Nia would love hearing that. She was fast. She still is. Walter laughed. Then his expression changed.
You both won. Naomi looked toward the floor. Yes. National champions. She said nothing.
Walter studied her. You haven't told anybody here. No. Why? Naomi looked at the scratched bronze heron. Because it doesn't change who we are.
Walter was quiet. Naomi continued. My father hated the way people acted after a tournament. Walter understood immediately. The attention, the way they treated us like the medals made us more important than we were the day before.
She ran her thumb along the edge of the pin. He used to say, "If you need everyone to know what you can do, then you probably haven't learned enough yet." Walter smiled. "That sounds exactly like Marcus." Naomi looked at him.
He also said karate was for protecting people. Walter nodded. Not humiliating them. Exactly. A shadow crossed Naomi's face.
Walter saw it. You're thinking about Ryan. Naomi said nothing. You could handle him. The statement was quiet.
Not a question. Naomi's eyes hardened. That isn't the point. Walter nodded immediately. No, it isn't.
For a moment, neither spoke. Then Walter sat on an overturned plastic crate. His left knee stiffened as he lowered himself. Naomi noticed. You should really get that checked.
Walter laughed. There you go again. I'm serious. So was Marcus. That stopped her.
Walter rubbed his knee. This happened before I came to Riverton. He tapped the joint. Warehouse accident. Tore things up pretty badly.
Naomi listened. After the surgery, I got scared of falling. His voice changed on the last word. Not ashamed, just honest. I was 58, grown man, could fix a forklift, carry a washing machine up two flights of stairs, argue with anybody.
He smiled without humor. But after that accident, I stopped trusting my own body. Naomi leaned against the shelf. Walter looked at the bronze bird again. Somebody told me about open door martial arts.
Her expression shifted. My dad's program. Walter nodded. Free classes for adults who couldn't afford training and people working nights and older folks. Walter smiled and stubborn maintenance men.
Naomi laughed softly. Walter's eyes glistened for a second. Marcus never asked me for a dime. Naomi looked at him. He spent six months teaching me how to fall without panicking.
The room grew quiet. He taught me balance, how to protect my bad side, how to get back up without feeling ashamed that I went down in the first place. Naomi's throat tightened. Walter looked away. I wasn't trying to become a fighter.