I didn't wait. I called Ginny and Amy when I went in the house! They thought it was so cool!
Amy said, "Sweet, your dads teaching you to kick butt!"
From Ginny, "Can I learn too?"
It was a done deal! The next day after school my dad had two new students!
He was actually glad to have them. He said it would be good for me to practice with someone as fast as I was. Mom joined in the next day. I was surprised to find she was as good as dad! Well, I guess they did have a life before me. Then that guy in my head said, "You have a lot to learn about mom and dad." I didn't care.I was having fun! Because now we were all dancing with my dad!
It wasn't long before the rest of the kids found out. After all, we had been on TV when we got out of the Hospital. Now everyone in my class wanted to learn to kick butt!
It started as only two or three extra girls at practice. It turned into 30! My mom loved entertaining the parents as my dad put us through our paces each Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Then it caught the attention of the school! My teacher and the Headmistress of the girl's side of the school asked my dad if he would teach a class "After what your child did to those "Cherry Poppers", I would be honored if you would teach the rest of our girls." Mrs. Ellington was really impressed with my dad!
"My wife has the same training; she would love to teach an adult class at night." said dad.
"Our school can't afford two classes." "Your class would use up all our extra cash." She looked sad. "I'm sorry."
"I think I can help with that." "Why don't you come see me tomorrow at the bank." My dad was up to something.
"But tomorrow's Saturday!" "The banks closed tomorrow."
"Just come to the bank, you'll see." He was smiling!
The next day:
When the headmistress arrived at the bank she was surrounded by reporters. Luckily they didn't know who she was or what was about to happen!
My father came walking up to her and escorted her to the top of the banks steps so everybody could see.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you all know (pointing) Amy and my daughter Jamie and what they did a few weeks ago!" There was applause as we curtsied to the crowd. "What you don't know is that a wealthy family has set up a trust fund for the protection of the young girls and ladies of our city!" "I have here a check for seventy thousand dollars for the (you don't need to know) school to be used to offer self defense training to any female child or adult that wants it!" "I will be teaching the children's class and my wife is going to teach the adults!" when the cheering settled down he continued. "I have another check here for thirty thousand for our police department to help increase the patrols on our beaches!" "Hopefully with your help we can put an end to the "Cherry Poppers" once and for all (shaking the chief's hand)!" The crowd went wild as he handed the police chief his check! My dad could be mayor if he wanted to!
Later;
"Who gave us the money dad?" I asked, suspecting it may have been him.
"I can't say, but she was there at the hospital when you and Ginny were hurt." He was smiling at me as he walked over to the headmistress, Mrs. Ellington.
"This endowment will produce 100 thousand a year." "The lions share is for the schools!" "So what days do you want to do this?" Mrs. Ellington looked like she was about to cry!
"Five years ago my sister's daughter was raped by those animals." "She died from the beating they gave her and my sister has never been the same." She was crying. "I would do anything to keep that from happening again!" "Thank you, thank you!" "Any time you want!" "I'll schedule it any time you want!" she hurried away to the reporters showing them the check.
The classes where held an hour after school was over. We used the girl's gym while my mom taught the adults (including the police) on the boy's side of the school! And it wasn't just girls on our side either! We were practicing with boys! At least a dozen of them! They had to pay a dollar a class. But my dad never turned anyone away!
I was so popular! Not just because my dad was teaching but because we were hanging around boys! Real boys! The only time we saw boys at school was at lunch time for forty-five minutes a day! And here we were kicking their butts for an hour three times a week! And talking to them too!
And Johnny was there! With me!
Michelle even joined up after she heard there were boys there!
We practiced hard! I would go home so exhausted that dad usually ended up carrying me to bed! "That's OK, that's what daddy's are for!" he would whisper to me as mom tucked me in.
Ginny worked harder than any two of us! She really had a gift for dancing so the martial arts were like "walking" for her. She wasn't as good as me. But she was close! And she really took it seriously! She had slimmed down and looked like Muscle and Bone.no fat!
A few weeks later we were all excited! My dad was going to test how well we had learned! We talked all day about what to expect and how to kick his butt! "I don't want to hurt him!" said Amy. She had a crush on my dad. Like just about every other girl in class! I guess he is handsome! But the girls kept their distance. One look of my mom throwing a two hundred pound guy across the mat was enough to scare anyone! Even the cops that took her class!
Well there was my dad! He had armor on. Like the kind they train dogs with! He didn't pull his punches! He was serious! But his training was true! We Avoided, We Outmaneuvered Him! We Struck and Moved Away! "Fire, fire, FIRE!", The gym rang with our Kai! There where reporters there too!
Then it was Ginny's turn. She flowed through the kata! She really was dancing! My father swung at her and she flowed away from him like she was water! She was so beautiful! She was better than me! I looked away and saw her mom crying in her hands! Her dad was holding her by the shoulders looking at his little girl in wonder! I couldn't decide if Ginny or her parents looked more beautiful that night!
My dad was lunging towards her! She ducked down and struck him in the ribs! She spun around him and flew into the air! "FIRE!" she shouted as her foot drove into the back of my dad's knee! She landed and swept his remaining leg! Dad was down! "FIRE!" she screamed like an eagle as her palm struck at my dad's nose! It was a KILLING BLOW! If she had not pulled her punch she would have driven the bone right into his brain! No One was going to hurt her ever again!
The crowd was shocked to silence. Here was an eighty pound girl standing over a man she had defeated! A man three times her weight and twice her height! In a fair fight! The armor was to protect my dad, not to make it easy on us girls!
She was the first to win the combat. I also won as did others. But she showed us how!
When we went home it was on all the news channels! Ginny knocking the stuffing out of my dad! Every channel seemed to have a different view. That last "FIRE" just sent shivers up and down your spine! She was going to be famous! Maybe even a movie star!
We talked and giggled on the phone till ten o'clock that night!
"It's time for bed!" my dad was saying.
"It's Ginny." My mom said kind of weirdly.
"Ok half an hour more!" dad was giving in?
At ten thirty I said good night to Ginny. I guess dad gave us more time because Ginny had been attacked and almost raped. So it had to be a big night for her to finally not to be afraid anymore.
He looked funny with his fat lip and limping around the house like he was!
"Why always the left knee?" he was saying to my mom.
"It's your own fault, you should have taught them the mirror technique!" she said to him.
Poor daddy, I didn't make him carry me to bed that night. He'd been through enough.
When Monday came I was skipping down the stairs thinking about school when I noticed my mom and dad were standing by our front door waiting for me. That's weird dad always leaves for work at six.
They took me into the living room and sat down with me on the couch. They looked funny. It looked like they both had been crying? I was scared. Something was wrong.
"Jamie we have something important to tell you." My dad started and his voice cracked.
"Ginny died last night." Did my mom just say Ginny had died?
"No!" "It's not true!" "I talked to her yesterday!" "Mom.?" I started to cry.
I didn't stop crying even when my dad was explaining that she had cancer and knew she wouldn't see the end of the year. "No, how could god be so cruel!" "She was my friend!" "I loved her!" I couldn't stop sobbing; I didn't want to stop sobbing!
"We have to go to her house." "Her mom wants to see you." My mom kissed me on the head.
I didn't want to.I didn't want to be there.not without my friend!
I couldn't move.
Then he was there. He was in my head. "We have to." "Her mom needs us." "Let me help." "Ginny would want you to."
I didn't mind that he was right. I didn't even mind that he was the one making me stand up.
K night xoxo :< L
I love you Ginny.