"Your father was a great student. He did as told and did it proficiently. Learned quickly, dedicated to Miyagi teaching. Your uncle was another story. Uncle was reckless. Violent. Jealous of your father. A long time ago, uncle was adopted by your grandparents. Grandmother was told she couldn't have children of own. Georgie loved uncle like his own, did anything for him. But his temper was big issue. Few years later, your grandmother found she was pregnant with child. Your father. It was a miracle. But your uncle felt deceived. As they grew, so did uncle's anger. He pick fights with father, beat and bullied him constantly. Grandfather Georgie brought them to me at right age, told me to train the boys in balance. I did as told, but that does not mean both boys cooperated. Uncle showed signs of neglect, hurt. I tried to help, but he pushed me away."
You felt your heart begin to crumble in your chest. This was the most you had ever heard about your uncle. Considering you weren't allowed to have contact with him, you never considered his side of the story. It intrigued you, and you never realized how badly you wanted to know this information until it was given to you.
Mr. Miyagi let you soak in his words. The tears welled up in your eyes as you tried to imagine what this all must've been like. You had no idea your uncle was adopted. You had no idea Mr. Miyagi had taught them both. He had watched the rise and downfall of your uncle.
"Why-" the lump in your throat restricted you, "why didn't I know anything about my uncle?"
Mr. Miyagi nodded his head in sorrow. "I'm afraid that is story for family to tell."
Shutting your eyes tight, you let your tears fall. You didn't know what else to say, but luckily, Mr. Miyagi filled the silent void.
"I see much of your father in you. Quick learner. Obedient. He would be proud."
You smiled, wiping away your tears. It made your heart warm, knowing he was probably looking down on you now.
I really hope I do make you proud, dad.
When you composed yourself, a full toothed grin flashed on your face for a brief moment. Curiosity loomed over you.
"My father taught me karate... but he didn't teach me like this." You gestured to the chores all around you.
"Hai," Mr. Miyagi smiled, "that's because he never teach you karate. You taught self."
Your features softened before quickly fading into a sense of confusion. "I don't understand-"
"Your father was very wise man. When you were younger, your uncle threatened family, so he protected you by not introducing you to this part of his life. He kept his karate secret, so uncle would never find you. Over years, your father kept his practice, in case anything were to happen. Moved you all the way across country. He came back home to me one day, said you were watching him meditate. Told me you joined in. So, just by watching him everyday, you practiced along with him. He did not teach karate to you, you teach self."
A flood of memories washed over you. There were images of you finding your father in the backyard, meditating peacefully under the large oak tree. You would go up beside him and mimic his movements. Thinking back on it now, you really did teach yourself. It wasn't until your father went on that big business trip to California, that he came back and really started to dive into the practice with you. But now you see it wasn't a business trip at all, he was going back to visit Mr. Miyagi.
It was a small world.
Just being this close to Mr. Miyagi, felt like you were with your father again. You were so blinded by happy memories cascading through your vision, you hadn't processed the massive step forward that you had just taken toward him. It wasn't until you had wrapped your arms around him that you realized what you were doing.
He hugged you back, holding you carefully. You wondered for a moment if perhaps he had taught your father how to hug as well, because his hugs sure felt like your father's hugs.
"Thank you," you whispered, "you have no idea how much I needed to hear this."
"Welcome." He pulled back and smiled at you before taking a step back. You wiped your tears and did the same.
The both of you bowed to each other. You made sure to keep the eye contact.
"Come back tomorrow night." He said.
"You can count on it."
•••
After school the following day, you sat in your chair and finished up some homework. You had to go over to Mr. Miyagi's that evening, so you were trying to get as much done as possible before it was time to leave.
That was a hard task to accomplish however, when the Cobras were goofing off next to you.
"Okay so if I just jump, you guys will catch me and lift me up right?"
"What if we drop you, Tommy?"
"Nonsense Bobby. Believe in yourself."
"What is the point of this?"
"For dramatic flare, Johnny."
"I understand that Dutch, but why is Tommy the one we have to lift?"
"Why can't it be, Jimmy? He wouldn't put this much thought behind it."
"That's the exact reason he's not in charge here, Bobby. I'm the one you want in this position because I'll make it perfect."
"But Tommy-"
"I don't want to hear it. If we want to rule the Halloween dance, we have to have some killer dance moves. Hence the lift."
"Where did you even get this idea?"
"It came to me in a dream."
You laughed to yourself as you wrote away on your paper. Looking up for a split moment, you found Tommy leaping through the air. The other boys crouched down to catch him. They rose to their feet, and Tommy extended his arms backward with a large smile on his face. He remained there for a moment before Jimmy shuffled and accidentally stepped on Dutch's foot. When they began wobbling, Tommy almost made a nose dive to the floor. He descended quickly, but luckily the boys still had a good grip on him.
So they all fell over.
Just then, a knock sounded at your door.
"Come in!"
When you granted access, the door opened. Your mother stood on the other side with a smile on her face.
"Hi boys!"
They all froze in their places, preparing to hoist Tommy up in the air once more. They all smiled brightly.
"Hi!" They chorused in unison.
You shook your head, laughing, as you approached the door. Your mother spoke happily. "There's someone here to see you."
"Hey," Johnny's voice came from behind you, "I didn't know you were expecting company."
"Well I didn't either, but then you guys showed up. So I might as well let someone else in."
Johnny scrunched up his nose and mimicked your stance, both hands on his hips. "So I might as well let someone else in." He mocked.
You rolled your eyes with a smile before turning back to the surprise visitor. Your smile widened when he stepped through the door.
"Marty!"
Behind you, Dutch let out a howl of a laugh before hitting Johnny on the shoulder. "Yikes."
