like those dancers, want to go to Japan. So, be more specific. ..You can't obtain your passport? Need a fake birth certificate? Want to go as a singer? A dancer? Or as a hooker this time?"

　　　Joseph was as straightforward as he had been four years before.

　　　At that time, I was very mad, complaining in my mind, 'What portion of my being myself makes this guy ask me if I want to be a hooker?'

　　　Long four years had passed since. Many things were different from then.

　　　I answered Joseph. "I know that you're not fond of a clumsy singer like me, but, I guess, I possess no talent at all for dancing, much less for the other one."

　　　"Hey, better not underestimate yourself, Trina. ..In whatever sense. About anything." Joseph said in a serious tone. "But, now I remember. Yes..." With an abrupt smile, he pointed his finger toward the studio. "You were a terrible singer when I auditioned you for the first time. Didn't I advise you to be wiser considering to earn more money as a hooker, or something similar to that?"

　　　"Yes, you did, Joseph, for a formality. However, as I mentioned moments ago, you looked more inclined to persuade me into becoming your personal secretary, and less enthusiastic to recommend me to become a hooker."

　　　"Really? What a shame it was. I could've earned big money had I made you a hooker then, because you would've attracted a lot of high-class patrons. Seemingly, I wasn't so businesslike then as I am now, was I?"

　　　"Yes, you were, I think, because you eventually found a karaoke singer job in Japan for me who obviously was very clumsy in singing."

　　"Well, well... So you want to work in Japan as a singer, not as a hooker, this time too, don't you?"

　　　"Yes. I believe I can sing songs a little better now."

　　　"Good for you, Trina." Joseph laughed. "That may prevent my reputation from dropping down even if I send you to Japan."

　　　"Hopefully... By the way, Joseph, how do you think is the demand for Filipino karaoke singers in Japan, right now?" I asked him. "Do I have a good chance to get my job soon?"

　　　　　　　　　　-----

　　　"A good chance to get your job soon?" Joseph momentarily tilted his head. "Well, as for the demand for Filipino karaoke singers, first of all, you can say 'it's quite huge'. ..Can you guess why, Trina?"

　　　"I'm very happy to know that the demand is huge, Joseph, but I don't think I can guess why."

　　　"The first and most clear reason for that is that more and more Japanese men have come to like Philippine women as singers, hostesses or whatever. Why Philippine women? That's because, nowadays, Japanese men feel that Japanese women in general no longer possess true femininity in them nor appreciate their selfless devotion to their families, among others. Many of Japanese men believe that Japanese women should've inherited those virtues from their ancestors. And, among those men, some are indeed starving to death for such femininity or devotion. Then, here comes a mass of women from the Philippines.

　　　"Trina, you're a Filipino woman yourself, therefore, may not realize how feminine those Japanese men think Philippine women are. But you never deem Philippine women's devotion to their families or such tradition and culture in the Philippines absurd, do you? To the eyes of some Japanese men, Philippine women look to possess firmly what Japanese women lost a long time ago. That is, for those Japanese men, Philippine women have become extremely valuable as a replacement for Japanese women who have lost such tradition and culture they used to possess.

　　　"Well, Philippine women must simply have been cheap laborers initially to most Of Japanese owners of drinking holes, or omise, such as pubs, bars and clubs. But some of them came to understand why the taste of their patrons, at least a portion of them, was inclining toward Philippine singers, instead of Japanese hostesses. ..And that's the reason, Trina, why I started receiving more requests from the owners of such omise all over Japan to send more Philippine women to them."

　　　　　　　　　　-----

　　　"Having told you that, Trina, I must admit that such opinion isn't my original but Mr. Kato's." Joseph laughed. "He explained to me that way when we talked in a coffee shop in Ueno, Tokyo, a few days ago, about why our business was so busy lately. ..Well, I never found out by myself that Japanese men were attracted by such virtues of Philippine women, because, you know, I myself am a Filipino, and seemingly too accustomed to their values like those.

　　　"Other reasons? First, Philippine karaoke singers more or less speak English, unlike Thai, for instance, donft they? And, among Japanese, there always are some people who want to become able to speak that language by some means or other, or who want to use the language at every possible opportunity. And they eagerly visit those omise where they can find Philippine women. Second, remember cheap laborers? Among the owners of such omise, more and more of them have come to stop hiring women from Korea and Taiwan because their wages have become much higher than they used to be as the economies of their own motherlands have became more prosperous. And now, some believe, those Korean and Taiwanese women, too, are no longer so feminine or devoting, just like Japanese women. As a result, they are not so attractive any more as they used to be to some Japanese men. ..Quite interesting explanation, isn't it, Trina?"

　　　"Indeed." I answered to Joseph, vaguely wondering what on earth had initially brought Akira to that karaoke saloon in Asakusa, Tokyo, where a half of its hostesses were Filipinas.

　　　"And more," continued Joseph, "it should be included among the reasons, albeit slight, that Japanese are afraid they might encounter some sort of dangers if they come to the Philippines. The collective image of this country in Japanese people's minds now is quite bad, Trina, like 'The Philippines are filled with guns, to begin with. There are too many murders. They don't have any order at all like lawless towns in American western movies'.

