吳伯維/譯

一九五八年九月，本人從臺灣陸軍軍官學(xué)校畢業(yè)，旋即奉派去美國導(dǎo)彈基地布利斯堡?（?FORT?BLISS?）?接受為期十五個月防空導(dǎo)彈專業(yè)訓(xùn)練。當(dāng)時冷戰(zhàn)方熾，美國基於西歐安全考量，派遣導(dǎo)彈部隊進駐北大西洋公約?（?NATO?）?諸國，同時邀請大批盟邦軍官來美受訓(xùn)。為了便於生活管理，很多軍事基地都成立盟軍營，友邦軍官無論官階高底，統(tǒng)統(tǒng)稱之為學(xué)員。

導(dǎo)彈基地營區(qū)非常遼闊，從BOQ?（?BACHELOR?OFFICERS?QUARTERS?，單身軍官宿舍，）?到教室有很長一段距離，軍官餐廳亦很遠，根本無法步行，營區(qū)內(nèi)又沒有公交車，行動非常不便，於是乎第一件大事就是解決"衣食住行"里"行"的問題。所幸有位希臘空軍上尉結(jié)訓(xùn)返國，就將那性能還算可以的舊車，廉價出讓。

布利斯堡位於德克薩斯州厄爾巴索梭?（?EL?PASO?），與華勒士（CIUDAD?JUAREZ）一水相隔.華勒士乃墨西哥北方大城，人口超過六十萬，有斗牛場，賽馬場，跑狗場，博物館，動物園及許多歷史性建築，為一觀光盛地。美墨兩國以RIO?GRANGE?河為界，河面上有條五十幾公尺長的公路橋，以供車輛及行人交通，?從美國去墨西哥，丟兩分銅幣即可，但回美國，必須攜帶有效護照及簽證。移民局官員鐵面無私，把關(guān)極嚴(yán)，文件不齊，絕不通融。

十二月五日星期六下午，營部值勤士官找我說營長有事召見.原來是一位日本空軍大佐?（?上校??），名叫犬養(yǎng)悌一，來此接受兩周新武器講習(xí)。其英文發(fā)音奇差，沒法辦理入學(xué)手續(xù)，但他懂中文，會說普通話，而本人在臺灣學(xué)習(xí)過一些日語，因此可以翻譯，營長好心，還將他宿舍房間，安排在我隔壁。最后營長拜托我多費神，幫助他生活起居，我一口答應(yīng)，說"NO?SWEAT??（?沒問題?）。"

看了五十歲左右的犬大佐，不禁心生憐憫，難道上帝真是那么不公平嗎？他身高不到一百四十公分，黑蛆蛆的，頭頂童山濯濯，一對狡黠鼠目，左邊小，右邊大，還老斜著看人，幾根稀稀疏疏水獺短鬚，像要遮蓋滿嘴被煙熏成焦黃的爆牙，講話聲音高吭尖銳，不時噴出口沫，夾雜惡臭。不過他還算謙虛，見到少校營長，畢恭畢敬，立正敬禮，聲聲?"鴨殺！?怒殺！?（?YES?SIR！??NO?SIR！?）?的。"

往BOQ?途中，犬大佐說在太平洋戰(zhàn)爭期間，他全部時間駐防朝鮮及滿洲國，當(dāng)時朝鮮人說中國話，所以他能讀，能寫中文，也能說一口流利國語。我聽說他曾是日本皇軍，不由得心生鄙視憎恨，但想到先總統(tǒng)?蔣公召示國人以德報怨，對從前的敵人要寬恕，因此，對這個醜鬼厭惡之情，也慢慢消退了一些。

六時許，我?guī)笞羧ボ姽俨蛷d吃晚飯，餐費五角，任君吃飽喝足為止。他聽了大樂，拿了牛排，雞湯，面包，兩大杯牛奶，兩杯咖啡，另外又拿了蛋糕點心等，說在日本更本吃不到牛肉牛奶，這兩個星期，一定要好好的滋補滋補.可能人小肚皮也不大，吃不完剩下一大半。席間，?他突然問。

"那里可以買鑰匙？"

"大概五金店才有吧。"

"不對，要到賓館去買。"

"喔？"

"到賓館買了鑰匙，按照鑰匙上房間號碼，開門進去，房間里有個半裸的花姑娘，可以陪你上床。"

"有這回事？"?我將信將疑。

"日本甲級賓館都有鑰匙可買，這是跟美國老大哥學(xué)的新鮮玩意兒。"

"那我到要見識見識。"

大佐既然有此神通，我就帶他到市中心希爾頓賓館。進門時他說：

"你英文比較好，你去問。"

"我不敢."?我真的不敢。

"那你今年幾歲？"

"二十二歲。"

"二十二歲還不敢，又不是兩歲.虧你還是軍官，真是膽小鬼，看老夫的。"

