Yukiko and Carlos (short story)

Love story by Rubén "Funkahuatl" Guevara about a Chicano young man and a Nisei young woman that begins in 1941. Written in the first person voice of Carlos Gutiérrez, the story begins when he spots Yukiko Nakamura dancing at a bon dance while he is walking home from work. At Roosevelt High School, he approaches her, and they become friends, with each learning about the other's culture. Carlos aspires to be a boxing champion and is estranged from his alcoholic father. He soon becomes a regular at Yukiko's family's restaurant and begins taking lessons in the martial arts from Yukiko's father, eventually winning his respect and the right to date Yukiko. But the coming of war and the forced removal of Japanese Americans separate the couple, as Yukiko and her family are sent to Manzanar . Carlos eventually becomes a war hero by applying the lessons he learned from Mr. Nakamura, though he is badly injured.

"Yukiko & Carlos" was the second place prize winner in the 2014 Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest.

Might also like " Mary Osaka, I Love You " by John Fante; " Masao and the Bronze Nightingale " by Rubén "Funkahuatl" Guevara; " Makapuu Bay " by Wakako Yamauchi