That time I got rejected three times on the same day!

Chapter 26

We were a little late. The Judo class had already started and the other kids were doing warm-ups. My sensei was a big man, one of the biggest men I had ever known. He towered over other people and was twice as wide, but he wasn't fat. It was all muscle and bone. I had never seen him angry before, but I felt sorry for anyone stupid enough to get this monster of a man angry. We called him Sensei, but my mother called him Dimitry, that was his first name. He waved and came to us. When he saw my face he bellowed loudly. He had a thick Russian accent.

"You getting in trouble again Henry? This is good. Fighting is good. Did you win?"

I shook my head.

"I lost," I said quietly.

Dimitry laughed.

"Ha, don't worry. When you are boy, you can lose. Only when you become man, then losing is bad. Go join other boys. I will talk to your mother."

Judo class always started with a warm-up which consisted of running, stretching, and exercises. Everyone was running in a circle. I joined in on the end, running a little more slowly with my limp. I watched Dimitry and mother talking; she was probably telling him about today. Dimitry nodded sagely, rubbing his unshaven chin. Judo saved my life today, more than once, I would have to tell mother that.

After the warm-up we started to do throwing drills. Most of the boys in the class were also bigger than me. Throwing kids at school was easy, they didn't know how to keep their balance and drop their weight. The boys at Judo felt like they were rooted to the ground. In drills I could lift them, and throw them, but in free practice, I was usually the one being thrown. My partner was Sergei, Dimitry's son. Sergei was like his father; big for his age, strong for his age. Unlike his father Sergei had a naturalised Australian accent.

"What happened to your face?" he said while we practiced throwing each other.

"I got into some fights."

"Did you win?"

"I didn't." I replied.

He shrugged and threw me hard onto the mat.

"Shit happens."

He offered his hand and hauled me up. That was Sergei's answer to everything.

When the free practice started Dimitry called me over and we sat down together, away from the other boys. He lowered his head and looked me in the eyes.

"I hear what happen today. Is not problem. You do good. But, Mother worried. I say, Judo good. She say, you need special training. I say, all training special. She say, you need to learn how not fight. I say, Judo is gentle way, we never fight."

I was getting the picture. Dimitry had an interesting way of telling stories. I always enjoyed listening to him.

"You small, but you tough. I tell mother, but she still worried. I say, Sergei get into many fights, no problem. He use Judo, nobody get hurt. This karate kid is stupid, he deserve broken hand. Don't worry. I will teach you to be strong."

I had questions, important questions. Judo hadn't failed me, but I wondered if I would have fared better if I had known how to punch and kick.

"What if I get jumped by 10 kids?" I asked.

"You not fight."

"What if they grab you and pin you against a wall?"

"You not fight."

"What if they throw things at you?"

"You not fight."

Sometimes Dimitry was as perplexing as Neris.

"Then what do I do?"

Dimitry stood up.

He took me to the corner and called out to his son.

"Sergei, come!"

Sergei walked over to us. He moved like a tank. Dimitry and Sergei were those men that would walk through a train station or shopping mall and the crowd would just part before them out of fear of being crushed.

"Sergei, we teach Henry how not fight."

Sergei nodded. Dimitry grabbed Sergei by the lapel of his Judo gi and pinned him against the wall. Sergei turned sideward, ducked under Dimitry's arm and literally walked away. He did a few

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different grabbing and striking combinations. Every time Sergei just ducked, weaved, or turned away, escaping without doing much of anything.

"You understand Henry?" Dimitry said.

"Not fight. Move. Up, down, left, right, forward, back. Move. Move. Move."

He gestured to Sergei.

"Okay. Henry you try."

Sergei grabbed me like his father had grabbed him, and I did exactly as I had seen. It was easy. I felt like an eel just slipping out of someone's grasp. I didn't do it as well as Sergei, but it worked.

"See Henry," Dimitry said. "Is easy. Not fight. Win."

I was having fun, but he grabbed both of us and pushed as back onto the mat.

"Okay. Enough not fight. Now we fight."

Dimitry walked out between us and chopped his hand between us. This was the signal to start

"Hajime!" he called in Japanese, which meant 'begin'.

Sergei and I started circling each other, looking for an opening. Sergei launched in, grabbed my lapel, and threw me over his back. I hit the ground hard, but broke my fall. The impact reverberated through the dojo.

"Good. Okay. Again." Dimitry shouted.

I could only smile. The exercise took my mind of everything else.

I had enjoyed the class, more so than ever. Mother had picked me up and talked to Dimitry again. I realised Dimitry had many things he could teach me, I just needed to ask. This line of thought triggered another epiphany. I still had Rhea's email address. All I needed to do was ask. I walked over to Dimitry and my mother.

"How did it go Henry?" she said.

"Good."

Dimitry ruffled my hair.

"You need to cut hair. You look like girl."

Maybe he was right. I didn't really remember the reason I was growing my hair long.

"Yes Sensei," I replied.

"Remember Henry. Not fight. Win."

"Yes Sensei."

I left with mother, feeling much better. The third confession with Neris still plagued my mind, but the physical exercise had been a good change of pace. I sat in mother's car with Rhea's address in my mind. Maybe I could get Neris' address through her...