說著說著，犬大佐拐箸八字腳到柜臺，向掌柜講了半天，別人聽不懂什么?"呼嚕，呼嚕。"?的，就叫他寫，大佐寫了個?"WHORE?（?妓女?）".。掌柜看了立刻怒火萬丈，大喝一聲?"YOU?SON?OF?A?BITCH，GET?OUT！?（?你這狗娘養(yǎng)的，?滾出去！?）?"并沖出來要揍人，日本矮鬼一看苗頭不對，拔腿就逃，等我出來，鬼子不見了，原來他躲在停車場后面小樹下，我叫了好半天，犬養(yǎng)悌一才探頭探腦地問否有人追來，我說沒有，他才敢出來。

那犬養(yǎng)悌一還色心不死，問我何處可以買春，我說墨西哥多的是，他一聽，立刻央求我?guī)?，我們先回BOQ?拿護照，然后驅(qū)車華勒士。

基地離美墨邊境二十幾英哩，約半小時車程.路上犬大佐說他曾任日本飛行學(xué)校教官，是日本神風(fēng)特攻隊中隊長，亦曾在平壤上空擊落美戰(zhàn)斗機兩架?（?註：?二戰(zhàn)期間，美戰(zhàn)斗機從未非臨朝鮮，這鬼子吹牛?）。?空戰(zhàn)中他也受傷，右手姆指即被美機擊中切除等等.那日本鬼子越說越興奮，?口沫四飛之馀，還唱了一遍悲愴凄厲的神風(fēng)隊隊歌。

到了邊境，我們步行過橋逛紅燈區(qū).逛了約莫個把小時，犬大佐選定了一家酒吧，剛準(zhǔn)備進去，就被把門保鏢擋駕，那六尺五寸彪形大漢，一手按住那光禿禿的犬頭，?一邊哈哈大笑，戲謔地說：?"YOU？?WHAT?ARE?COMING?HERE?FOR？?I?AM?GOING?TO?TELL?YOUR?OLD?MAN。（?你？?你來趕啥？?我要告訴你老爸?）"。經(jīng)這次嘲弄，犬大佐?性‘?趣全消，祇好像條夾著尾巴的流浪狗，乖乖地跟我回去。歸途中，他怒氣未消，恨恨地罵道：?"混帳王八蛋，狗眼看人低，我個頭小，那傢伙可不小，馬鹿野郎?（?日語：?他媽的?）?"。

回到?BOQ?時間還早，他邀請我到起坐間擺龍門陣?（?聊天?）。反正我也沒什么事，又有很多啤酒，聊天就聊天吧。大佐為了證明其貨真價實的神風(fēng)隊員，還從箱中取出兩張發(fā)黃的舊照片，讓我過目，并說了許多鮮為外人所知的軼事。

德州十二月天相當(dāng)寒冷，但在?BOQ?房間里暖氣很熱。犬大佐脫光衣服鞋襪，僅著汗背心，遮羞布?（?日本男人不穿內(nèi)褲的，）?在沙發(fā)上盤腿而坐，邊吹牛，邊喝啤酒，九根粗短黝黑手指不停地搓揉十根長滿灰趾甲的粗短黝黑臭腳丫。還不時把手指湊到蒜頭鼻孔嗅一嗅，順便挖一挖鼻屎，要不是故事吸引我興趣，我老早扭頭走了。

太平洋戰(zhàn)爭后期，日本本土制空權(quán)盡失，所有飛行員祇能在朝鮮訓(xùn)練，由于前線作戰(zhàn)節(jié)節(jié)失利，日軍官兵悲觀失望，士氣低落，日本軍閥幻想神風(fēng)奇跡再現(xiàn)，想出個像今天恐怖份子慣技?----?人肉炸彈，意圖以自殺飛機，沖撞美國海軍兵艦，自殺飛機飛行員的來源就落在朝鮮飛行學(xué)校。

神風(fēng)隊隊員雖說是出于志愿，其實校方給予極大的壓力，就以犬大佐的飛校來說，?那時他擔(dān)任教官，有一百多名學(xué)生，某晚，校長集合全體學(xué)生作精神講話，說為國捐軀，名列靖國神社，是至高無上的光榮，靈魂必定升天….等等。然后每人發(fā)一張調(diào)查表，表列三項選擇：?1.?非常愿意。2.?有些愿意。3.?不愿意。三個選擇，必須選一項。結(jié)果無人非常愿意，少數(shù)有些愿意，絕大多數(shù)不愿意。校長看了結(jié)果，覺得上級交付任務(wù)，未能達成，于是叫每一個學(xué)生站起來說為什么不愿意，再個別說服。其中有三個學(xué)生堅決不愿意。正在僵持不下，突然營區(qū)停電，校長令學(xué)生到外面自由活動。四十分鐘后電力恢復(fù)，再集合時少了三人。校長命學(xué)生們?nèi)フ摇＝Y(jié)果在操場西邊找到了，他們躺在亂草中，每人頭上一粒子彈。那三位就是剛才堅決拒絕參加神風(fēng)隊，隨即校長再發(fā)另一調(diào)查表，表上祇有兩個選擇：?愿意和不愿意.?調(diào)查結(jié)果，統(tǒng)統(tǒng)愿意。

