Just a word about Mom [Mrs. Hiro Kobayashi]. You know she was the best. She always said, “Don’t brag. Don’t be a smart guy.” She could do anything from juggling three oranges to delivering babies.
The story I remember about Mom concerns her blue bonnet. Mr. Irizawa (Ira), the travelling salesman for Furuya, sold her one out of his big metal suitcase full of samples. I guess she thought it would be pretty nice to wear to Kelowna church on Easter Sunday. It was a bright blue round hat with a sort of striped tab on one side. When Mom arrived at church, Aunt was wearing the same blue hat. Mrs. Kanamaru was wearing the same blue hat. Mrs. Nakatani was wearing the same blue hat. Mrs. Kawahara was wearing the same blue hat. Ira had sold all the ladies the same blue hat! All except one lady. She was wearing a black hat and a very stern look. That, of course, was Mrs. Yoshioka. That’s the story of Mom’s Easter bonnet.
Source: Kobayashi, Allan O. The Okanagan Boy. Brampton, ON: Gprint, 2008. p. 56.
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