前のエピソード――Part IV Return to Japan and Damage Suit

　1. Letters from Brazil : letter 1 (continued)

　Quotation of Letter 1 (continued and completed)

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【Arrival of the cargo and Custom's clearance】

　I have been told the customs fee would be slight, but they demanded $350 at first, then $500 and $600. It became higher with time.

　"I don't understand. You have said $350 when I saw you last time."

　"Really? If I said so, $350 will do."

　The customs fee changed easily.

　But when I submitted the sealed document, which the Brazilian Embassy in Tokyo had given me to show to the Brazilian customs office, the duty was exempted, which was quite a surprise.

　Kazuo's personal belongings have also arrived by sea in nineteen crates. The crates were opened for the customs clearance by the hands of Nihon Express and eventually delivered home in truck. When the truck had arrived at my house, I was worried if thieves were secretly watching. Video set, cassette decks, PC games etc. I was surprised by its quantity. Most of them were used goods. He could never have imagined that they would be sold to pay for living expenses during the period before worker’s compensation was paid. Brazil suffered from violent inflation most of the time. Interest rate for the month was 50%, and 1 $ equaled 350 Cruzeiro Real. No matter how much money you may have, it is not enough.

(Security of our house)

　Since I have moved to a new house, we had three sneak thieves. The new hose which we had bought with the money we had sent from Japan was being repaired and the security was imperfect. Thieves had taken expensive things only such as cement, water pipes and faucets, a door, and windows.

　Ordinarily the room was equipped with a small window at a higher position. An iron grill is fitted from the inside and always covered by curtains to prevent from burglars from looking in or entering. Doors are guarded by multiple locks. We keep four watch dogs at Suzuki family. They eat a lot. Every week, I buy four to five kg of cheap parts of cattle or pigs such as heads, feet, and green stuff at the market, and boil it to stock and feed the dogs as needed.

　Soon after the robbery that had made me to go to work in Japan a big dog the body weight of which was over 20kg had wandered into the new house. The dog barks at strangers. Even I was afraid of it when I returned from Japan. After this dog came, we have had no robberies. After the new year, we moved in the new hose although the gate and the wall were yet to be completer. I spend the days watching the grand children and four dogs run around playfully among the dispersed building material such as sand, gravel, or cement.

(End of quartino)

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(End of letter 1)