"神風(fēng)隊員家書中，不是每一個都是視死如歸的勇士嗎？"?我還有點不相信犬大佐所說。

"那還不容易，我們寫好了，叫他們謄一遍就是了。"大佐說得很輕松。

"那他們?yōu)槭裁床婚_小差呢？"

"高麗棒子痛恨日本人，逃出去就被干掉，他們往那里逃。"

"哦，說的也是，原來如此，"?我相信了。

第二天上午十一時許，大佐敲我房門，說前夜牛奶喝多了，不消化，放了一夜屁。今天可不可以去吃日本料理.我從未嚐過日本菜，這建議挺不錯，就在電話簿上找到了"燒鳥屋"日本料理店。

"燒鳥屋"日本料理店是自助餐廳，既來之，即安之，坐下來才發(fā)現(xiàn)這店專精壽司?（?SUSHI?）。

"我不吃生魚片，換個地方，"?我說。

"這里要死，這里要死，“?大佐露出暴牙，面帶微笑。

他看我一臉錯愕，微笑轉(zhuǎn)變作格，格，格的鷺鶿笑。

"胳夾?（?GOT?YOU，英語發(fā)音?GA-CHA，是你中計的意思，日本崇拜美國，把很多英語摻進日語。），'要死'?在日語是?'很好'。開個玩笑，不在意吧？"

"大丈夫，大丈夫，（?日語：?不在意，不在意。）"?出他意外，我竟然也會兩句倭矮語。

餐館里，犬大佐活像老頑童周伯通撞進了糖果店，撿了兩大盤，把一塊塊壽司，歪歪斜斜地塞進歪嘴。吞下魚片，再將咬得糊糊的米飯，一口口吐出來，不多久吐出的米飯堆滿一盤。噁心已極，連我吃其他菜肴的胃口都被他倒掉。

晚上，犬大佐又擺龍門陣。他真是個LOOSE?CANNON?（?信口雌黃，胡吹亂咒的人?），不知所云。他說中國版圖遼闊物產(chǎn)豐富，將來必然成為世界強國，最好能把中國分作七塊，使其互相斗爭。又說臺灣安全的保證是合并入日本等等。我請他少放屁，不歡而散。

十二月十一日，又是星期五，下課后大佐又來我房，問我是否有女友，我答否，他立即說?"我女兒犬養(yǎng)花子很漂亮，現(xiàn)在名古屋大學(xué)主修中文，對中國及臺灣事物非常有興趣，可以介紹給你做朋友。"

"阿里阿朵?（?日語：?謝謝?），我想不必了"，有其父必有其女，那副尊容，不敢領(lǐng)教。

"為什么呢？"

"我身高一百八十公分，恐怕…..?"，居然還振振有詞。

"啊，你錯了，花子個頭很高，很漂亮。"

大佐從皮夾中抽出幾張全家福和女兒單身照片。果然大佐夫人，女兒都非常漂亮。也比大佐高出許多，尤其那位東洋姑娘，巧目倩兮，脈脈含情，相當(dāng)可愛。

"感謝大佐厚愛，本人在此先道謝了.不過你憑什么本領(lǐng)，能追上如此美麗的夫人呢？"?我心懷疑慮，這老狗是不是在開玩笑。

大佐略加思索，說：

"可敬的吳少尉，我看你是個老實人，我同你說老實話。我是琉球人，在日本算是蝦夷族，同打狗族?（?日據(jù)時，高雄市叫打狗市，不雅，臺灣光復(fù)后改為高雄市?），高麗族一樣被視為劣等民族，根本討不到大和族老婆。像你們打狗族，被日本統(tǒng)治五十幾年，有幾個臺灣女孩嫁大和族？又有幾個打狗族娶了大和族姑娘？在大和族眼中，劣等民族男人祇配當(dāng)軍伕，女人祇可充當(dāng)慰安婦，?…..?當(dāng)時我任職平壌，有一高麗族富商牽渋到抗日事件，被日本憲兵逮捕，我多方替他解脫，可能我官階僅拜中尉，無能為力。最后被槍斃，財產(chǎn)沒收，家人被隔離，遺孀不準(zhǔn)工作，?女兒不準(zhǔn)唸書，極受歧視，同我結(jié)婚，生活就有著落，女兒可以就學(xué)了。"

"你說劣等民族不是祇能當(dāng)軍伕嗎？那你怎么當(dāng)軍官呢？"?我有點好奇。

"怎么說呢？大和族再怎樣優(yōu)秀，也得養(yǎng)幾條走狗吧？祇要你死心塌地為他們效忠，幾根雞肉骨頭應(yīng)該有得啃的。日本終戰(zhàn)后許多比我強多的純種大和族飛行官都被炒魷魚，而我不但保留軍職，還從中尉升到大佐。"

"那就是你志愿參加神風(fēng)特攻隊的原因？"?我似乎有所悟。

"可愛的吳先生，你錯了。生命還是很可貴的，像我這根老油條，豈會隨便送命呢？二戰(zhàn)末期，大日本可用的飛機已不多，參謀本部師承恐怖分子人肉炸彈，擬用轟炸機掛鉤滑翔機，拉到目標(biāo)附近，由滑翔機替代戰(zhàn)斗機向美國軍艦作自殺式俯沖.我二哥在海軍總部當(dāng)伙伕，聽到消息，告知日本既無轟炸機，又無滑翔機，我立刻第一志愿當(dāng)滑翔機飛行員。果然不出所料，根本就沒有出過任務(wù)，年青人，這是以進為退吶，哈哈哈。"

