Taj's Early Years

  Dad had run off ten years ago and Ron had since worked fulltime at the pharmacy while studying five years for certification by computer and occasional night classes. Mom had found it very hard to manage during that time though she owned her own home, inherited from a relative.

  I asked about her house-keeping. Ron said she kept the house spotless.

  Her cooking? “Gourmet.”

  Could she swim? “She was school champion.”

  “Does she have a life-saving certificate?”

  “Oh yes, all the swimmers had those.”

  “Did she teach you to swim?

  “Yes she did and my sisters too.”

  “Does she have a driving license and car?

  “Yes.”

  “So she could hire out as a house-cleaner, work for a maid service or start one herself. Work as a cook or caterer, life-guard or swimming teacher. Even pizza deliverer or local courier making small deliveries for several shops, such as your pharmacy.”

  Ron thought that through and agreed she could handle any of those jobs easily.

  “Do you enjoy your work at the pharmacy?”

  “Not really. It was wonderful that the owner gave me a job when Dad left and enabled my professional training, but the work is dull and so are the customers. It’s not what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

  “What do you really want to do?”

  “I’m not certain, but I have enjoyed working with you today and helping the other students learn to do things better. It was awful when I was trying really hard and always getting the moves wrong. Somehow, you showed me the right way and it was suddenly easy.”

  “That’s because I noticed that you learn movement by feeling within yourself when your body does it correctly. That kinesthetic sense is called proprioception.

  “Yours only extends to your own body at present. I hope to train you to see when other people are moving wrongly so you can correct them too. You would make a magnificent martial arts teacher Ron. Do you drive?”

  “Yes Mom taught me years ago—that’s another of her talents.”

  “Good, I’d like to hire you as my assistant and driver. I’ll train you and you will accompany me to my other dojos.

  “We’ll find you accommodation nearby, as unfortunately you cannot stay with Fermina and me, because of the weird thing Catholic Argentinians have about keeping single girls and widows chaperoned and celibate.”

  “I’ll need to work out my notice at the pharmacy.”

  “That’s fine. Never burn your bridges if you can avoid it. You probably will want to return occasionally, to fill in when someone takes a holiday or gets sick and to keep your hand in. That’s fine, too. The owner sounds like a good person.”

  * * *

  Fermina, Rosa and my chauffeur Paul went out to examine the flats for rent that Maggie had listed in preferential order. The first proved perfect—nice, clean, close by, affordable and furnished, with a spare room for the few precious belongings Rosa couldn’t bear to be parted from.

  They had moved her in already. Everything else would be stripped, packed and put into storage the next day with the dojo furnishings.

  * * *

  Fermina and I had a relaxed dinner with Paul in our suite.

  He was a warmer person away from Armando and had already made friends with Fermina. She asked him what he had thought of all the martial arts he had seen that day.

  “It was fascinating. I’d love to learn that properly. Your daughter makes it look so easy. I managed to pick some up myself, but I’m not sure how to apply it.”

  That sounded promising to me.

  “Paul why don’t you put on some loose clothing after dinner and show me what you learnt today.”

  He did, and perfectly demonstrated the basic karate moves I had first followed under the advanced teacher, then the new kata I had demonstrated, and all the basic and other savate moves I had taught. Including the last three kata and reprisals that I had shown while he was busy getting the banquet food.

  His eyes had been following me all day while his body, so much larger and differently structured from mine, had learned all the moves without practicing them first. But those last six combinations he must have copied from Ron.

  I had never seen that before. Horrie had heard of a person with such a talent, but never met him. My own gift was similar, but not as well developed. I had to perform the actions physically before I owned them, and even so made small errors which Horrie had needed to correct.

  * * *

  We rose early the next morning, a Saturday. We ate a big breakfast and returned to the dojo with some dozen volunteers to strip out all the mats and transfer them to the hotel. We also packed the shop goods.

  I picked out three changes of gi, savate shoes, cane and gloves for Paul, gi and cane for Ron, two black belts and a replacement cane for myself. The remaining goods were transferred to our suite and the boxes piled so the labels were visible.

  Ron had brought his sisters, Naomi fourteen, Ruth twelve and mother Janine, all ready to learn more martial arts. He had shown them what he had learnt yesterday and the girls had picked it up easily, almost as quickly as Paul had.

  Mom was just determined to get into something all her kids were so good at. She had a very strong competitive streak.

  It seemed unbelievable that I could have such luck as to find four people with this rare talent. They had to be related somehow, probably through the errant father.

  And he was still out there somewhere, procreating!

  Phillip brought me a basket of large apples, washed and polished, to nibble on occasionally. He was definitely sucking up, giving me amorous looks too.

  He tried to stay close to me, but I partnered with both Ron and Paul today.

  Chapter 12

  First Breakthroughs

  I primed the class with some hard calisthenics, not as punishing as my usual choice, but still great for warming up.

  “Okay class, last night Paul told me that he didn’t know how to apply the kata he had learnt yesterday. I thought most of you would probably have the same problem.

