Chapter 9

Chapter 9. - The Happiest Day

My mother used to say that it was very difficult to wake up me on school days! She called me many times before I got up. However, when it was the Kotekitai's rehearsal day, I woke up by myself  and before her.

We usually woke up at about 4.30am to take the train at 6.30am. It was necessary to get up a couple of hours early because we had to meet with other children who would travel with my mother. 

The girls were kotekitai( band for girls) and the boys were Ongakutai ( band for boys). Their parents could not go to every rehearsal because some had two or three children in the bands and they did not have money for transport for them and their children. They also wanted to give their children some extra money to buy an ice cream. Everybody liked to buy ice cream on the train! 

After getting dressed my mother and I did Gongyo and Daimoku. We never left home without doing Gongyo and Daimoku! But we always left home without having breakfast! 

' Honey, we are going to have our breakfast on the way or on the train, is that okay with you?' My mother asked. 

' Yes mummy!' I answered. 

I did not really mind about having breakfast on the way! First because I was never hungry at 4.30 am and second because I did not want to miss the train. If that happened the next train would not be till 7am and we would be late for the beginning of the kotekitai'  rehearsal. Then I would miss the part I liked most, the recitation of the poem " Angels of the peace". 

The poem was written by the Kotekiati's founder Daisaku Ikeda and dedicated to each member of the group. The poem was very long and we recited it standing with our hands behind our back and our heads held high concentrating looking at the horizon. The older girls from the band had memorised the poem and they recited all the verses in a dynamic rhythm! It took about fifteen minutes. I was not sure I would be able to recite the poem like them without reading it when it became my turn to join the band. That would happen at age13. I was still just 9! 

' Why do we have to look at the horizon when we are reciting the poem?' , I asked one of the Pompomtai's  leaders. 

' Because we think about the Kotekitai's founder Daisaku Ikeda', she said,' Although he is in Japan so far from Brazil, we wish to thank him from the bottom of our heart for founding the group, for selling his own clothes to buy the first instruments to offer the members' group and for propagating this Buddhism outside Japan. Without his effort we could not be in Kotekitai and chant Nam- myoho- renge- Kyo.' 

' But how is he going to hear us?'How will our voices reach him? , I asked.

' He will not hear to our voices! When we say each verse of the poem it is as we are making our vow to him, that through our music we will give hope and courage for everybody, as he wished when founded the band.' She said. ' Like when we chant Nam- myoho- renge- Kyo for someone we have been concerned for, but who doesn't live near of us. Have you ever done that?" 

' No I haven't. But my mother does! She always says she is chanting for our family and friends and they don't live near of us.' 

'So your mother knows that our chanting goes to other people like a radio waves. And our voice will reach our mentor's heart and he will know that the Kotekitai's members are here doing Kosen rufu through the music', She said. 

 I was very moved by her words and I didn't realise how much meaning that poem had for each of us! If I had already liked that moment and the poem, then after her explanation I liked it much more! 

The poem's excerpt that moved me and made me cry was; 

" Nor bayonets, even firearms

With a mere fife and drum 

You play the basic rhythm of this mystical universe. 

 They will feel the resonance, 

 in their hearts 

And the world too 

 Will discover a reason for Peace." 

Daisaku Ikeda 

(Tentative of translation) 

So, I could never be late! 

When we were all together we started walking to the station. We were about ten people and we usually had many bags and musical instruments. The boys had just music instruments and one of the boys had chosen a big instrument called bass drum.

' Why did you choose this big instrument?  Did they not have a small one? It is bigger than you!' my mother always said to him. 

Everybody laughed! I laughed too! 

The hardest moment was when we were a few meters from the train station and the train was early. It whistled at Santa Cruz station and we could hear the whistle and see the lights in front. 

' Run!', my mother shouted. 

We all ran! My mother took the boy's bass drum and put it on her shoulders and ran behind us! She also asked the oldest boy and girl to run faster to be at the train door to help the younger of us get safely on the train. 

We crossed the Main Street very fast before any car came and went up the station's ramp. 

'Don't stop! Don't stop! We need to get that train!', my mother said.  

When we got to the station the oldest girl passed underneath the roulette and the oldest boy jumped the roulette. Then they helped us to pass underneath the roulette. 

On a normal day the oldest boys and girls paid the tickets but when the train was early they did not have time. The good thing was that they would have more money to buy ice cream and they would share with others who did not have any money. I was one of them! The bad thing, my mother would say, was that we had made negative cause by not paying for the transport.  

However we did not have time to pay and the oldest girl and boy were already holding the train's door.  

'Go! Go!, the oldest boy shouted. 

Each of us was practically thrown into the train by the oldest girl and boy who were at each side of the train's door. We had short legs and the gap between the train and the platform was big and high. One girl called Luciana always cried when getting on the train because she was afraid of falling into the hole. 

My mother was the last person to get on the train because she wanted to be sure that everyone was safely on it. 

As soon as we all got on the train, the engineer blew the whistle and the doors closed. We all left our backpacks fall on the train's floor and sat down breathless! Nobody said a word for a while. Slowly we started to laugh at each other.  My mother was the first person to say something. 

'Is everybody here?' my mother asked. 

'Yes Mrs Teresa!' The oldest boy answered. He always counted when helping us on the train. 

'Is everyone well?' The oldest girl asked. 

'Yes we are!' We shouted. 

'Well done! We did it! You were great! my mother said. '

We did it! We really did! I thought.

'Now let's have our breakfast and sleep because you are going to have a long day and it has to be great and productive' ,my mother said. 

I was very hungry after that run and the bread with butter I had in by bag was finished in two bites. Then I went to sleep as my mother ordered. 

The journey took about an hour and twenty minutes, and we had to walk about twenty minutes   to the school where the bands' rehearsal would be. 

We arrived at the school on time! The boys went to the right side and we went to left side of the school. 

 After the recitation of the poem with all kotekitai's members I went into a room with the pompomtai's members and my friend Silvia, to start the Pompomtai's rehearsal. We also had our poem, but it was five or six lines and we recited it very fast. We were in the room in the morning to study Sensei's guidance, learn theory, and we were talking and practicing our choreography. The pompomtai's leader asked us if we were chanting at home with our parents. Then they explained how important it was to chant everyday in order to build a life of victories. 

After lunch we practiced our dance with the older girls who played. The rehearsal finished at 5pm and we would repeat the journey back home. We sat at the train station's floor and  shared and ate the rest of the food we had. Everybody looked so exhausted! I was too! 

When the train arrived we all had our ice cream and then slept all the way  back. 

The rehearsal day was my happiest day! I was not at home with my father! I spent the whole day with my mother! I met my friend Silvia! I learned many things and I danced! 

 I could not wait for the next rehearsal next month! I also could not wait for the  time when I would be like the older girls and play an instrument. I just didn't imagine that to be older, participate in the band, and play like them would be a big challenge for me!