"聞君一席言，勝讀十年書，佩服佩服。"我不知如何對答，祇能說句恭維話。

不知怎的，我們又去了墨西哥。這日本鬼子對逛紅燈區(qū)真是樂此不疲，還說什么碧眼金髮南美姑娘，體態(tài)豐滿，熱情如火，跟直桶桶，冷冰冰，懶洋洋，假惺惺的東洋酒女相比，真是物美價廉等等。最后，他看中了一位三圍頗佳的賣春少女，準(zhǔn)備?'消遣'。同時問我是否也要'消遣，'?我說不去，他直起左手大姆指說?'好青年，好青年'，?隨即把護照交我保管。

十二月十八日星期五下午二時許，我正在上課，盟軍營傳令兵氣呼呼地跑來跟教官咬了一陣耳朵，教官走到我面前說：

"吳少尉，營長有急事，你趕快去。"

辦公室里，營長坐在辦公桌，滿臉怒容，犬大佐又是畢恭畢敬，立正站在營長面前。一副可憐相。原來講習(xí)班上午結(jié)訓(xùn)，大佐提早回BOQ，瑪麗亞正打掃房間，他四顧無人，騶然色膽包天，從后方以餓虎撲羊的姿式，緊緊抱住瑪麗亞，九根手指在她胸脯亂抓，?企圖強吻，掙扎間被打了一記耳光，還被一狀告到營長處。

營長不再聽我翻譯，指著大佐吼著："你給我滾。。。"

營長又對我說："吳少尉，把他媽的麻煩制造者丟出去，我再也不要看他醜臉。。。"

"YES，SIR！"營長吩咐，敢不從命，於是我?guī)退岬綘I區(qū)外一家小旅館。正想告辭，犬大佐交給我一張字條，是女兒犬養(yǎng)花子名古屋大學(xué)地址。

"你直接寫信給她也可以。我已經(jīng)同她提起過你這位英俊挺拔，誠實可靠的年青軍官。"

"阿里阿多，羅剎醫(yī)馬死.（?非常謝謝?）"。我居然也學(xué)會了這句日語。

"我們萍水相逢，忘年之交，旅行社已安排好行程，明天早上七點半鐘飛機離開此地，看我女兒的面，再帶我去一趟墨西哥，可不可以？"

我怎好推辭呢？再帶他去一趟吧。路上，大佐痛罵美國，說太平洋戰(zhàn)爭，打死多少皇軍，還使用原子彈，炸死成千上萬平民老百姓，戰(zhàn)后美軍又玩弄了多少日本女性，此仇非報不可。。。，?又說美國遠東政策，完全抄襲十九世紀(jì)英國歐陸政策，法國強大，就幫德國打法國，等德國強大，又鼓勵法國打德國。今天，亞洲日本強，就幫中國打日本，中國強，再要日本打中國，什么民主，自由，平等，人權(quán)，統(tǒng)統(tǒng)狗屁！

"別看老美塊頭大，四肢發(fā)達，其實頭腦簡單得很，他們向日本推銷牛肉，我們說日本不是吃牛肉的國家，他們相信了。他們又來推銷大米，我們說日本是個不吃大米的國家，他們又相信了，你看老美有多笨。"即使到了紅燈區(qū)，大佐還在喋喋不休，信口雌黃。

"不要亂講！"我有點冒火。

"咪媽生，咪媽生?（?對不起，對不起?）."

我們到了一家妓女戶，大佐照例把護照交給我。

"護照得小心保管哪，丟了麻煩可就大啰。"

"放心，放心，你放心消遣去吧"，?我說。

他進去后，我起身回美國，走到?RIO?GRANDE?河橋中間，從懷中掏出犬養(yǎng)花子地址，夾在犬大佐護照中間，使勁扔向遠方的剎那，迸出了一句極度鄙夷的?"撒油啦那犬養(yǎng)的?（?再見了，犬養(yǎng)的?）。"

Sayonara，?You?Son?of?A?Bitch

Right?after?graduating?from?Taiwan?Military?Academy?and?receiving?my?commission?as?a?second?lieutenant?in?September，?1958，?I?was?ordered?to?report?to?Fort?Bliss，?the?U.S.?Army?Air?Defense?Artillery?School，?to?receive?15?months?of?antiaircraft?missile?training.?It?was?at?a?critical?time?of?life?and?death?struggle?between?East?and?West?in?a?Cold?War.??As?a?vanguard?of?the?West，?the?United?States?sent?troops?to?defend?the?Western?Europe?and?the?Far?East.?In?the?meantime，?the?Pentagon?invited?military?personnel?of?its?allies?to?this?country?to?learn?the?operation?and?maintenance?of?American?weapon?systems?at?various?military?facilities.?To?ease?for?the?management，?many?American?bases?established?an?“Allied?Battalion.”

