Chapter 49: Sensei Steve

June 11, 1988, Chicago, Illinois

After everyone had lined up, Sensei Jim dismissed me and my three charges. I realized that the first thing I had to do was teach them to dress! They carried their new gi and belts with them and followed me into the small training room. I shut the door behind us as I heard Sensei Jim bark for Jolene to lead exercises.

"I'm Sensei Steve," I said. "That's the way you should address me here, but not if we meet in public. Sensei Jim is the master of this dojo, and I am only his representative, not a master in my own right. I am a 2nd Dan black belt. I started training here in 1981 and achieved my black belt about two years ago. I was awarded 2nd Dan recently. Today, I'm going to teach you how to put on your gi, how to tie your belt, how to act in the dojo, and some very basic exercises and stances. But first, I want to know why you are here. Will?"

Will was a wiry, sandy-haired boy who wore glasses.

"My dad thinks I play Nintendo too much and watch too much TV. He thinks I need to learn self-discipline."

"What grade are you in?" I asked.

"I start second grade in the Fall."

"OK. Jacquelyn?"

Jacquelyn had long, curly brown hair, was probably about thirty pounds overweight, and looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but in the dojo.

"My doctor said I need to exercise. My mom made me sign up for lessons. I don't WANT to be here."

That didn't bode well. The first thing I'd have to do was work on that attitude.

"What grade are you in?" I asked.

"I start my Junior year in the Fall."

"Melody?" I prompted with a smile.

"I've always wanted to take some kind of self-defense or martial arts class. I think it will be fun!"

"What year of college are you in?"

"I'm starting my Junior year in the Fall."

"Great! So the first thing the three of you need to learn to do is put on your uniform. There are two parts to a gi. The pants, or shitabaki, and the jacket, or uwagi. The pants are simple. Just pull them on over your underwear and tie the string in front of you. The jacket is a bit more complex. Let me show you."

I took off my belt, then untied the strings of the gi, first the outside ones, then the inside ones, and took it off. The reactions of the three white belts were from one extreme to another. Melody's eyes twinkled, obviously remembering the sauna, Will was disinterested, and Jacquelyn blushed. I hadn't even thought twice about it, and I wondered if she thought I was going to make her change in front of me. If so, I needed to correct that immediately.

"There's a changing room through that door," I said. "With stalls so you can have some privacy. For you, Will, just take off your shirt and put the jacket on. For you girls, I suggest keeping your bra on, and if you don't have one already, get a sports bra, because we do a LOT of moving around. You put your arms through the sleeves like this, then tie this internal set of strings, then wrap the jacket around you and tie the other set."

I showed them how to do it, then showed them how to properly put on the belt, how to wrap it and how to tie it.

"OK. Please go change and be back in two minutes!"

"Yes, Sensei!" Melody said with a smirk.

"That is the correct response! Now, go!"

It took nearly five minutes before all three of them had emerged, with Will coming out first, then Melody, and finally Jacquelyn. I checked how they had done and ended up fixing all of their belts, which didn't surprise me, because it had taken a few classes before I could do it the way Sensei Jim wanted it done. I patiently showed each of them what was wrong and why and then showed them again the right way to do it.

"When we come to class, we come dressed. If you have to change when you arrive here, then you need to be early. Being late to line up is both rude and a violation of dojo rules. The first time you are late, you will need to ask permission to join the class, and most likely it will be granted without delay. The second time, you'll be given extra exercises to do. After that, there is progressive discipline."

"What does that mean?" Will asked.

"It means more and more punishment. I can't tell you what it is because in all the time I've been here, nobody has dared to be late more than twice!"

"Oh come on!" Jacquelyn exclaimed. "What is this? Military boot camp?"

"Not even close," I said. "I can let you talk to a bunch of my friends in the Navy and Marines and they can tell you what boot camp is REALLY like. This is about discipline and respect. Respect for Sensei Jim, respect for your classmates, and respect for everyone's time. But more importantly, it's about respect for yourself. I'm establishing a rule for the three of you. If you aren't two minutes early for class, I'll consider you to be late. Understood?"

"Yes, Sensei!" Melody said.

"Yeah, I guess," Will said.

"What's your last name, Will?" I asked.

"Peters."

