Page 33 of The Chosen Two

“Okay, we’re going to start with a warm up. Let’s do fifty jumping jacks.”

I can’t help but laugh out loud.

He rolls his eyes. “Fine. Let’s start with ten. Ten jumping jacks. Okay?”

“Sure. Let’s give that a shot!”

Every time I land, I feel a familiar sensation of warm liquid dripping out. Luckily, I came prepared for this. When I told Eliza I would be doing physical training with George, all she had to say was, “Just remember the day we met….” And I knew to don the incontinence undies I invested in after my first gym experience as a mom.

“Okay! You made it to ten. Let’s do ten more.”

Unfortunately, I don’t think the undies were made for this level of leakage. By the end of the fourth set of ten, I’m soaked. Luckily, I’m also prepared for this since I packed three more pairs in my purse. I raise my hand again.

“Yes, Miranda?”

“Um, slight issue. Could I please go to the bathroom?”

He frowns but agrees and leads me to a bathroom down the hall. When I start to change, I pull off the wet undies...and my soaked pants. “Shit.”

“Everything okay in there?”

“Um, yeah….” I open the door a crack because I don’t think this is a conversation I should have through a door. “I, um, had some…woman…mom related…physical issues…during that warm up. And I don’t have any spare pants. I think we may have to call it a day?”

After a moment, recognition lifts his furrowed brow. “Oh! Um…hang on one second.”

He disappears into the next door and comes back a moment later. “I promise I had been planning to present this to you with a little more…ceremony. But I guess now will have to do.” From behind his back, he produces a perfectly folded white garment.

I look at him, confused.

“It’s your gi.” Tucking the bottom piece under his arm, he unfolds the cotton top. On the back of my gi, in beautiful embroidery, is the woman from the painting.

I put my hand on my mouth. “Thank you,” my words barely more than a breath.

“Try it on. We can be done with the jumping jacks,” he winks.

I let out a chuckle and disappear into the bathroom to change. A sense of power washes over me as I tie the gi top and look in the mirror. Never in a million years did I ever expect to see myself in one of these. Martial arts always seemed an elite club I never thought to join, or ever cared to try. But now that I am here, wearing this, it all feels so right. I’m going to learn karate!

Before I head back in to train, I smooth the bottom edge of the top against my thighs. When I arrive in the dojo, George is standing where he had been before and holds something behind his back, but I can’t make out what. I run, eh, walk briskly, back to my spot and face him. I have no doubt that the corners of his mouth quirk up this time. He has true joy in that sly little smile. I can’t help but smile back, a little more confidently than I ever have before.

“That gi suits you.” He smiles widely. “Before we continue, I have one more thing to give you. I wasn’t sure when I should present this to you, but since I gave you the gi, it’s only fitting you have this as well.” He pulls his hands around to where I can see them, and in them he holds a white belt. “This is your first obi, your white belt. I was going to tell you that once this is on you, you will not be the same person. But honestly, between the painting and the gi, I think you’ve already felt that today.”

As he wraps the belt around my waist, I’m trembling, buzzing from the energy in the room. I definitely cannot follow how he twists the obi so deftly, leaving a little arrow in the knot that becomes more apparent when he tugs tightly on the ends.

“You’re going to need to teach me how to do that.” My words are shaky from my nerves. I feel his silent laugh pulse through him as his hands finish straightening my belt. Then he takes a large step back, slaps his hands to the sides of his legs, and bows to me. I mimic what I see, bowing back.

He claps for me, genuine applause. But because it’s only one pair of hands, it sounds sarcastic to my ears.

“Now, let’s get started…for real. I’ll consider you warmed up already. The first thing you’ll need to know before anything else is how to fall.” He throws himself backward, smacking the floor with his hands by his waist, while yelling “Hiya!” He stops moving only when he has rolled halfway onto his side, knee bent in the air, foot poised to kick, hands in some positions in front of him.

I can only imagine what my face must look like because he breaks out laughing.

“Okay, Miranda. That might look hard, but you can definitely do it. Oh! But I should probably teach you some stances first. Sorry, you’re new to learning, and I’m new to teaching.” He blushes a little.

I first learn neutral position, when my legs are tight and my hands slap my outer thighs. Then I learn to stand strong with my feet hip-width apart and my fists kept down but in front of my waist. I’m supposed to default to this Yoi Dachi Stance when just standing around. Okay sure, that’s definitely a comfortable, natural position. I also learn guard stance, the position I need to assume before throwing punches or kicks.

After that, we move on to the fall he first showed me. Again, I laugh and shake my head. There’s just no way I’m going to be able to do that. He breaks it down into steps, has me squat down low, roll backwards, slap the ground.

“No! Watch your elbows! They shouldn’t hit the ground.”

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