Fort?Bliss?was?a?large?military?facility，?thousands?of?acres.?There?was?no?public?transportation?on?the?base.?The?distance?between?BOQ?（Bachelor?Officers?Quarters）?and?Mess?Hall?or?the?classroom?were?far?beyond?ambulation.?Thus，?I?bought?a?pre-owned?car?from?a?Greek?captain?who?had?finished?his?training.

Fort?Bliss?was?situated?at?the?suburb?of?El?Paso，?Texas，?and?was?located?next?to?Ciudad?Juarez，?Mexico.?Ciudad?Juarez?was?a?tourist?city.?It?had?a?bullfight?ring，?horse?race?track，?museum，?cathedrals，?and?many?historical?sites.?A?narrow?river，?the?Rio?Grande，?divided?these?two?cities.?A?two-hundred-feet?long?highway?bridge?spanned?the?waterway.?Walking?from?El?Paso?to?Ciudad?Juarez?was?simple，?just?dropping?two?pennies?at?the?entrance.?On?the?other?hand，?coming?from?Mexico?to?the?United?States?was?not?that?simple.?One?had?to?provide?an?official?passport?and?a?valid?visa.?The?immigration?officials?were?extremely?tough.?No?exception?was?possible.

On?the?Saturday?afternoon?of?the?6th?of?December，?the?battalion?sergeant?came?to?me.?He?said?that?Major?Smith，?the?battalion?commander，?asked?me?to?help?a?Japanese?colonel?to?process?his?registration.?The?Japanese?Air?Force?colonel，?Yasuo?Kawahara，?could?not?speak?decent?English?but?he?spoke?Chinese.?Major?Smith?knew?I?spoke?some?Japanese，?and?he?further?asked?if?I?could?arrange?for?Yasuos?BOQ?room?to?be?next?to?mine.?I?said，?“No?sweat.”

To?tell?the?truth，?I?really?felt?sorry?for?this?ugly?shrimp.?Very?dark?skin?on?his?hairless?skull，?this?barely?4?-?feet?tall?colonel?had?a?pair?of?small?rat-like?crossed?eyes，?one?bigger?than?the?other.?Thirteen，?and?I?counted，?thirteen，?one-eighth?inch?long?black?seal?whiskers?jutted?on?the?nether?side?of?his?jaw.?Loud，?shrill?voice，?together?with?awful?smelling?spit?spewed?out?though?a?mouth?of?yellowish?bucked?teeth.??He?addressed?Major?Smith?with?“Yes，?sir.?No?sir.”

Colonel?Kawahara?told?me?that?he?was?stationed?in?Korea?through?the?Second?World?War.?At?the?time，?Chinese?was?the?official?language?in?Korea，?so?he?could?read，?write，?and?speak?Chinese?fluently.

At?around?6?oclock，?I?led?Colonel?Kuwahara?to?the?officers?dining?hall.?It?was?a?cafeteria.?All?one?can?eat?cost?only?fifty?cents.?He?took?a?large?steak，?chicken?noodle?soup，?milk，?sour?dough?bread，?coffee，?and?a?large?slice?of?cheese?cake?for?dessert.?Perchance?he?was?a?small?guy，?he?wasted?most?of?his?food.

“Where?can?one?buy?a?door?key？”?Colonel?suddenly?asked?me.

“In?a?hardware?store，?I?guess，”?I?answered.

“No，?you?buy?a?door?key?at?a?luxurious?hotel.”

“Really？”?It?was?news?to?me.

“You?buy?a?key?at?the?hotel?counter，?following?the?room?number，?open?the?door，?and?a?beautiful?half-naked?girl?will?be?waiting?for?you.”

“Ill?be?damned.”

“You?can?buy?a?key?from?any?high?class?hotel?in?Japan.?Its?a?trick?we?learned?from?Americans.”

We?changed?into?civilian?clothes，?and?came?to?the?downtown?Hilton.

“Lt.?Wu，?you?speak?better?English.?You?go?ask.”

“Oh，?I?am?afraid.”

“How?old?are?you？”

“Twenty?two.”

“You?sound?like?a?two?years?old.?Chicken.?Watch?me.”

Colonel?Kuwahara?sauntered?flat-footedly?to?the?counter.?The?concierge?couldnt?understand?his?“whuru，?whuru.”?and?gave?him?a?paper?and?a?pen.?Yasuo?wrote：?whore.??The?concierge?yelled?“You?son?of?a?bitch，?get?out，”?and?was?going?to?slap?him?silly.?The?Colonel?turned?around?and?ran.?He?hid?himself?behind?a?bush，?not?moving.?I?didnt?know?where?that?old?goat?ran?to，?and?was?looking?for?him.?After?assuring?him?that?it?was?all?clear，?he?came?out.

Colonel?Kuwahara?wasnt?about?to?give?up.?He?asked?if?I?knew?any?place?he?could?find?a?harlot.?I?mentioned?Ciudad?Juarez.?Immediately?he?begged?me?to?take?him?there.?We?went?back?to?the?BOQ?again?to?fetch?our?passports.

