We came to Japan in 1997. My sister was 26 and I was 18. Her husband, Masao, had been working at a factory in Toyohashi for six months, so we looked for jobs in the same town so we wouldn't be separated. Finally, my sister got a job at a bakery and I got a job at a store selling Brazilian products.

Time passed, and in 2008, my sister and her husband returned to Brazil with their two children. At the time, my parents were living in the suburbs of São Paulo, but five years later, my father passed away and my mother went to live with my sister's family.

My sisters bought a big two-story house, renovated the first floor, and opened a general store. My sister and her husband made a living from the store, while my mother stayed upstairs and helped with the housework while taking care of her grandchildren. They all led busy lives.

Meanwhile, I got my hairdresser's license while working at a store selling Brazilian products, and then moved to Hamamatsu and started working at a beauty salon.

When I was 28, I met Ugo, a Japanese-Peruvian man I had met while living in Toyohashi, in Hamamatsu, and we got married a year later. Since we both have a lot of relatives, we held the wedding in Brazil and went to Peru for our honeymoon. We were congratulated by many people and I was really glad that we had met in Japan.

When my eldest son was four years old, my wife and I went back to Brazil for the first time. Since then, my son and I have been going back to Brazil by ourselves, but it became difficult when my son started elementary school. Even though we couldn't go back to Brazil, it was very helpful that we could easily talk to our family over the phone. My mother always took the time to tell us stories about our family over the phone, like a TV drama.

However, two and a half months ago, my mother called me and said, "Oh no! I'm at the hospital now. Masao is..." and then hung up the phone. I called back many times, but neither my niece nor nephew answered, even though we were under restrictions on going out due to the coronavirus pandemic.

I was worried about how my mother would convey the news, so I called my relatives one by one. I had heard in the news recently that the number of people infected with the new coronavirus in Brazil was increasing and the situation was getting serious, so I became very worried. I couldn't believe it, but I found out that Masao had been infected with the coronavirus and was hospitalized.

Hoping that he would not develop serious symptoms and would recover quickly, I reassured myself by saying that Masao was a person who was careful about his health. However, 10 days later, I received the news that Masao had passed away. As the cause of death was indeed COVID-19, Masao's body was taken directly from the hospital to the crematorium. It was a sad farewell, with no family present to see him off.

"What?! What do you mean? What about my sister and the kids?"

I couldn't sit back and wait any longer, so my husband arranged for me to get a ticket and I hurried back to Brazil.

When I returned to Japan and spoke to them again, I learned that the past two months had been very difficult. Masao was infected with the coronavirus and hospitalized, and five days later, his sister and two children were hospitalized. Masao died suddenly soon after, but it was his brother who took care of them all during that time.

Since then, my mother had been living with my brother, but when I returned to Brazil, she said she wanted to go back home. The "home" in question was the large house where our family of five used to live. Since my mother had moved in with my sister's family, the house had been vacant, so it took three days for me to clean it up and my mother started a new life there.

I went to Japan right after graduating from high school, so I regretted not having had much time to spend with my mother. I thought that now was my chance to show my gratitude to my mother, so I started doing things that I hadn't been able to do before. I'm doing little things to show my gratitude to my mother, like cooking for her, dyeing her hair, and massaging her shoulders.

We enjoy the Misora ​​Hibari records and recorded Japanese dramas that we used to listen to as a family as if it were the first time. Now, my greatest joy is seeing my mother's smile.

My sister and niece were recently released from the hospital and are recovering at home. My nephew is still in the hospital, but I hope he will get through it safely.

Her husband, who remained in Japan, has temporarily closed the beauty salon he runs and is enjoying time at home with his son, which is great news.

And my mother said, "Don't worry. We'll manage somehow," and I spend my days happily tending to the garden and preparing meals in the morning, doing handicrafts in the afternoon, and watching TV or listening to music in the evening. There's no point in worrying too much about the situation I'm in. This is what my mother taught me.

© 2020 Laura Honda-Hasegawa