"Uh oh!" Tommy giggled loudly.
You ignored their unnecessary comments and turned back to your friend.
"Ignore them," you laughed, "what's up?"
Marty's face lit up as he walked into your room. He immediately pulled out a notebook, flipping it open to a page full of names. You examined the list, questioning what it was for.
As if he read your mind, Marty excitedly began to explain. "It's a list of costume ideas! I thought that maybe it would be a good start."
You looked them all over, your face scrunching up in confusion. "I've never heard of any of these before... Claire Standish? Veronica Sawyer? Who are these people?"
Marty shrugged, smiling. "You asked for unique and never seen before. I delivered."
You continued to rake over the names as grunts and shouts came from behind you. Turning, you laughed as they attempted to lift Tommy again.
"What are they doing?" Marty asked, intrigued.
"I think Tommy is practicing crowd surfing."
"Yeah baby! Woo!" He shouted in the air.
Just then, Marty's eyes lit up. He grabbed your arm and shook it frantically. "That's it! I know your costume!"
The boys turned their heads to you quickly, almost dropping Tommy to the floor. Johnny smirked tauntingly before taking a step toward you and crossing his arms.
"Oh, so you do have a costume for the Halloween dance. You're gonna keep that to yourself?"
"As a matter of fact," you smirked right back, "I am."
"And why is that?" He leaned down.
"Because, Lawrence, I'm going to out shine you."
The Cobras laughed from behind him, hoisting Tommy back into the air.
"She's got a point." Dutch chimed in.
"Yeah, Johnny. She's gonna obliterate the competition." Bobby smiled.
Johnny rolled his eyes. "Bobby, we are the competition."
This grabbed your interest. "Oh, so this is a competition now?"
"Come on, princess. You know everything is a game with me." He winked.
You laughed before heading toward the door. "I'll be right back."
"Okay, we won't be listening through the door!" Tommy yelled after you.
Dutch hit his arm playfully, which then turned into a full on fist fight.
"Don't break anything!" You yelled to them as you shut your door.
Stepping out into the hall, Marty grabbed the notebook from your hands and ripped out the page full of names.
"Woah," your eyes went wide, "what are you doing?"
"We don't need this anymore, I have the perfect costume for you."
You clapped your hands together excitedly. "Ooh, what is it?"
"Well," Marty smiled, "the boys were doing the famous lift in there, right? From the movie? So my mind immediately went to Baby from Dirty Dancing!"
Your eyebrows furrowed. "Baby from what kind of dancing?"
"You know," he flailed his arms around, reaching for your understanding, "the movie?"
You stood there confused before he pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "You're right, I guess you wouldn't know that yet- but that's beside the point! What I'm trying to say is, it will be perfect."
You smiled slightly. "Nobody else will be wearing this?"
"Not a chance." Marty laughed.
"And will it blow the Cobra's costumes out of the water?"
"You'll leave them speechless."
Your smile grew a bit wider, the confidence gaining on you. "What's the costume like?"
"Well," Marty grabbed a pencil and began scribbling on the fresh piece of paper in the notebook, "it's very simple but elegant. Baby wears this powder pink dress. I think it's perfect too considering this is a dance."
Trying to imagine it in your head, you pictured a dress desirable for adoration. "I love it already!"
When Marty had it completely sketched out, he held it up to you. It was just as you had imagined.
"Marty, it's perfect!"
"Now we just need to find someone who can make it for you." He added in.
Your mind immediately went to your mother. She was a natural when it came to sewing. In fact, she had just sewn Johnny's name into that navy blue blanket.
"I think I have just the person."
Marty cheered excitedly. He threw the notebook down on the table and gave you a massive high five. When you caught another glimpse at his drawing, you paused.
Not only had he drawn a light sketch of a woman in a dress, but there was a man there as well. She stood in front of him, her arm reaching across his chest and around his neck.
"Hey Marty, who is that?"
"That?" He looked down at the drawing, "oh yeah, that's Baby's love interest in the movie, Johnny."
Love interest, you say?
"Oh," you swallowed, "that's cool."
Nodding his head, Marty acknowledged your nervousness. He winked in your direction.
"Speaking of which," he pointed toward your closed bedroom door, "I'll let you get back to yours. Later!"
You gasped playfully and in awe as he ran back to the door and waved goodbye.
Shaking your head with a blush, you walked back toward your bedroom door and pushed it open. The boys immediately scrambled to catch Tommy, but it was too late. They dropped him the moment you walked through the doorframe.
"Hey, you got back just in time for the grand finale." He let out a groan from the floor.
You laughed at their immaturity. They truly were comedy relief.
Just then, Johnny stepped forward. His fun demeanor dissipated and was replaced with a lingering question. His nerves got the better of him, and they displayed on his face.
"The boys and I were wondering if you wanted to come watch us practice again tonight?"
You were on the verge of telling them you would love to, when the words stopped forming on your tongue. You remembered what their sensei had said about you being a distraction, and gulped.
"I would love to... but I can't today. I have to..."
Your mind raced with excuses. Luckily, you already had one. You had promised Mr. Miyagi you would go back to his place tonight.
But how could you tell that to the boys?
"Uh..." you started again, "I promised I would help a friend clean up his yard tonight."
Well it wasn't necessary a lie. Who knew what kind of chores he would have you doing this time?
"His yard?" Johnny asked skeptically.
"Yeah. He's been renovating and I've been helping him."
"Oh," Johnny sighed, "maybe you could come watch us another time?"
You sighed, knowing you couldn't. You wanted the best for them. If that meant staying out of their way so they could focus on training, you would do that. But instead of putting up with the hassle, you plastered on a large, fake smile.
"Another time."