While?we?drove?toward?Ciudad?Juarez，?Colonel?Kuwahara?told?me?he?was?a?Japanese?Air?Force?pilot，?air?battled?against?Americans，?lost?his?right?hand?thumb，?and?later?became?a?kamikaze?squad?leader.?The?ugly?Jap?shamelessly?bragged?about?his?courage，?and?even?sang?the?plaintive?kamikaze?battle?hymn.

We?bar?hopped?for?about?half?an?hour.?While?Yasuo?was?fixing?to?walk?into?a?whorehouse，?a?six-ten?bouncer?grabbed?his?bald?head，?laughing.?”You？?What?are?you?coming?here?for？?I?am?going?to?tell?your?old?man.”?After?the?insult，?The?Japanese?Air?Force?colonel，?like?a?dog?slinging?his?tail?between?his?legs，?followed?me?back?home.?On?our?way，?he?cursed，?“Fuck?Mexicans.?I?am?small，?but?my?penis?is?not.?Bakayaro！?Konchikusyo！?Gaki！?（?all?Japanese?foul?words）.”

The?night?was?still?young.?So?Yasuo?invited?me?to?his?room?to?shoot?the?breeze.

Outside，?the?Texas?December?temperature?was?very?low，?but?not?inside?the?heated?room.?Yasuo?stripped?himself，?only?a?tank?top?and?a?loin?cloths?（?Note：?Japanese?men?do?not?wear?skivvies?）?remained?on?his?swarthy?skinny?body.?He?squatted?on?his?chair，?drinking?and?bragging.?Nine?of?his?short，?tan?digits?continuously?rubbed?and?kneaded?his?ten?fungus?toes.?From?time?to?time，?he?smelled?one?of?his?index?finger?for?its?nauseous?odor，?and?picking?his?flat?nose?in?the?meantime.?His?interesting?kamikaze?stories?attracted?me?or?I?wouldnt?put?up?with?this?shit.

As?the?war?situation?turned?against?Japan，?Yasuo?said，?the?Japanese?Daihonei?（?Imperial?Military?Headquarter?）?came?up?with?a?most?despicable?strategy，?Kamikaze.?Since?many?Japanese?Army?Air?Force?pilots?were?trained?in?Korea，?the?flight?school?there?became?the?primary?source?of?those?human?bombs.

Supposedly，?kamikaze?flyers?were?volunteers.?The?truth?was?the?contrary.?One?typical?example?occurred?in?the?flight?school?where?Yasuo?was?a?flight?instructor.?The?Commandant?assembled?all?the?graduating?students，?made?an?ardent?appeal，?then?passed?around?a?survey.?On?the?survey，?there?were?three?choices：?1.?“Volunteer”;?2.?“Maybe”;?3.?“Absolutely?Not”.?It?turned?out?that?none?chose?“Volunteer”，?very?few?chose?“Maybe”，?and?the?bulk?of?them?chose?“Absolutely?Not”.?The?Commandant?ordered?those?who?did?not?volunteer?to?explain?their?reasons.?In?the?end，?three?of?the?students?refused?to?be?persuaded?no?matter?what.?Suddenly，?there?was?a?power?outage.?The?Commandant?told?the?students?to?go?out?and?take?a?walk.?The?power?was?restored?in?half?an?hour.?The?roll?call?was?short?of?three.?The?Commandant?ordered?them?to?go?and?look?for?the?three?missing?students.?They?found?the?missing?student?lying?in?the?tall?grass，?each?had?a?bullet?in?their?skulls.?A?second?survey?was?passed?around?with?only?two?choices，?“Volunteer”?and?“Not?Volunteer”.?The?result：?“Volunteer”;?125，?“Not?Volunteer”;?0.

“From?letters?to?their?families，?every?one?of?them?sounded?like?a?samurai?warrior，”?I?doubted?the?validity?of?Yasuos?story.

“We?wrote?it.?They?are?ordered?to?copy?it.”

“Why?didnt?they?AWOL？”

“Koreans?hated?Japs?to?the?guts.?There?was?no?place?for?them?to?skedaddle.”

“Ah，?so?desu?ka！”?I?said.

Kuwahara?knocked?at?my?door?at?11?oclock?the?next?morning.?He?said?he?had?problems?with?milk.?A?whole?night?unstoppable?farting?interrupted?his?sleep.?He?proposed?Japanese?food?for?a?change.?I?thought?it?was?a?good?idea.

We?found?Kubaki，?a?sushi?specialty?bistro.

“Lets?go?to?another?restaurant.?I?dont?eat?raw?fish，”?I?said.

“Chili?yaose，?Chili?yaose?（?a?new?Japanese?term：?very?good?here，?very?good?here.）”

Ga，?Ga，?Ga.?That?was?his?laugh?as?he?realized?that?I?did?not?know?the?new?phrase.

“GA-CHA，?（?GOT?YOU?）.?I?hope?you?dont?mind.”

