9.(7-11) Goodbye to Auld Lang Syne

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7. Gong-Gong Church

In a chilly dawn breeze and still rubbing sleep from eyes, Kimi follows the doctor up a ramp onto the old ferry that crosses the Strait from Main Island to North Island. A crisp clean sea smell mingled with motor oil brings memories of childhood.

Later, morning sun is warming the northern air as ferry pulls into the water corridor between two long rock jetties at Southport Harbor. Kimi standing at rail is astir at sight of old Russian church on a hill – Gong-Gong Church – as it is called by North Islanders from its useful regularity of gonging the hour. It gongs ten as Kimi and Doctor debark.

8. Castle

Doctor has until 3 PM to catch ferry to his island. He suggests to sight-see and, in taxi, he lectures like a tour guide. Kimi has seen it all before but knows he is pleased to lecture her. First stop is the Great Lord’s Castle. Up to 200 years before, Doctor explains, only Ainu lived in North Island as hunters and fishermen in small groups. Then Russian ships came down exploring from Siberia under the Czar’s orders. Fearful of Roosky domination, the government in Edo, as old Tokyo was called, delegated the Great Lord to build the Castle and be the Military Governor, so he brought his vassals north to start civilizing and in 1854 Southport was named a refueling port for foreign ships in the treaty that opened Japan after centuries of isolation. From then it grew rapidly and the Gong-Gong Church got built to serve the religious needs of Orthodox Russian settlers and local converts.

9. Slavonic Wedding

After viewing the Castle, they visit the Church, and it is still early as they arrive at its Kremlin-domed building of aged red brick. Doctor leads Kimi through big, aged, brown wood doors into dark high-ceiling recess behind main rows of worn benches overlooked by sidewalls hung with valuable, iconic Byzantine-style art of big-eyed frontal faced saints.

   Up front is a wedding and they watch as bride in traditional kimono and fancy black obi sash and backside decoration stands beside black-suited groom and both receiving marriage blessing from a Russian Orthodox priest. Only bride’s wide shoulders and light brown hair suggest European input; the groom, a slim man in his 30's with receding hairline, looks completely Japanese. The priest, long beard curly, tall and slim and with elegant black vestment is reciting in what seems to be Russian but Doctor, who knows the people of this area, explains in low voice it is church Slavonic related to Russian as Latin is to Italian. The priest repeats his ceremony in Japanese and then the Cantor, an older, heavier Russian also with black curly beard and in priestly raiment chants in deep operatic bass.

   Bride and groom sip traditional sake wine, bow to priest and family members, and everyone moves excitedly to side room for refreshments. Before Kimi and Doctor can leave, the priest, who noted their entrance, comes up the aisle towards them.

10. Katyu-usha

“Dobroe utro,” he says. “Oh, excuse me! Sometime I forget and speak Russian.”

   “You have North Island accent, Father,” says Doctor.

   “I am North Island born though it is hard to convince my Japanese neighbors. But enough small talk! Come, sign our register then be my guests at our party for Bride and Groom.”

   Kimi puts her name. Next to it she writes Katyusha in Cyrillic script КАТЮША.

   Priest peers down at entry. “What! You have Russian name too?”

   “I lived with Russian family. They adopted me. I was even baptized Katyusha but I’m afraid I have not been to church in years, Father.”

   “That is not important.” He smiles. “What is important is that you are – Katyusha!” He kisses her on each cheek and his beard feels soft with pleasant human smell. He leads them to where the families are enjoying food and talk.  
   “My good folk! Allow me to introduce two guests whom I invite to join here: Doctor and – Katyusha!”

   Mention of the famous name starts everyone murmuring. Then in deep powerful tenor voice and joined by cantor bass, Priest starts “Katyu-usha” and all join.
   “Now, eat and drink!” He takes them in hand to end of long table covered with embroidered-edge tapestry-like cloth at which the party members are starting on a pot of hot borscht and filling plates with Russian food which includes meat-and-cabbage-filled pastry called piroshki, black sturgeon-egg caviar, dark Russian bread, covered with monastery-made and long-stored fragrant yellow cheese. And at center, a roast pig with baked apple in mouth and cut-open belly that is stuffed with spiced bread-pudding and is being carved into bite-size bits by an old Russian serving woman in black old-fashioned long skirt and peasant blouse.

   Priest loads the food on Doctor’s and Kimi’s plates and then hands each a goblet. “Our best vodka! Drink!”

   Time passes un-noticeably. They leave after many thanks and Doctor gives donation. On outside steps, Priest reaches out and grasps Kimi’s hands and holds them. His hands feel warm and smooth – alive with life.

   “Come again! And, Katyusha, please do not worry about not having been to church for so long! Now you come here, is all xhoroshow (OK). I give prayer for you to Holy Father tonight and every night.”

11. Auld Lang Syne (Traditional farewell song)

Off they go in taxi arriving minutes before ferry departure. The driver carries Doctor's bag aboard while Doctor goo-byes Kimi at pier’s edge just before boarding. “Thank you for making me alive again.” He hands her his name card. “And if you need help, please.”

   In extracting the card, inadvertently not noticing, he drags along the rolled up paper strip of his electrocardiogram and it drops off the dock into the dirty harbor water.

   They bow sayonara, not deep formal bow where one or the other tries for an impression of superiority but companionate bow almost a shrug of two who can say “Now we know.”

   Doctor hurries the ferry’s leaving, up gangplank. Being a civilized, educated, sentimental man, he is prepared for the farewell with a blue-red-and-green crepe paper ribbon roll. Standing at boat rail, opposite and above her and holding onto free end of ribbon roll with 2 fingers of left hand, he flings the roll unraveling down to Kimi and she catches it in both hands. Just then, to a phonograph recording’s Auld Lang Syne, the ferry starts away from the dock. Other passengers also share farewell ribbons with dock well-wishers and, as distance between boat and dock lengthens, its interval is filled with streaming colorful paying-out ribbon strips which, as the shore recedes and the ribbon rolls run out, tauten and snap, the ends fluttering aimlessly like people lost in time’s hands.
   To read on, now, click 9.(12-14) The Long Left Grand Daughter Returns