When testing time came around, Tyler was eager to see Jaime prove himself. Tyler was confident the time he’d put in sparring with Jaime would pay off. Jaime still preferred to partner with him or one of the women in class. Even though he had started using the changing room with Tyler after their sparring sessions, Jaime still arrived at class in his freshly pressed uniform. As much as Jaime had started to relax with Tyler, he still kept his guard up around the other guys in class. That wouldn’t matter during testing. Like it or not, Jaime was going to have to spar with everyone who was testing, including Steve.
“Pair off for free sparring.” Sensei Melissa gave the command after a grueling set of basics.
The students who were testing paired off while the rest of the class moved to the perimeter of the dojo floor to watch. There were more pairs than black belts, so Tyler would have to keep his eye on Jaime from a distance. His first match was with Sam. Despite being over fifty and a body that had lived life to the fullest, the realization that she wasn’t getting any younger motivated her to join the dojo a little over a year ago. Jaime was gentle with her, using the opportunity to hone his techniques.
Tyler could only spare a few glances at Jaime as he had his hands full with Steve and Bill. They were both going for their brown belts and control took second place to the desire to win. Tyler had to stop their match several times and warn them to clean up their techniques. They had more enthusiasm than accuracy.
“Switch.”
At Sensei Melissa’s command, the testing students shuffled. This time Jaime ended up with one of the kids. Eddy was a scrawny thirteen-year-old who had joined a few weeks after Jaime. The boy was so awkward Jaime had to concentrate on making sure they didn’t end up on the floor in a heap instead of focusing on his technique.
Tyler thought Jaime was going to avoid fighting one of the other guys when Sensei Melissa rearranged the groups.
“Steve, switch with Eddy.”
* * * *
It had been ages since Jaime had tested. No matter how many times he had faced a panel of black belts who judged his every move, Jaime was still nervous. He was used to drawing attention, usually the negative kind. Being judged was a state he was familiar with, but this time he wanted to live up to the expectation he saw in Sempai Tyler’s eyes. The kindness in his eyes and the way he treated Jaime made him feel like anything was possible, even if Jaime wasn’t so certain. For Sempai Tyler, Jaime wanted to be better than he even believed he could be.
Everything was going according to every other grading that Jaime had taken part in. Over the years he’d spent in judo, Jaime had become familiar with the drill of testing. Basics at a blistering pace. Forms repeated ad nauseam. History and philosophy questions that were designed to challenge even the highest ranks. Jaime had done his best not to stumble or look like a total idiot. All things considered, Jaime was surprised at how well it was going. He hadn’t fallen on his face or made a complete fool out of himself with a rambling answer about what karate meant to him at his early belt rank. Even the sparring, the last event of testing, was going surprisingly well. That was until Sensei Melissa decided to pair Jaime with Steve.
Jaime bowed to Eddy, his previous partner, and shook his hand. The knowledge of his next opponent brought back the nerves that were plaguing him at the beginning of the test. The scowl on Steve’s face wasn’t a surprise. With a muttered acknowledgment of Sensei Melissa’s command, Steve stalked over to Jaime. The closer he neared the more menacing his posture became. No doubt he was trying to intimidate Jaime, and it was working. Jaime hoped Sensei Melissa wouldn’t let things get out of control. Jaime instinctively looked for Sempai Tyler; he would protect Jaime if things got out of hand. Unfortunately, he was all the way on the other side of the room, supervising Eddy and Bill. Jaime was on his own, like he had been most of his life. With a deep breath, Jaime looked Steve in the eyes as they bowed and tried to judge how pissed off he was.
“Hajime.”
The word went off like a shotgun in Jaime’s head. Steve launched into an attack as soon as he came up from his shallow bow. The hours Jaime had spent sparring with Sempai Tyler had improved his distance and timing. Jaime stumbled backward just out of range of Steve’s attack. Frustrated by being robbed of the hit, Steve kept coming at full steam, sending Jaime across the dojo floor. When Jaime’s back hit the wall, his concentration wavered. The next thing Jaime knew, Steve’s fist hit him. Jaime felt the sticky warmth of blood trickling from the fresh wound. Pain flared and tears gathered in his eyes, but he refused to