“Da-zhan-fu，?da-zhan-fu?（?Japanese：?I?dont?mind.?）”

Kubaki?had?a?self-help?counter.?The?Japanese?Colonel?piled?high?two?large?dishes?and，?using?a?pair?of?chop?sticks，?slantingly?pushed?the?sushi?rice?ball?into?his?droopy?mouth，?chewed?them，?swallowed?the?fish?meat，?and?spit?out?the?rice?into?another?dish.?In?a?few?minutes，?he?piled?high?the?second?dish?with?the?regurgitated?rice.?I?lost?all?my?appetite，?stood?up，?and?walked?out?of?the?store.

That?evening，?the?Japanese?colonel?invited?me?to?his?room?again.?He?was?a?loose?cannon，?saying?that?China?will?be?a?great?country?sooner?than?later.?If?we?could?divide?her?in?seven?pieces?and?let?them?fight?each?other，?China?could?never?threat?Japan?and?Taiwan?again.?He?further?proposed?that?in?order?to?secure?its?future，?Taiwan?should?be?annexed?into?Japan.?I?was?incensed，?told?him?to?shut?his?fucking?mouth，?and?stormed?out.

It?was?the?second?Friday?evening，?December?11th.?This?time，?Colonel?Kuwahara?invited?himself?to?my?room.

“Let?me?ask?you?a?question，?Lieutenant?Wu，?do?you?have?a?girl?friend？”

“No，?I?dont.”

“I?have?a?beautiful?daughter?Takako.?She?is?a?senior?in?the?Nagoya?University，?majoring?Chinese.?She?is?very?much?interested?in?Taiwanese?affairs.”

“Arigato，?Colonel.?I?dont?think?it?would?fit，”?I?was?thinking?that?Takako?might?look?like?her?father.

“Why？”

“I?am?six?feet?tall！”?To?this?old?Jap，?I?was?not?very?tactful.

“Ah！?Believe?me.?Takako?is?a?tall?girl.”?Saying?that，?Yasuo?took?out?his?wallet?and?produced?three?pictures：?one?of?the?whole?family，?standing.?The?other?two?were?Takako.?The?colonel?was?not?lying.?Both?his?wife?and?daughter?were?much?taller?than?he，?and?were?good-looking.

“Domo?arigato?gozai?mashita.?I?really?appreciate?your?kindness，?Colonel.?There?is?one?thing?I?would?like?to?know.”

“What？”

“Colonel，?how?come?you?could?marry?such?a?beautiful?lady.”

Yasuo?Kuwahara?thought?for?a?few?minutes：

“My?respectable?Lieutenant?Wu，?you?are?an?honest?man，?so?I?make?it?clean?to?you.?I?am?an?Okinawan.?In?Japan，?we?are?called?‘shrimpies，?a?degrading?name.?And?you，?Taiwanese，?the?‘doggies，?the?Korean，?the?‘piggies.?To?Japanese，?we?were?the?inferior?race?who?had?no?hope?of?marrying?a?high?class?race，?Nipponese?girl.?Taiwan?was?under?Japanese?control?for?over?fifty?years.?Have?you?ever?seen?any?Taiwanese?woman?married?with?a?Nipponese?boy？?Or?any?Taiwanese?had?a?Nippon?wife？?In?their?supercilious?eyes，?inferior?men?are?only?good?enough?to?be?a?slave，?and?girls?for?comfort?women….?One?Korean?rich?businessman?got?entangled?in?a?messy?Korean?independent?movement.?He?was?arrested?by?the?Japanese?secret?police.?I?tried?to?help?him，?but?my?rank?was?too?low.?The?businessman?was?shot，?his?properties?confiscated，?his?wife?lost?her?job，?and?his?daughter?Takako?lost?her?opportunity?to?receive?an?education.?Marrying?me?had?solved?all?those?problems.”

“Colonel，?you?just?said?that?the?inferior?race?are?only?good?enough?to?serve?as?a?slave.?How?could?you?receive?your?commission？”?I?was?puzzled.

“How?do?I?put?it？?Well，?no?matter?how?superior?are?the?Nipponese，?they?need?a?few?lackeys.??So?long?as?you?are?absolutely?loyal?to?Nippon，?sooner?or?later，?you?will?be?rewarded?with?a?few?chicken?bones.?After?Japans?capitulation，?many?Nippon?officers?were?let?go，?and?I?was?promoted?to?be?a?full?colonel.”?Yasuo?boasted.

“Was?that?the?reason?you?voluntarily?joined?the?infamous?Kamikaze？”

“Lt.?Wu，?you?are?adorable.?What?I?am?going?to?say?is?that?you?are?wrong.?Life?is?precious.?As?smart?a?cagey，?how?could?I?render?myself?immolate?in?a?ball?of?fire？?Close?to?the?end?of?the?Pacific?war，?very?few?airplanes?were?left?in?the?Japanese?Air?Force.?So?the?Daihonei?devised?a?‘Human?bomb?tactic.?Simply?put，?a?glider，?fully?loaded?with?explosives，?was?pulled?to?the?battle?field?and?let?go.?The?pilot?would?guide?the?glider?to?the?target.?My?brother?was?a?cook?in?Daihonei.?He?informed?me?that?the?Army?Air?Force?had?neither?fighters?nor?gliders，?so?I?volunteered.?That?was?a?very?smart?move.?Ha，?ha，?ha.”

