Rise of the Dragon

Chapter 4: Tears of the Dragoness

     Linda Lee sat in front of her husband's grave. Bruce's funeral had just ended, and she stayed behind along with a few of Bruce's other close friends. With her cheeks still wet from tears, she stood up and left the cemetery. Bruce's friend, Chen, offered to drive Linda home, but she declined. She wanted some time alone to walk and clear her head. As she walked through the city, she began to cry again and sat down on a bench at a bus stop. All around her were reminders of her husband. Even the city itself was a reminder of the man she loved. Bruce was the reason she went to Hong Kong. He introduced her to this city, and she couldn't enjoy it the way she used to. Bruce was a part of the city, and without him, it felt incomplete.

     Linda continued to sob on the bench until a young man approached her.

     "Miss Lee?" The man asked her as he put the palm of his hand to his fist and bowed.

     Linda wiped a tear from her eye and said with a smile attempting to mask her pain, "That's me."

     "Please, may I join you?" The man asked. He spoke English very well, but he had a clear Cantonese accent. Linda nodded as she choked back tears. "I am very sorry for your loss." the man continued as he sat down. He was clearly trying to hold back tears as well. "My name is Jackie, and I looked up to Sifu Lee very much."

     "Thank you, Jackie." Linda replied. This was nothing she hadn't heard before. Many people had already expressed their condolences and told her how much Bruce inspired them. "Were you two close?"

     Jackie smiled a bit as he remembered when he met Bruce. "Not really." His nostalgic smile swiftly turned into sobs. "I... I worked with him on a few films, but he probably didn't remember me. I'm just honored that a man like Bruce even noticed me."

     Linda was surprised by how strongly this man felt about Bruce. No one else was so sincere about how much her husband inspired them. "Jackie," Linda started saying, and then thought for a moment. "You seem like a very passionate martial artist. And passion was something that Bruce always remembered."

     Linda's words comforted Jackie "Thank you, Miss Lee. Your words mean a lot to me." He said as he stood up. "I must go now, but it was very nice speaking to you." Jackie bowed again and began to walk away.

     "Jackie?" Linda said, "I hope I see you again."

     "Likewise, Miss Lee." Jackie smiled as he left.

     Linda looked around at the city again. She saw that her husband was not truly gone. A legend like Bruce could end, but it could never die out. She stood up, and her eyes locked onto that day's newspaper next to her on the bench. On the cover was a blurry photo of a man in black holding yellow nunchakus. The headline read, "Vigilante stops Yakuza arms trade."

     Linda's eyes teared up again when she realized who this "vigilante" is. She whispered one word, "Bruce."