  “It’s all very well learning some exotic dance steps and shadow boxing, but how does this help you to defend yourself from some mugger on the street? And what if he had a knife?

  “After this class, each of you will be able to handle that situation with ease, just with what you learned yesterday. I won’t teach you anything new today, but I will teach you how to use what you already know.

  “In all martial arts, the kata are designed to teach you to make the moves correctly, so that after a few thousand repetitions they will be part of you, but you’re all too impatient to wait so long. Right?”

  There was a resounding chorus of ‘yeahs’ and ‘rights’.

  “Okay, I want you all to do just the first kata alone while visualizing an assailant coming at you, using the moves in the reciprocal attack combination. See his aggression. He’s so confident. Wait until he’s within reach.

  “Don’t reveal that you know how to defend yourself. Don’t telegraph your moves. Gather your energies. Center yourself. As soon as he’s close enough, explode into offensive and fight with the first kata move.

  “See him falter and try the second attack move which your next move in the kata will block or neutralize and then how your following moves will defeat him.

  “Good, I can see that you are really there in that scene. Okay, once more.”

  I turned to Ron.

  “I am now going to attack you Ron, fairly slowly, and I want you to fight back and disarm me, using what you know.”

  I pulled out a glittering realistic dagger and lunged at him. Ron’s foot struck straight forward and kicked it out of my hand. We circled each other. I pulled out a lumpy rock and struck at his shoulder. He turned away leaning back as he kicked me low in the shin and chopped at the rock which fell apart into the modelling clay and salt it was made of.

  As he was now bent forward, I made an uppercu
t jab at his chin. He quickly straightened grabbed both my wrists and lifted me. Then just as my knee headed for his genitals, he turned side on, put a knee in my side and kicked me forcefully across the room.

  Then he stood there, aghast at what he’d just done.

  I stood up laughing. “You cheated Ron. There were some moves in there that I haven’t taught you yet. And you weren’t supposed to really hit me, but to pull your punches and kicks to just touch me without force. I must have forgotten to mention that.”

  He still looked woebegone. “Okay, sourpuss, give me a hug.” And I leapt up so he had to catch me in his arms. The hug was mutually satisfactory and made him smile.

  I saw the hungry look on Phillip’s face before Ron loosened his grip and let me slide back down. I forced a smile, picked up the knife, and launched a surprise attack on Paul.

  He was brilliant, pulling out the right move from his small repertoire to counter each of my aggressions, though I was using some attacks he hadn’t yet seen and doing so at full speed.

  Paul’s face was full of joy as he finally understood what his perfect kata moves had given him.

  I moved back and bowed to him. Paul bowed in return, and because of our great height disparity, couldn’t resist giving me a smacking kiss on the forehead as I rose.

  The shocked gasps of the onlookers made him realize that such informality was not proper in martial arts.

  “I’m sorry, sensei, I forgot myself. Kisses aren’t permitted, are they?”

  “Not from anyone else, Paul, but you get a special dispensation. You may kiss me every time I make you as happy as that. I only wish I could teach what you just learned to every one of my students as easily. Many take years to get it. Some never do.”

  I faced the class. “Does anyone here understand what it is that Paul just discovered?”

  There was silence. I waited.

  “He discovered that once a person has learned the perfect stance and form of a kata, every move in it becomes part of him for life. From then on, his body will automatically provide the correct move to handle every attack situation without his having to think about it.”

  “That is correct Armando. Our teacher, whom I knew by his fighting name, Master Prospero, instilled that into each of his students, He was always overjoyed when one eventually made the breakthrough.

  “I have finally beaten my sensei at something. The fastest any of his students came to that realization was two months, and that was myself.

  “Yesterday morning Paul knew no martial arts at all.

  “But his body recognized perfect form. His eyes followed my movements all day, and without copying any of them physically, his body, so different from mine, learned them perfectly.

  “Even the last six combination pairs which I had finished showing before he returned to the class. He picked those up from watching Ron who also has perfect form, though he hasn’t yet gained the confidence to understand it.

  “Paul has achieved the breakthrough in less than twenty-four hours.” I picked up an apple and lobbed it to him. “So he gets the first prize of the day.”

  Paul bowed to me and bit into the fruit. The class and I bowed to him.

  We spent the remainder of the morning perfecting stance and form, everyone working the first kata alone. Paul, Ron and I wandered the room making minor corrections as needed. Ron’s two sisters were the first to get perfect form.

  I immediately attacked both at once. They too pulled out the correct moves to counter me, working together to force me back. Suddenly, they too realized how the kata worked and their faces too lit with joy at the revelation.

  I gave them each an apple and sent them out to help correct the other students. They had just broken Paul’s record.

  Armando followed. He didn’t know he had it until I charged at him with the paper dagger and we sparred back and forth, then the tears of happiness just poured down his face.

  A seven-year-old boy was next, so shocked when I attacked him with the dagger that he almost knocked me out with his kick and uppercut. That pleased him so much that he jumped around, whooping for joy.

