The Japanese Lover

One resident of Lark House, Jacques Devine, nicknamed “Frenchie,” takes a romantic interest in Irina. Frenchie is the most desirable bachelor in Lark House at 90 years old, and he becomes obsessed with Irina’s youth and beauty. He sends her letters professing his love and asking her to marry him. He gives Irina gifts of jewelry and money, which she returns to his room discreetly with Lupita’s help. Voigt explains that they cannot accept tips and gifts, as it infuriates the families of the residents, who are often waiting for their inheritance.

Irina accompanies Jacques on most of his errands, deflecting his flirtations, but after Jacques makes two suspicious trips alone by taxi, he is found dead in his room. During the two trips, Jacques modified his will to leave all his possessions to Irina, which upsets his remaining family of children, nieces, and nephews. Voigt is furious with Irina, but when he addresses the issue with Irina, he finds that Irina did not know Jacques was planning to change his will. Irina refuses the inheritance, resolving the situation, and Voigt promotes her. The incident makes Irina a notable figure at Lark House, though some of the other workers think she was foolish to reject the inheritance.

Alma Belasco takes an interest in Irina after the Frenchie incident, convincing Irina to quit her second job at a café to become Alma’s assistant. Irina retains her third job, washing dogs with her coworker Tim, but she quickly becomes indispensable in Alma’s life. Alma is privately wealthy. She is a well-known artist in silk screens and clothing, which she designs with inspiration from her travels around the world. The profits of her sales support the Belasco Foundation, created by Alma’s father-in-law, Isaac Belasco, in 1955 to support urban renewal projects and at-risk areas. The Foundation is traditionally led by the male heir of the Belasco family, who will one day be Seth Belasco, Alma’s grandson.

Seth is writing a book on the Belasco family, and Alma assists him with letters and artifacts from her past. Irina oversees all of Alma’s possessions except her letters, and Seth becomes infatuated with Irina. Alma intentionally slows the process of handing over artifacts to Seth to keep him interested in Irina, though Irina does not seem to notice Seth’s intentions. Alma plans to introduce Irina to culture and refinement in preparation for a potential relationship with Seth, as well as to repay Irina’s assistance in Alma’s life.

Irina suspects that Alma has a lover named Ichimei Fukuda, or Ichi, whose photo Alma keeps in her apartment. Periodically, Alma becomes distant, and then she leaves for days at a time, returning with a bright disposition. Irina tries to find out more information from Alma, but Alma is unwilling to discuss Ichi. Seth becomes curious about Ichi, and he tells Irina how, in early 2010, Alma came to Lark House. On the night of a fundraiser for the Belasco Foundation, Alma told her son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Doris, that she was leaving everything behind. She started dressing differently and moved to Lark House. Seth is unsure of the reasons behind Alma’s change, but the two agree to investigate. Alma receives three gardenias each week from a mystery sender, as well as regular deliveries of yellow envelopes with unknown contents.

The chapter ends with a letter to Alma from Ichi dated April 12, 1996. In the letter, Ichi tells Alma that he enjoyed another honeymoon with Alma, noting how he enjoyed seeing the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC, with her. Ichi remembers how Alma said she could hear the voices of spirits and stones at the Vietnam Memorial, but he thinks that the spirits are free and at peace.

Alma tells Irina and Seth how she met Ichi in 1939. Alma, née Mendel, grew up in Poland. The Mendels are Jewish, and in the 1930s the Nazi Party in Germany is beginning to invade areas of Eastern Europe, threatening Poland. Her parents first send her brother Samuel to London to protect him from growing tensions in Europe. In 1939, they send Alma, then seven years old, to live with Lillian and Isaac Belasco, Alma’s aunt and uncle, in San Francisco. Alma is devastated to leave her family in Poland. She is accompanied by her governess, Miss Honeycomb, who teaches her English. In San Francisco, Alma moves in with Isaac and Lillian at their coastal home, Sea Cliff, along with their children, Martha, Sarah, and Nathaniel. Isaac quickly notices that Alma cries at night, and Lillian considers sending her to a psychologist. Eventually, Alma stops crying at night, presumably because of Nathaniel’s assistance. Alma tries to build a friendship with Nathaniel, who is 13 years old, and he decides to help Alma adjust when he discovers that Isaac and Lillian might adopt her. Nathaniel introduces Alma to Takao Fukuda, the gardener, and his son, Ichimei. Takao and Ichi show Alma the gardens, and Alma becomes close with both Ichi and Nathaniel, whom she calls her “life’s only loves.”