"Mr. Peters, the correct response is 'Yes, Sensei!'. You too, Jacquelyn."

"Yes, Sensei," they both said, but it was more sighed than said.

I wondered exactly how much Sensei Jim knew about these students. It hit me that he knew EXACTLY what he was putting me into. He'd certainly talked to all of them, and their parents in the case of the two younger ones. This was going to be a test of wills, and I was going to win!

"When we line up in class, we line up by belt colors. As white belts, you'll be in the back rank. Because you're all starting today, you have the same rank, so you line up by age, left to right, as you face forward. Melody, then Jacquelyn, then Will. Melody, you stand just to the right of the next white belt, whoever that is. As we get new people, they'll line up to the right of Will. There are five per row, so when a row fills, you start a new row. There won't always be the same number of people in class, so just take your spot based on where the higher belts are standing.

"When you advance to Yellow, then you begin standing by seniority. So if I'm here, I am first in the first row, on the left. Next to me would be Jolene, a 1st Dan black belt. Then the brown belts, and so on. It's pretty simple, and if you aren't sure if you outrank someone, just ask. That means you need to remember the date you received your last belt. For all of you, today is June 11, 1988. That's your seniority date until you receive your next belt. Any questions?"

"Don't we get to break boards or anything like that?" Will asked.

I nodded, "Eventually, yes. But if you tried it today, most likely I'd have to walk you over to the ER at UofC and have a medical student put a cast on your hand! Let's talk about the rules."

"More rules?" Jacquelyn sighed.

"Life is full of rules, even when you get to be fully adult. It's a lesson everyone learns, eventually. Being an adult doesn't make you free to do whatever you want whenever you want. For example, we're going to teach you techniques that will empower you to seriously harm, and possibly kill, someone who is attacking you. But you should never, ever use your skills unless there is no other alternative. The very first rule of this dojo is to avoid physical violence at every opportunity."

"Then why learn?" Will asked.

"Self-discipline, self-control, conditioning, and, yes, self-defense. But you must follow the formula: Evade. Block. Warn. Hurt. Injure. Kill. If someone attacks you, or threatens you, your first duty is to escape the situation."

"Run away? Like a chicken?" Will asked, sounding disgusted.

"It's not cowardice to avoid a fight when you can; it's wisdom. If someone persists in their attack, you block their blows. If that's not sufficient to stop them, you warn them that you're going to hurt them. If they continue, then you do what you've warned them you would do. If that doesn't stop them, you injure them. If even THAT doesn't prevent the attack, and your life is in danger, then you kill them."

"What about protecting someone else?" Melody asked.

"The same rules apply. Get them away from the dangerous situation, if you can. If not, then defend them by those same principles. If I saw a girl about to be raped, I'd be justified in using whatever force necessary to prevent it."

"Have you ever used your training?" Will asked.

"Only once," I said. "And I failed to evade when I could have. I talked it through with Sensei Jim afterwards. At the time, I believed I was justified, but when we reviewed what happened, it turns out that I wasn't."

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I broke someone's nose when he attacked me. I followed the steps, but I should have turned and walked away when he called me out instead of confronting him. It was pride that got me into the bad situation. That's another thing that you'll learn here. Pride will get you into trouble. You don't brag about your skills or show them off. Bullies do that. But I'll clue you in, bullies are usually pussies! Stand up to them and they'll back down. But remember; try to avoid the confrontation if you can."

"This sucks!" Will said.

"Will, do you think that you'll be the best martial artist in the world?" I asked.

"No, I guess not."

"What happens if the other guy is better?"

"Uhm, I lose, I guess."

"Exactly. Now, let's start with some basic warm-up exercises. You probably know them, but we'll go over each one. We do jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, toe-touches, and knee-bends. Once you learn how, we do punches, kicks, and blocks as well."

I took them through the basic stretching and exercise drills and checked the clock. I had about ten minutes left to show them the basic stances. Shōtōkan used long, wide stances to achieve balance, and to help build leg strength. It would take my new charges a few weeks of practice to be able to hold them for long. After a few minutes, I had them line up again.

"We always bow upon starting class, leaving class, when sparring, or when given an instruction by Sensei Jim or whoever is in charge. Now, let's bow, and then we'll go back to the main classroom for dismissal."