　　　"Such image seems to have bloated even more ever since Senator Aquino was assassinated last year. ..That's true, Trina. That incident is affecting our business in such a form even one year later. In Japan, more men are coming to think, 'Hey, I don't want to take a chance by visiting the Philippines just to enjoy myself for a short period of time'. ..Well, then, what would they do, instead of coming to this country to have fun? They start frequenting those omise, near their work-places or homes, where Philippine women are awaiting them with very pretty and warm smiles."

　　　　　　　　　　-----

　　　"And, next, as for 'a good chance for you to get a job in Japan soon'." Joseph went on. "You have to know, Trina, that the number of karaoke singers and want-to-be karaoke singers also is rapidly growing. That is, the competition among Philippine women for jobs in Japan still remains severe even though the demand for them in Japan is getting larger. As a matter of fact, since the number of such girls has been growing so rapidly, people have started talking about standardization of audition system for karaoke singers and cultural dancers under Philippine governmentfs supervision. No other reason, Trina, such singers and dancers are very rare and valuable export materials for the government even now, with which it can obtain huge amount of foreign currency. So it can't lower their quality as a whole. It has to enhance their quality, instead, to make their earning in Japan larger, their money remittance from Japan to this country larger. Then, somebody came up with the idea of an audition system controlled by our government. That is, direct quality control by the government, so to speak. And in addition, if you see things from a different perspective, Trina, creating a new system, as all of us know well, means more chances of back-stage income or bribery for the government officials. ..Collecting all those thoughts, I think, Trina, this system may possibly be materialized. And, if so, the system will become a huge obstacle for those who have passed for karaoke singers or cultural dancers without enough ability to remain as such.

　　　"Nonetheless, Trina, that's not yet your serious problem right now, no matter how poorly you sing. You don't have to worry about that. I don't think our situation will change that quickly. But, remember this, Trina, it won't be so easy for you to get your job in Japan soon, anyway."

　　　　　　　　-----

　　　Waving his hand to keep me from asking how difficult it would be for me to have my job soon, perhaps, Joseph said, "So, let's get started, Trina. ..You have your pictures with you, right?"

　　　"Yes." I handed six copies of my pictures taken at a photo studio on Mabini Street a few days before.

　　　"Well prepared, Trina. And you look pretty in this picture. This picture may catch the attention of some omise owners or talent production operators. Hey, they may even become very eager to hire you at any cost." Joseph put the copies down on the desk, smiling.

　　　"I'm not sure about that."

　　　"Don't be so negative, Trina. You better take things optimistically always until they finally turn out to be otherwise: For our lives are already filled with too many worrisome things."

　　　"That's right, Joseph. I'll try to be so." I responded, recalling how my very optimistic marriage to Cesar had ended up.

　　　"How about your passport?"

　　　"That has been expired for a long time."

　　　"Yeah? Well, I don't think we have to hurry to obtain that, yet. But stay ready for the application, always. I'll instruct you what to do when the appropriate time comes. Then, how can I contact you?"

　　　"As I mentioned over the phone yesterday, Joseph, I currently live in Sakura's dormitory."

　　"Oh, that's right. And then, your job experience in Japan... First in Fukuoka." He said, making a note on a piece of paper. "And the next?"

　　　"Asakusa."

　　　"Oh, yeah. I remember now. It was Asakusa. ..You've worked in Japan only twice, haven't you?"

　　　"Yes."

　　　"Well, let's make it five times." Joseph moved his pen. "Because some owners of omise in Japan tend to prefer girls with good experience and skills to handle their patrons. ..That is, Trina, you better put emphasis on your rich experience in the job and your beauty."

　　　"I'll accept anything if that helps find my job sooner." I responded him with a slight sardonic smile.

　　　"Very well resolved, Trina. You should stay that way all along." Then Joseph dropped his eye onto my pictures on the desk, and said. "However, I mean, no matter how beautiful you are, no matter how well experienced you are, Trina, don't forget this: Considering current situation, I must say, it will take more than six months before you find your job, before your turn finally comes up. Get it?"

　　　"No!" I exaggerated my disappointment. "More than six months? I'm in a hurry, Joseph."

　　　"What? Youre in a hurry? What do you mean, Trina? Joking, arent you? Hey, I have many, many girls before you in my long waiting list, as usual. Naturally, you're supposed to be aware of that."

　　　"I'm aware of that, but..."

　　　"Hey, no 'but' here, please, Trina. ..Wait a second. You work at Sakura now, and, if I'm not mistaken, one of the co-owners of Sakura is a Japanese whose name is.."

　　　"Mr. Hanada."

　　　"Yes, that's him. And, I've heard, he also owns a few bars in Japan. ..Why don't you ask him? ..You've already done?"

　　　"No, I haven't yet."

　　　"Why? Give it a try."

　　　"I know it will be no use, Joseph."

　　　"No use?"

