My Grandfather’s Gun

 

 In 2000, we decided to give up the house where my grandparents lived. In those days, I lived far away from them but visited the house sometimes to help them clear up. Before starting to clear up the house, my grandmother said to me, “There is a gun somewhere in this house. Please find it. Then bring it to a police station.”

 I was surprised. In Japan, having a gun is strictly forbidden. Actually, I had never touched any gun at that time.

 My grandfather passed away during World War 2 when my mother was only at the first grade of elementary school. I never met him. That was my grandfather’s gun. I started to look for it. I just imagined, if I were my grandfather, where would I hide the gun in this house? Somehow, I found the gun easily. I also found some paper beside it. I read it and was surprised. The letter was the key which changed our family history.

 The letter was my grandmother’s answer to the marriage proposal from my grandfather. In the letter, my grandmother set one condition to accept the proposal. “My younger sister wants to be a medical doctor. But our parents are opposed to it. If you support her financially, I will marry you.”

 Her sister, my grandaunt, was a medical doctor. My grandfather must have kept his word.

 But I wondered why the letter and the gun were side by side. First of all, why did he have a gun?

 This is my guess. During the war, Japanese society was so confused. My grandfather was seriously ill, and he knew he would die in the near future. My father thought about committing a forced family suicide. It is no wonder that he thought it was cruel to leave his wife and small child in that chaos. They were a family of three. I found three bullets in the house.

 He might have repeatedly watched the gun and the letter. Finally, he might have given up the idea of suicide and chose to die because of the illness.

 My grandfather! You did the right thing! My grandmother! You wrote a great letter! If my grandfather committed family suicide when my mother was an elementary student, I wouldn’t be alive.

 Clearing up an old house sometimes gives us a surprising gift!

Picture by Happypictures