Nocturne in Black and Gold

Chapter 20: A Tale of Two Paintings

Always in the past when Neal descended the backstairs at the emporium, his objective was Mozzie's bunker. He would eye the sparring mats and the martial arts gear with curiosity and a little envy. They belonged to a club where he wasn't a member.

But not today.

When Neal arrived at the emporium, Billy's daughter Maggie was at the florist station helping a customer. She stopped to greet him and said they were waiting for him downstairs. They? Was this to be a group lesson?

Not quite.

In the basement, he saw he was to have not one but two kung fu masters—yin and yang. Billy was clad in a white martial arts uniform. Mozzie was all in black. Neal felt like an interloper in his jeans and t-shirt.

Billy's smile was as genial as ever, even if Mozzie did insist on assuming a frozen stance, his arms projecting outward like the wings of a crane ... or a vulture. Was there such a thing as vulture kung fu? If there was, Mozzie had it nailed. On a stand in the center of the room was the tiger-patterned orchid Billy had shown Neal earlier.

"You're not pulling my leg, are you?" asked Neal warily, eyeing the flower.

"No," Billy replied, "but with Mozzie as my disciple, it's a natural question. You may wonder why I agreed to take you on. Mozzie explained what happened. You lost your way, and it's up to us to put you on the right path."

"The Way of the Orchid?" Neal asked, letting a trace of his skepticism show. "I'm all for learning how to defend myself. I haven't been doing a particularly good job of that lately. I took your advice when you counseled me to imitate an orchid by faking an injury with the yakuza, but that wouldn't have helped in San Diego. Flowers are passive and that won't work in all situations."

Billy nodded in agreement. "Kung fu, like flowers, relies primarily on defensive techniques. Certain situations, however, require us to take the offense, and that is where the Way of the Orchid comes in." He went over to the tiger orchid and picked up a photo lying next to it. "What do you think of this?"

Neal studied the image. "Unusual orchid. Lovely fuchsia veins ..." Neal peered closer. "What is that? A second orchid?"

"Not quite. That's an orchid mantis, a superb example of mimicry."

Billy was right. It was hard to believe the rose and ivory creation was an insect.

"The orchid mantis blends perfectly with the flower, disguising its ability as a warrior. You, my friend, need to do the same."

* * * * *

By the end of the lesson, Neal hadn't made much progress in becoming either an orchid or an orchid mantis. Billy spent the entire session on taiji. Neal had often seen the discipline practiced in parks, but Billy used the method espoused in competitions. As Neal practiced the positions, Mozzie demonstrated them in his own unique style, adding flourishes no Chinese master would have ever incorporated.

He found that slowing himself down enough to perform the movements correctly was an impossible task. Billy appeared satisfied, however, claiming that until his qi was healed he couldn't expect to do better. Great. It wasn't enough that he had to stop the war going on in his head. He now needed to nurse an ailing qi.

Neal reluctantly agreed to continue the lessons for the next week when he'd work from home. He'd then reevaluate. Before the lesson started, he'd pictured himself performing acrobatic leaps, flying through the air in feats of dazzling virtuosity. The Way of the Orchid was so far a dud.

He'd worn his running shoes and decided to race through Riverside Park on the way home. The exhilaration brought a measure of relief. How could he possibly perform taiji when every muscle in his body screamed run?