　　　"Because all of his bars are located in Nagoya area."

　　　"Location shouldn't matter, should it?"

　　　"Well, I think I must tell you this now: I need to go to Tokyo. It must be Tokyo or its vicinity. And yet, as soon as possible."

　　　"Are you truly serious, Trina? I believe you know very well how my business works. You don't? You girls can't choose where to work, what types or sizes of the omise you'll work for, or whatever, anyway. All you girls can do is to decide if or not you want to go to Japan. That's all. The rest of things are all in your production's discretion."

　　　"I know that, too. But I must go to Tokyo or its surrounding area by all means."

　　　"Uh-huh. Now I know. ..That's because of a man, isn't it, Trina?"

　　　I nodded to Joseph. I was ready to talk anything to him if that might help me go to Japan sooner.

　　　"This may not be my business, Trina," Joseph shook his head, "but I'm so disappointed with you. I believed that you were one of the smartest among the girls I ever handled."

　　　"No, I'm not that smart, and have never been. So, please help me, Joseph."

　　　　　　　　　-----

　　　"How urgent is it, Trina?" Joseph was staring into my eyes. "Your man got another girlfriend? Or you're pregnant? Otherwise, what situation are you in?"

　　　I did not hesitate. "I have to talk with my boyfriend directly, as soon as I can. ..About our daughter."

　　　"You're kidding, aren't you? You already have a daughter? A daughter between you and the man who you say lives in Tokyo?"

　　　"Yes."

　　　"Oh, yeah. Now I remember... That was when you came see me here for the second time. How many years ago was it? Just before Christmas..."

　　　"That was 1981."

　　　"That's right. ..Anyway, at that time, you told me a story similar to what you're telling me right now, didn't you? ..You said you had to work in Japan by any means for your daughter. And the daughter's name sounded like my niece's. ..Theresa?"

　　　"You have a good memory, Joseph."

　　　"Hey, my memory isn't an issue here, Trina. You told me then that your husband had betrayed you, and the daughter, Theresa, was virtually abandoned by him, or something like that, didn't you?"

　　　"I told you such a story."

　　　 I was much more resolute than I had told myself to be. I did not feel embarrassed whatever I told him. My conviction that I had to go to Tokyo as soon as I could, by any means, was overwhelming my feeling.

　　　"That means, Trina," said Joseph, "you're telling me that you met the man -your current boyfriend- two years ago, 1982, when you were working in Asakusa, Tokyo, for your first daughter, Theresa, who was then virtually deserted by her father -your husband? ..Met the man who is, now, about to abandon your second daughter? Is it right?"

　　　"Roughly, yes."

　　　"No joke, here, Trina."

　　　"That's not a joke, of course."

　　　"I think, Trina, that sounds to me very similar to one of those typical, silly stories pertaining to some foolish women who work here in Ermitat. Doesn't it?"

　　　"Maybe. But let me correct something, Joseph. It's not accurate that the man was about to abandon my second daughter. My problem is merely that I've been facing some difficulty to get into touch with him, in communicating with him. That's all."

　　　 "Are you sure?"

　　　 "That's why..." I said to him. "I must go to Tokyo. ..To make sure everything."

　　　　　　　　　　-----

　　　For a while, Joseph was turning over the pages of his file binder -more than ten centimeters thick- in which a schedule table, visa application papers, personal histories, pictures and even somebody's passport were inserted. He looked up to me and said. "As far as I saw in my file, apparently, I have nothing that I can do for you right now."

　　　"Nevertheless, as soon as you can..."

　　　"Well, I'm not particularly fond of favoritism, Trina, but you're the woman who is going to be my secretary someday, anyhow." Joseph smiled, playfully. "So, I think I may have to give you some preferential treatment."

　　　"Please, by fair means or foul."

　　　"All right. But do not expect too much."

　　　"I do!"

　　　"Okay, okay, Trina. Just show up here every two weeks, for Mr. Kato is supposed to send me his recruit instruction twice a month. There may be some new development."

　　　It apparently was the time for me to stand up to my feet. I smiled as broadly as I could, and said to him, "Thank you very, very much, Joseph."

　　　"It's a little too early to thank me that way, Trina. Nothing is guaranteed yet for you."

　　　"Well, thanks to you, my situation somewhat advanced forward."

　　　"If you think so... By the way, for me, please, say 'Hello!' to your ..second baby. What is her name?"

　　　"Her name is Yuki."

　　　"Yuki? ..A Japanese name, isn't it? I think it has some meaning..."

　　　"Snow."

　　　"Ah, that's it. Yuki means snow, I remember." Joseph paused for a few seconds, and said. "But, knowing it's none of my business, I dare say, Trina, I'm not sure if she will appreciate her name, Yuki, someday, although you sincerely gave her that name, hoping she will come to understand what circumstance she was born under."

　　　I did not respond to him. Instead, I told myself, 'You must give Yuki a kind of life through which she could be very proud of her own name'.

　　　Joseph added. "But I like that name, Trina. That's quite fresh, and beautiful a name."