patience is key | the karate kid

xi. tough jealousy

xi. tough jealously

    SATURDAY EVENING, Daniel stands in his small area of a living room, throwing his leg up in the air and counting carelessly. A couple of books are stacked on top of the little coffee table — one being opened on a particular page with a picture of a guy kicking.

    Daniel and Kat haven't talked much since Thursday at soccer tryouts, and he wonders why.

    He remembers how she had dismissed herself when Ali came to talk to him, and how sad she looked in those eyes of hers. And a wave of guilt comes over him. He angrily thrusts his leg forward.

    "2... 3... 4... 5... 6..." He mumbles, each kick becoming more and more forceful and done out of anger.

    Then, out of nowhere a small knock came across the door. Figuring it was Kat, he stops and quickly straightens himself while beginning to smile. Then his smile disappears as he tries to come off as tough while doing his kicks.

    "Come in." He says causally, not bothering to look back behind him. The screen door creaks open, and in comes Mr. Miyagi with his small toolbox in hand.

    "Come fix faucet."

    Suddenly, Daniel stops to glance behind him. And it's no doubt that he's let down seeing as it isn't Kat who had come to visit him.

    "Oh yeah," he pauses, breathing heavily while nodding towards the kitchen. "It's the kitchen one."

    Mr. Miyagi nods, moving a step toward the kitchen before stopping himself to watch Daniel kick. He smiles some to himself as he stands there.

    "Karate?" He asks. Daniel doesn't stop to converse, and continues to throw a couple more kicks into the air.

    "Yeah."

    Mr. Miyagi glances at the stack of books on the table. "Learn from book?"

    "Yeah," Daniel repeats, then adds: "I took a couple of classes at the YMCA back to where I lived in Newark." Miyagi nods.

    "Oh." Is all he says in response before finally moving into the kitchen.

    He sits his brown toolbox on the counter by the sink. He squats down so he could open the cabinets to the sink fixtures.

    However, he continues to watch Daniel and notices his eye. Mr. Miyagi thinks back to the last time he had seen Kat, and remembers how her eye looked. Rough.

   "What happened to eye?" He had asked Kat the day after the party. Her cheeks has reddened and her eyed looked away from Mr. Miyagi.

     "Self defense." She reasoned.

    "What happened to eye?" Miyagi speaks up, reaching for something in his toolbox. Daniel glances over at him and simply says:

    "Oh, I fell off my bike."

    Mr. Miyagi nods, though knowing that he didn't just fall off his bike. He can tell by the way his hands are — they didn't seem to be roughed up one bit.