When we lined up, I quickly checked to see if my new charges had lined up correctly. One of the yellow belts helped them get into the correct positions, and after everyone bowed to Sensei Jim, he dismissed the class. He beckoned me to follow him to his office.

"How did it go?"

"Melody is fine, but the other two have really poor attitudes," I reported.

"Not unlike you when you first came here. You were undisciplined, chafed under my rules, and generally had no respect for me, karate, or anyone else."

"Was I THAT bad?" I asked with a grin.

"Worse!" he laughed. "I would have washed you out of Army boot camp on the first day as an immature, self-centered, unteachable, insufferable git."

"Now you sound like you've been talking to my little sister!"

"She'd know you best, wouldn't she? But that's not you any longer. It hasn't been for years, though on occasion I see some of those old behaviors try to surface. Like whatever it was between you and Jolene that led to you being called in here. Always be watchful. You do remember what Master Funakoshi wrote, don't you?"

I nodded, "The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of the participant."

"Exactly. Now that you're here every day, when your new charges are here, you train them. Remember, encourage them to come often and practice. I see they needed help with what even a duckling can manage — lining up!"

I chuckled, "So did I, my first day here!"

"So you did! See you on Monday!"

I rose and bowed and walked out of the office to where my sister was waiting with Melody.

"It's strange to not have Sofia and Kara here," Stephanie observed.

"Kara will be back after her checkup with Doctor Robertson, and Jessica will start coming more often now that she's working early shifts, and not on weekends."

"How long have you been training?" Melody asked my sister.

"Just about three years. My brother is way more dedicated, which is why I'm more or less stuck on purple right now. I can't quite seem to make brown belt. Kara will get her brown belt soon. She was ready when she got too pregnant to practice. Of course, Jessica is a white belt because her schedule didn't let her attend classes very often."

"You're at the dojo every single day?" Melody asked me.

"Yes. On Sunday, I have a special class with Jolene to try to help her advance to 2nd Dan."

"So, you're going to be our teacher?"

"Probably until you are comfortable participating in the general class. That usually takes about a dozen classes. So if you come to class three times a week, it'll be about a month. But it's really up to Sensei Jim to decide if you're ready. I do teach the class on Tuesdays when Sensei Jim takes the night off."

"Cool. This is where I turn to go to the dorms," Melody said. "Could I talk to you privately for a minute?"

My sister smirked and rolled her eyes and walked across the street to wait for me.

"What's up?" I asked.

"First. I was wondering if I could come over and use the sauna sometime."

"Sure. You can ask Stephanie. It's as much her house as mine."

"Cool! Second, I was wondering if I had a small party, and I was sure everyone was tested, would you like to play that 'Truth or Dare' game I suggested?"

"I have one more requirement — that nobody uses drugs of any kind. You can't invite Chrissy under any circumstance, and you need to ask the others directly. I know they could lie, but at least ask. No repeats of what happened at my house."

"I'll make sure. I'd get kicked out of the dorm, lose my job, and probably get kicked out of school! The only thing that saved Chrissy was that she wasn't arrested, and that there were no drugs in her dorm room."

"I'll check with Jessica to be sure, but most likely I'll be able to play," I grinned.

"Cool! I'll let you know! I have to see who's available now that school is out."

"See you at karate on Monday?" I asked.

"Absolutely!" she said.

She turned to walk down the street and I crossed over to where Stephanie was waiting.

"Don't you EVER get enough?" she asked with a smirk.

"Do YOU?" I asked.

We took each other's hand and walked home, laughing and joking like two grade school kids. When we arrived, we found Kurt and Kathy with the kids.

"What a bunch of nuts!" Kathy laughed as Jesse, Matthew, and Kristin all yammered away at each other.

Matthew and Kristin had just turned one, and Jesse was almost two-and-a-half. He was clearly king of the castle, and the other two simply adored him and hung on his every word.

"Just wait until Birgit joins the cabal," I laughed.

"I sense a coup in the offing," Kurt smirked. "Jesse's goal in life is going to be to dethrone his dad. He's already forming his cadre! And Steve keeps foolishly adding to it!"

"Three more total for the three of us, I guess," Jessica said. "Barring any unexpected little bundles of joy!"