7.(0-1) Slim Novel 7 Tokyo at War Intro & Chapter 1

Slim Novel 7 - http://adventuresofkimi.blogspot.com - See Homepage

Tokyo at War

Rosie the Riveter an idealized woman factory worker in WW2

1942/43

Slim Novel 7

Other Slim Novels: #1 Kimi, #2 Ali & Kimura – World’s Fair 1939, #3 Educating Kimi, #4 Olga & Boris – Honeymoon in Siberia #5 New Decade – 1941 , #6 Midway, #8 Guadalcanal, #9 Kimi Heads North, #10 Losing War – Tojo Resigns #11 New Future, #12 On the Ground Running, #13 Back in the Bronx, #14  Eddie in Occupied Japan, #15 Eddie in Medical School, #16 Eddie Around the World, #17 The Wisdom of a Very Old Man

Introduction

Synopsis: Kimi is North Island fisherman's daughter sent to a school for female entertainers sponsored by Japan's Imperial Army which in the 1930's is enlisting poor girls as comfort women for the troops. She serves in Manchukuo and her army contract is bought out by a White Russian nightclub owner who recognizes in Kimi a sexual star and installs her as top tart in his club. She becomes friendly with his Eurasian daughter, Olga who sings nightly. She also gets informal education from clients who include Army officers, reporters and foreign tourists. Rising star foreign correspondent Kimura takes her under wing.

  Kimi moves to Tokyo in with Olga, meets Harumi a rich businessman's daughter who is communist and with Olga the three share the little blue house in the Mejiro section of Tokyo.

  Slim Novel 7 opens in wartime Tokyo

Chapter 1: Some God-Forsaken Stalingrad

1942 autumn is beautiful: clear sunny days, cool nights. Shortly after the Battle of Midway, the unemployed Harumi and Kimi receive postcards to report to nearby Mitsubishi fighter plane factory. Olga as Soviet Russian citizen has job as secretary at the Russian Embassy.

   In khaki shirt and slacks, hair bound back in black kerchief, and wearing eye-protecting green goggles Kimi and Harumi work alongside a dozen women driving rivets into aircraft-bodies drawn down assembly line by 2 old gray horses. Kimi proves such a good riveter that the old Army Sarge in charge appoints her the Chief Rosie.

   Harumi suggests they file unobvious notches in the taut wires that control the fighter planes. “No one would know,” she says at night at home. “Like violin strings the wires would have to snap sooner than later and then– ‘Whoosh!’ – She draws thumb down in rapid movement.
    Olga gives distinctive deep musical laugh. “Trop, darling, you are really too much! Don’t you know they’ll figure it out when every plane from our section starts cracking up? And whom do you guess the spy police will torture first? Why our Miss Kimi, of course, because she's Chief Rosie. Please darling, leave sabotage to the professionals in my Embassy and just attend to your work so that we may all survive this bloody war.”
   She goes to kitchen and returns bearing round red tray with Russian black bread and black caviar liberated from her embassy. Now no men involve their lives. Tommy's letters stop, Kimura is incommunicado and Boris – according to Olga – is fighting in some god-forsaken Stalingrad.
   To read next, click 7.(2-3) When in Rome & Take Me Out to The Ballgam...