“I haven’t been able to contact Junko the regular way,” Masako said.

“So?” I asked.

“I try the Japanese Network. I called some friends who knew her and might know some of her friends. I think she ws also interested in shamisen and I know some friends who know the teachers. SoCal Japanese is a small network, ne,” Masako said as she drank her tea and nibbled at some rice crackers. Meg had also set out some homemade crackers for us to taste.

“Yes, I worked as a waitress once and used to be surprised at home fast news about me traveled. I had to quit for the sake of my privacy,” Meg said.

“And all of those geisha collectors?” Masako asked.

“And for sanity,” Meg said. “I think that’s another reason Asian Americans want to marry out. Get out of the fish bowl.”

“I totally understand that,” I replied, turning on the cassette tape. This one also had some computer printouts wrapped around the cassette case. I immediately recognized Jane’s voice.

“I know in this day and age when Catholic priest has almost become synonymous with pedophile, it’s not easy to determine what someone means when they say they are religious. Now when I say it, it doesn’t mean I want a threesome or screwing a minister is my idea of heaven–even if the man of God assure me not to worry.”

“No,” Lynda said softly.

Jane continued, “Yes. He has had a vasectomy. He wanted to make sure I knew. But, you know what? That’s really more information than I need in the second email.

“But here I am, 30 and divorced. I don’t drink so going out to bars is just not my thing and I hate the smell of cigarette smoke in your hair the day after. But I do love my computer–mine after the divorce dust settled and there’s the internet.

“I’m Asian and I’m trying to scare away all those lewd guys with sexual fixations on Asian women so I write that I am religious. I mean…I AM religious. I attend services weekly. I even write that I pray daily and still I get those jokers like the ones described above and like, the kind that makes no-bones about looking for an Asian whore who will worship whitey and his magnificent white boner.

“So I get this guy and he types in, “Do you take it in the ass? $$$.”

“I answered, ‘Apparently, you’re so illiterate you can’t read or comprehend:

1. my ad
2. California state legal codes.’

“He answered, ‘What are you talking about! Do you want to fuck or not? I’m looking for an Asian woman to ass fuck for cash.’

“I answered: ‘Once again, you have proven yourself an idiot, incapable of reading and comprehending English.’ And this continued. Why? Because he’s just doing a search every day or so for an Asian woman between a certain age range and just sends them all the same message. So I complain and send an email to abuse@electromail.com. They tell me to ignore him. They tell me I can turn off my computer. I reply that he is soliciting an illegal act and they are allowing this to occur. But, they do nothing. That’s the male-centric Wild West of the internet dating.

“So he continued to write things like: ‘Do you take it up the ass for cash?’

“If you can read English, then try reading my ad and you will know the answer to your insipid question.”

“He answered, ‘Sorry. No time.’

“I was telling the girls about him and Cherry told me she had also reported him to the people at electromail.com. Same response. They tell her to turn off her computer. Close her account. Don’t answer him. Would they say that to a woman getting obscene phone calls? Turn off your phone. Don’t answer your phone. Don’t use your phone because it’s your fault.”

Masako sighed. “Remember when there no block option?” she added during a pause in the tape.

“A few days later, Chieri emailed me about a woman named Junko,” Jane said.

Then we heard another voice. “Yes. I Junko. I Japanese and divorced. No children. I write to Chieri. I am very disgusted with some of the responses I get. This message I get from this lovingguy@electromail.com:

I’m in the PC industry. I fuck Asian girls every day, 18-26 years old. They all take it in the ass for $150.00. My companys net worth is $27,000,000.00. My income is $121,000.00 a year. That is why I can fuck any slanted pussy I want. You are what they call a GRANDMOTHER anyway! When you were young, I’m positive you were taking it in the ass for $2, just as those 12 and 13 year olds I used to fuck in Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Korea. Is that how you made it here? All the other Asian sold their daughters to come to the USA. Oh, buy the way, we do have forks in this country. They’ve been around for 1,000 years. Get with it!

Junko continued, “I ask Chieri if she get response like this. I also get told: ‘Close account.’ ‘No use computer.’ ‘No answer.’ I decide: Why should I hide? This not communist country. Women suppose have rights here. So I make another personal ad and I include his response and I add this:

If you get this kind of offensive response, what do you feel? By the way, I am Japanese. My country is not poor to allow child prostitution. Maybe he is not that wealthy. Maybe he too snobbish, feels like kind of men and believes he can do anything? Your opinion welcome.”

“And what happened?” Lynda asked.

Junko replied, “Well, it bad and good. I get sudden rush of pornography. I think Jane get that, too. Then I get nice response from some men. They say not all American man like this guy and I think they write him. Let him know he not welcome in this dating place.”

Jane spoke up, “Chieri brought LovingGuy up at the next meeting. We did as we usually do. We all agreed to write to abuse@electromail.com and also to LovingGuy’s provider. We shouldn’t be asked to leave because we are being sexually harassed, Chieri said. Keeping quiet just allows creeps like that to continue. That was one of the reasons Chieri thought of the 3Gs.

“It just isn’t right. Men getting away with this. You couldn’t say this in public, could you? He’s intimidating women who aren’t as uppity as we are.” Jane then slowly said, Anna spoke up and said, ‘Don’t worry.’ I know just what he wants. I have perfect girl for him.’

“I think we were all surprised by Anna. But in a few weeks, Anna sent an email, writing, ‘Please come this Friday to our usual place. I let you meet her and you decide.’

“Anna introduced us to Lily. I don’t know if that was her real name. It was the name we knew her by. Anna made sure we knew this was a bit of a secret so we crowded around.

“Lily began, ‘I Lily. From Thailand. My family send me to Bangkok to make money for them. But when over, they don’t want back. No one want me. You know American men, German men, they so afraid of AIDS, they only want young girl. After while, I no longer young girl. I no longer clean. But for a while, Thai men still want. Finally, I get too old for Thailand, but not too old for US. Sure. I take up ass with that old white guy. Nothing new. He not so bad. He just careless. He don’t want condom. I don’t ask. We do couple of times. I sure to tell him when he finish; when he move on to look for new girl. I tell him after he paid me cash. I send him email. Last email before close account and get other. I let him know what I need money for. I not exactly legal here, but I can’t get AIDS treatment so easy in Bangkok. Maybe I take it up ass from him and like him when I young. I have no choice then. Now I have choice. Now I have AIDS. Now I give back. I make money. I keep money. I give present. AIDS. Herpes. Once I get present. Now I give. No tip necessary. It karma.'”

We were all quiet as I turned off the tape.

“So what happened to Lily,” Meg asked.

“She died a few years ago,” I said. “She was happy here though. She was surrounded by a ‘family’ of loving gay men that she met through her AIDS treatment. She had a little dog that I think Junko took.”

“Do you think the girls today still get those message?” Meg asked.

“The Suzie Wong generation has probably died,” I began.

Meg interrupted, “But Bill Shatner and Nancy Kwan are still alive.”

I laughed. “So true, but I think now is the time of the Miss Saigon. I always hate when it’s playing in any town because some drunk white guy will think he’s so clever and call you Miss Saigon or Miss Hong Kong. And I’m pretty sure those sex tours haven’t ended, either.”

Masako exclaimed, “Too depressing, ne. But we must be good guerrilla geisha girls, ne.”

“Yes. That war isn’t over,” I said. “Do people want to save you from the evils of the Asian male?”

Masako laughed. “Only in America, but it keep Kenji in line, but still, only in America.” With that we all laughed.