Alma and Nathaniel play chess and stage plays that Nathaniel writes. Ichimei joins them, but he rarely acts, using his talents to paint sets instead. When Nathaniel turns 14, he begins secondary school at an English-style institution, and he is bullied relentlessly. Ichimei introduces Nathaniel to his father’s martial arts class, where Takao teaches other Japanese American children judo and karate. Nathaniel does not excel in the class, but he learns enough to ward off his bullies. As Nathaniel matures, he becomes gloomy, even contemplating suicide at one point. During this time, World War II begins in Europe, and Alma is haunted by images from newsreels of the German war machine. Her brother, Samuel, reports to Isaac from London, where he is in the Royal Air Force, that the Mendel family has lost their wealth and been subjected to the horrors of the Holocaust, in which Polish and Jewish families are confined to ghettos or forced into extermination camps. Alma worries about her family, and Ichi tries to comfort her as Nathaniel becomes increasingly preoccupied with his adolescence.

In 2013, Irina celebrates her third anniversary of working for Alma Belasco. Over time in Lark House, Irina develops a sense of respect and understanding with the elderly residents. Irina is aware of Seth’s affection for her, and they continue to make slow progress in sorting through Alma’s life and possessions. Dr. Catherine Hope operates a clinic from which she dispenses cannabis and alternative medical advice, for which Lark House waives her residency fees. Irina notices the differences among residents, seeing that many residents are old and independent, while others need assistance with most elements of daily life. Irina accompanies residents to protests, helps them organize charity efforts, and arranges religious celebrations to honor the residents’ various belief systems. During a summer solstice celebration in the woods, Irina hears her grandparents, Costea and Petruta, speak to her from a tree, convincing her of the existence of spirits. Though Irina does not make much money, she lives modestly, and Alma finds excuses to pay Irina extra.

Alma helps Cathy improve morale at Lark House by staging plays. She begins inviting Irina to Sunday dinners at Sea Cliff. Each Sunday, the Belasco family gathers at their home in San Francisco, including Larry, Doris, Alma, Seth, and Seth’s sister Pauline. Irina’s presence keeps the gathering calm, as the Belascos are not willing to make a scene in front of a guest. Seth is 32 years old, and he lacks the temperament needed to be a lawyer, having pursued his law degree out of obligation to the family. Pauline is more dedicated, and Seth passes difficult cases on to her. Though Seth races motorcycles and pursues various love affairs, he is not willing to risk his position in the family, which supports him financially. He is in love with Irina, but he knows he cannot pursue her openly without her distancing herself from him. Seth spends a lot of time with Alma, listening to her stories about Poland before WWII, the devastation of the Nazi invasion, her youth in San Francisco, and the lives of their ancestors. Alma recounts that Isaac Belasco had two funerals because so many people of different races and backgrounds wanted to pay their respects.

Takao Fukuda came to San Francisco in 1912 following his conversion to the pacifist religion of Oomoto, which alienated him from his militaristic family. He brought a katana representing his family’s honor with him, and he became a gardener through other issei, or Japanese immigrant, friends. Takao had an arranged marriage with Heideko, who immigrated to San Francisco for the marriage, and they have four children: Charles, Megumi, James, and Ichimei, who is born prematurely in 1932. Isaac Belasco hires Takao as his gardener to create a diverse botanical garden with plants from different latitudes. Takao and Isaac become close friends, and Isaac manages to withstand the Great Depression through smart investments. A law passed in 1913 prevents Takao from owning land, but Isaac invests in a nursery for rare plants that he promises to sell to his son Charles when Charles comes of age. In 1941, the Japanese Navy attacks Pearl Harbor, a US military base in Hawaii, instigating the American government’s involvement in WWII. Domestically, specifically in the Western coastal states of Washington, Oregon, and California, discrimination against Japanese Americans increases, and the government restricts the rights and freedoms of Japanese Americans, sending many to concentration camps for suspicion of collusion with Japan. Isaac protects Takao’s possessions, and Alma is frightened that Ichimei is leaving her.