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21 " One time after the adoption papers came through I was fooling around with a water pistol and, in a childish bid for attention, sprayed her. She came after me and said, “If you were my real child I’d give you a good spanking.” It was like a slap in the face. I thought I was her child. "
― Mineko Iwasaki , Geisha, a Life
22 " Aha, Mine-chan, I see. It all becomes clear. And I have to hand it to you, you are a little rascal.” As far as I’m concerned, there is never an excuse for bad behavior. "
23 " A real mother could not have done more. Maybe the time has come to change my mind, I thought. When we finished the meal I took the plunge. I looked directly at her and said, “Mom, let’s go home. "
24 " This has been one of the best days of my life,” she said. "
25 " I lay there alone for hours, crying my eyes out. I was still trying to rationalize the relationship: Why can’t I let things just stay as they are? What difference does it make if he’s married? But the fact is it did matter. I refused to be second best any longer. "
26 " I was thoroughly fed up with the system. I had followed the rules for all these years, but there was no way I could stay in the system and do what I wanted to do. The whole reason why the organization of Gion Kobu had been systematized in the first place was to ensure the dignity and financial independence of the women who worked there. Yet the strictures of the Inoue School kept us subservient to its authority. There was no room for any sort of autonomy. "
27 " This arcane system has been in place, unchanged, for over a hundred years. It contains no procedure for modification, no avenue for improvement or reform. Complaining or resisting is taboo. As noted, I had been trying to initiate changes in the system since I was fifteen. To no avail. "
28 " I opened my own place in June of 1977. I named it Club Hollyhock. "
29 " I would mediate engagements for the women who wanted to get married and help the others find new positions or start their own businesses. "
30 " So, I’m sorry, but as long as things remain as they are I don’t feel comfortable taking on any younger sisters. "
31 " I was glad for the additional income and, whenever possible, used the exposure to express my thoughts about the geiko system. "
32 " Her death was a defining moment in my life. It felt like the brightest light in Gion Kobu had gone dark. Sadly, she was the last master of the musical tradition in which she had been trained. The form died with her. "
33 " I was moved by her emotion, but she was unable to say the one thing I longed to hear. She couldn’t say, “Whatever you do, Mineko, please don’t stop dancing.” The system wouldn’t allow it. When I stopped being a geiko I would have to stop dancing. "
34 " I have no idea. It’s not my problem. But I’m sure you’ll do just fine. Anyway, you aren’t what I’m looking for. I’m looking for a grand passion, someone who will sweep me off my feet and teach me all about love. And then I’m going to become a really great dancer. "
35 " They begged me not to quit. But they didn’t offer to change anything. "
36 " The only adult male I had ever known was my father. All my ideas about love and responsibility came from him. "
37 " Well, these fifteen years may have seemed short to you but they have been an eternity for me. "
38 " As I expected, my retirement sent shock waves through the system. But not in the way I intended. In the three months after I retired, seventy other geiko also quit the business. I appreciated the gesture, though it seemed a little late to be showing solidarity with me at that point. And the powers that be didn’t change a thing. "
39 " I didn’t feel any guilt over my decision to close the okiya. I had given the Gion Kobu everything I had and it was no longer giving me what I needed. I had no regrets. "
40 " That one painting entirely changed my future. "