  I went to get his apple, grabbed two, tossed him one in passing and approached a nine-year-old girl, sweeping my leg out to trip her. She grabbed it and threw me, then laughed as I tossed her the apple, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

  The advanced karate teacher followed, then more children, two of the karate boys, the lady savate teacher I’d thought woeful—she gave me a hug as she wept her happiness. Then more children until we ran out of apples.

  One of the hotel staff carried in a whole box of apples, also washed and freshly polished, placed it on the table and bowed to me.

  I smiled my thanks and noticed that several more people were watching from two open doorways. Someone was taking photos. They would spread the word and we’d be inundated with new students soon.

  I snuck up on Ron and attacked him from behind this time. He feinted with a sweeping low kick, threw a huge punch at my belly, and when I evaded, turned the kick I’d forgotten about to hook my near leg to unbalance me and knocked me down.

  He’d again forgotten to pull the moves but neither of us cared as he wept, pulled me up and hugged me hard, finally understanding the potency of this new power he had uncovered in himself.

  I gave him the first of the new apples.

  With fourteen other people now roaming and correcting, I took a well-deserved break. I ate one of the new apples and watched as several hesitant correctors eyed an adult man who had perfected his stance moments earlier.

  Finally, the 9-y-o girl Bettina boldly attacked him. The guy was confused at first, not sure how to handle a child, but after she touched him, he understood and sparred back, everything coming so easily, he just stopped and burst into tears when he realized what had happened.

  It was always like that. I could stress the importance of perfect form for weeks or months, and the students would continue to believe close enough was good enough, hardly trying and not even noticing that their bodies were working more and more easily as they strived closer to perfection.

  Then suddenly they would be there and their next fight or sparring match would show them what they had achieved. Always the realization brought strong emotions and further advancement was rapid. And it was always inspiring for everyone else around.

  More than half the class crossed the barrier in the next hour before we stopped for brunch.

  * * *

  I ate hugely, my appetite prodigious as always. I don’t know if it was just a fast metabolism or whether my body might be gearing up for a sudden growth spurt which just wouldn’t get started. I was so tired of being tiny and needing so much food which had to be passed frequently too.

  Phillip ambushed me as soon as I left the loo.

  “Have you been avoiding me Taj?”

  “You’re a student in my class, Phillip. I don’t avoid any of my students, and I don’t permit them familiarity.”

  “You were nice to me yesterday. You chose me for your partner.”

  “Only because you looked competent and were shorter than the men I usually partner. My neck gets a crick when I’m constantly towered over.”

  “I gave you my scones and the milkshakes.”

  “I bought everyone dinner and brunch.”

  “You gave away my apples. They were a gift for you.”

  “I passed the gift on to the deserving. I don’t care for suck-ups, Phillip.”

  “I wasn’t brownnosing the teacher; I genuinely like you. A lot.” He actually fluttered his long eyelashes at me.

  “Phillip how old is your sister now?”

  “Wha . . . how . . . she’s fourteen.”

  “So she’s menstruating already and has grown too loose for your taste. Did you break her heart or was she glad to be left alone?”

  “She enjoyed it too. She said she loved me.”

  “Of course she loved you. You were her big brother and always sweet-talked and manipulated her til
l you got what you wanted. Face facts—you’re a dirty pedophile.”

  “I am not. I just wanted to be friends because I liked you so much. I thought you’d understand.” He had tears in those eyes now.

  “I couldn’t hurt any girl. I have a really small dickie, not like that ugly big thing of Simon’s. I’d never hurt you with it. You would hardly feel it at all. It would be so nice. I’d make it fun for you.”

  “You can stop right there. We have enough to convict you. Fermina and two other women were in the loo with me. I never go unaccompanied. They heard every word and you’ve been recorded on my computer. The three women walked out then, looking ill.

  “I’m not what you called me.”

  “No? Do you think you’re going to be chasing older women when you’re forty or fifty? Having a small dickie is no excuse for what you do. Most oriental men are on the small size. The women usually are too, and they work hard at keeping their pelvic floors strong so they can grip those little weenies tighter.

  “A small size is an advantage if you enjoy oral sex, as women can handle it more easily. There are also many other ways than penetration to please a woman if you really care about her.

  “You could have discovered all that for yourself, but you prefer to manipulate naïve little girls, so you’re going to jail. The crims adore child molesters. They have special treats in store for them, and they don’t include little dickies.”

  “Please, don’t call the police, Taj. I’ll do anything—”

  “Yes, you probably would, as this would be your third offence.”

  “How d’you know that? What are you?”

  “I had you investigated yesterday. I’m just a very world-weary child with more ugly life experience than most women of forty. I almost killed the last pedophile I encountered—he was even younger than you—and I should have killed the one before him.

  “You have two choices, Phillip—you can go to jail or go to Galen. Choose.”

  “Galen.”

  “Good choice. They have programmes that will turn your kind around. I believe it will only take a month to cure you. You’ll feel better lusting after a woman instead of a child.”

  “I’ll never stop loving you, Taj.”

  “Yeah, I’m such a femme fatale, to inspire undying love in only a day. Tell me that in a month and I might believe you.” I opened my laptop, pressed G and two hunky Galen security guys came in and walked Phillip out.