Changes || [Johnny Lawrence]

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Rosana wipes at her face furiously as she tries to get rid of the tears but then a sob left her lips and a new fresh of tears began, making her have to start all over again. Rosana thought about the only thing that might help her right now: her training with Mr. Miyagi. She takes a deep breath and gets in position.

Rosana had gotten her tears under control for the time being and stepped into Mr. Miyagi's small apartment/fixing shed to see him talking with Daniel who was holding a replica headband that she always wore to training with Mr. Miyagi against his forehead.

"Because old man?" Mr. Miyagi chuckles and motions to the tea, "Have tea. Feel better. Come, Rose-san."

Rosana goes to the other side of Mr. Miyagi with exhausted limps and sits down on a seat that Mr. Miyagi probably put there just for her as if he'd known that she'd come here. Her feet felt like they were about to collapse under her; she has never run that fast in her life like she had tonight. And her body felt heavy from the emotional stress she was under.

"Rose?" Daniel groans as he struggles to get up.

Rosana ignores him as she moves forward to take one of the three cups without a handle and holds it the way Mr. Miyagi had taught her.

She takes a sip of the warm liquid and allows it to flow through her before inhaling the smell of it and let it calm her nerves. She watches silently as Mr. Miyagi shows Daniel how to hold the handless Chinese cup before he drinks from his own cup.

"How come you didn't tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Mr. Miyagi asks Daniel.

"That you knew karate."

Rosana also wanted to know why. He never told her either.

"You never ask."

If it was any other time, she would have laughed. He was right. Neither of them asked, so why would he mention it? Hell, she didn't mention that she was learning karate either.

"Where'd you learn it from?" Daniel asks.

"Father."

"I thought he was a fisherman and a healer," Daniel and Rosana says at the same time but only Rosana said 'and a healer' part.

Danny and Rose were too curious in Mr. Miyagi that they didn't glare at each other for speaking at the same time like they had this past month.

"In Okinawa, all Miyagi know two thing: fish and karate. Karate come from China; sixteenth century called Teh, hand." He explains, "Much later Miyagi ancestor call karate, empty hand."

Rosana was highly interested in the history of karate especially since she began to learn it from Johnny. Tears pricked her eyes as her heart clenched at the thought of Johnny before she expelled it from her thoughts temporarily; her shaking fingers still a sign of her stress.

"I always thought it came from Buddhist temples and stuff like that."

Rosana lets out a small laugh when Mr. Miyagi's face fell into a deadpan expression, "You too much TV." He takes the headband from Daniel and dips it again in the smelling green liquid —he had used with her the last time and the stuff she borrows by him occasionally— before rinsing it out and gave it back to him for the bruise on his face.

"That's what our mother tells me. You ever taught anyone?"

"No." He says curtly.

"Would cha?" Daniel asks curiously. Even Rosana was curious. Now that she might not be talking to Johnny and the others for a while, she could use another teacher.