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Kazue had fallen in love with Jackson, who was 12 years younger than her, but she was finally unable to bear the domestic violence and was thinking of running away.
The next morning, when Fasineira 1 arrived at the apartment, she found Kazue collapsed in the living room. Fasineira called an ambulance.
Kazue was taken to the hospital with serious injuries to her face and arms, and was hospitalized. Jackson stole jewelry, a computer, and credit cards from the apartment and fled in Kazue's new car.
Two months later, Kazue's brother, who lives in Japan, came back out of concern for her. He had come to pick up his sister. The police still had no clue as to Jackson's whereabouts, and there was a risk that Kazue would be harmed again.
After telling her family the whole story of her miserable life over the past year and a half, Kazue's mind seemed to calm down a little, and she obediently went to Japan with her brother.
Kazue and her family arrived in Japan in the afternoon of a hot, sweaty August day. Because it was a weekday, her brother's family was unable to come to the airport to greet them, but in the evening Kazue was given a warm welcome by a large crowd of people.
Kazue was so touched because she had never even known how many relatives she had in Dekasegi before. Everyone was so kind, especially the children, who hugged her with joy and said, "You're Titia 2 from Brazil."
Just 21 years ago, after graduating from high school, my brother went to Japan to work as a dekasegi worker, where he worked hard for 10 years before marrying Marisa, whom he met at the same factory. Marisa is a Peruvian of Japanese descent who had been living in Japan for many years with her parents and four siblings.
After getting married, my brother rented a big house and started living with my parents-in-law and Marisa's younger brother and sister. After living alone for 10 years, my brother was suddenly part of a large family of eight, and he was happy and his life became more fulfilling. He had three children, was doing well at work, and was involved in community activities.
Meanwhile, when Kazue's father in Brazil told her about her sister, she wanted to help her sister no matter what. Marisa's family also wanted to support her, so she went to Brazil to pick up her sister.
Kazue got used to her new environment faster than she expected. For the first six months, she helped with the housework and helped her grandmother take her young nephews and nieces to the park, but one day, she was offered a job.
An acquaintance of her brother's opened a store selling Brazilian products and invited her to work there. Kazue, who had been a hairdresser all her life, was hesitant, but her family encouraged her to work there.
And through her interactions with the customers at "AQUI EM CASA 3 ," Kazue gradually became more positive, developed an interest in many things, and her world began to expand. Little by little, the path to a fresh start began to open up.
Meanwhile, on a street in Brazil, a young man was begging, holding out an empty can, muttering, "Where is Glaucia now?" But no one paid him any attention.
Note
1. Housekeeper
2. Aunt
3. The name of the restaurant: "At Home"
© 2014 Laura Honda-Hasegawa