“Colonel，?you?really?are?an?old?smart?man.”?I?congratulated?him.

I?didnt?remember?how?we?went?to?Ciudad?Juarez?again.?That?old?goat?just?loved?that?red?lantern?district.?He?confessed?that?there?was?no?comparison?between?the?skinny，?cold，?lazy，?and?insentient?Tokyo?prostitutes，?to?the?healthy，?voluptuous，?hot?and?coy?Mexican?girls.?He?picked?up?a?fairly?good-looking?one?and?was?ready?to?enjoy?himself.?He?asked?me?if?I?would?patronize?one.?I?said?no.?He?raised?his?left?hand?thumb，?praised，?“Good?boy！?Good?boy！”?Then?asked?me?to?hold?onto?his?passport.

The?time：?Around?1400，?Friday，?December?18.?The?place：?U.S.?Army?Air?Defense?Artillery?School，?Building?2，?Room?431.?The?scene：?An?Army?captain?conducting?a?lecture?to?33?American?and?one?Chinese?officers.

A?sergeant?knocked?at?the?door，?came?in，?conversed?to?the?instructor?in?low?voice.?Forthwith，?the?instructor?came?to?my?desk?and?said，?“Lt.?Wu.?Report?to?Major?Smith，?double?time.”

In?Major?Smiths?office，?Yasuo?Kuwahara，?in?his?Japanese?Air?Force?full?colonel?uniform，?stood?at?attention?in?front?of?Major?Smith.

It?was?the?last?day?for?Colonel?Kuwaharas?class.?He?returned?to?his?room?early.?When?he?saw?the?Mexican?cleaning?lady?Maria?was?alone?by?herself，?he?assaulted?her?from?behind.?Nine?short，?tan?fingers?attacked?her?breast，?and?tried?to?strip?her?clothes.

“You?filthy?son-of?a-bitch?Jap，?creep?out，”?Major?Smith?yelled?at?Yasuo.?“Lt.?Wu，?throw?this?trouble?maker?out.?I?dont?want?to?see?his?ugly?face?forever.”

“Yes，?sir.”

I?took?Yasuo?to?an?off-base?motel.?As?I?was?leaving，?he?handed?me?a?piece?of?paper.?“This?is?Takakos?mailing?address?at?the?Nagoya?University.?You?may?write?to?her?directly.?I?have?mentioned?you?to?her?about?a?young，?handsome?Taiwanese?army?officer.”

“Domo?arigato，?Colonel.”

“We?have?a?generation?gap?in?age，?not?in?friendship.?I?am?scheduled?to?leave?this?fucking?country?at?7?oclock?tomorrow?morning.?On?Takako，?could?you?please?take?me?to?Ciudad?Juarez?one?more?time？”

What?else?could?I?say？?Yasuo?Kuwahara?cussed?the?Americans.?He?said?the?God?damned?American?had?killed?hundreds?of?thousands?brave?Japanese?soldiers，?and?inhumanly?killed?hundreds?of?thousands?innocent?Japanese?civilians?by?using?atomic?bombs…..?The?American?Far?East?strategy?was?a?shameless?imitation?of?the?British.?That?was，?when?the?French?became?dominant?in?Europe，?the?Britons?helped?the?Germans?to?fight?France，?and?vice?versa.?In?Asia，?when?the?great?Japan?became?the?regional?leader，?the?United?States?allied?with?China?to?defeat?Japan.?Now，?China?became?stronger，?the?Americans?encourage?Japan?to?fight?China.?Democracy，?freedom，?equality，?human?rights，?all?bullshit.

“Americans?have?big?arms，?but?they?have?a?small?brain.?They?tried?to?sell?beef?to?Japan.?We?told?them?that?Japanese?do?not?eat?beef，?and?they?believed.?Then?the?Americans?tried?to?sell?rice?to?Japan.?We?told?them?that?we?Japanese?do?not?eat?rice，?and?those?imbeciles?believed?again.?See?how?stupid?those?mother?fuckers?are.”?Colonel?Kuwahara?ardently?preached?even?when?he?was?making?an?asshole?of?himself.

“Would?you?please?shut?up？”?I?was?sick?of?his?malarkey.

“I?am?sorry.”

We?stopped?at?a?bordello，?Colonel?handed?his?passport?to?me，?“Dont?lose?it，?or?Ill?be?in?big?trouble.”

“Relax，?Colonel.?Go?enjoy?yourself，”?I?said.

Like?a?dog?in?rut，?Colonel?Kuwahara?followed?a?prostitute?to?the?back?room.?I?stood?up?and?started?walking?back?to?El?Paso.?Half?way?on?the?Rio?Grande?bridge，?I?took?out?Takakos?address，?slipped?it?into?that?heinous?Japs?passport，?threw?it?with?all?my?might，?and?yelled，?“Sayonara，?Yasuo?Kuwahara，?you?son-of-a-bitch.”