Sweeter Than Wine by Bianca D'Arc Page A

walls along with framed woodblock prints and a few black and white photos. There were mirrors on the entire wall to her left, and to her right, the opposite wall consisted of several glass doors that opened onto a lovely stone garden complete with fluttering bamboo and trickling water. It was beautiful.
    Near the door were a few wooden benches. Remembering to bow as she entered, a formality her college sensei had insisted upon, she left her shoes outside the door, next to two much larger pairs, and took a seat on the bench. She watched in awed silence as the men spun and kicked in the patterns of the most difficult kata ⎯ a sequence of defensive and offensive moves done in a choreographed pattern ⎯ she’d ever seen.
    Their concentration was absolute, but she knew they were aware of her presence.
    They completed the kata and both bowed, signaling the end of the pattern. Sebastian smiled at her as they moved nearer and his expression put her at ease.
    “Christina, please allow me to introduce Hiro Yamamoto, a long-time friend and one of those I’ve asked to help teach you.”
    Christy held out her hand to the tall, dusky-skinned man. She could tell by his features that he wasn’t fully Asian, though his name sounded Japanese. He took her hand with a firm grip, but his strength was tempered and his manner non-threatening. This was a man who knew his own measure and didn’t need to prove how strong he was, unlike her husband.
    Resolutely, she shook off thoughts of Jeff. She wouldn’t allow his darkness to shadow her new life. She’d been given a second chance and she was going to run with it as fast and far as she could.
    “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Yamamoto.” She smiled and was gratified by the man’s return grin. It lit his dark eyes and made him seem somehow less scary.
    “Please—” his voice held no trace of accent, “—call me Hiro. You’ve been in a dojo before, haven’t you?”

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    “I took a Shotokan class one semester in college. I loved the history and grace of it, but I was terrible. No coordination at all, and some boy accidentally punched me in the nose during our first sparring practice, so I was a little afraid to do much after that.”
    Hiro chuckled, though Sebastian looked stern for a moment. She got the impression he didn’t like hearing about her little hurts, so she made a mental note not to mention those kinds of things in front of him again. She was his guest. She didn’t want to upset him.
    “Would you like to try again, if we promise never to punch you in the nose?” Hiro chuckled with amusement, putting her at ease.
    Gathering her courage, she nodded. “I’d like to try learning kata again. It was so beautiful and such good exercise. I was in terrific shape that semester, even though I was ranked at the bottom of the class.”
    “There are no rankings here,” Hiro said softly as he moved backwards, drawing her into the center of the room. “Only learning. Follow what I do and try to do the same.”
    Hiro bowed to her and she returned the gesture nervously, noting Sebastian had opted to sit this one out, watching them from the sidelines. The ambiance of the room was calming, but Sebastian’s eyes were hot as they followed her hesitant movements. She watched Hiro and tried to follow what he was doing as he started slowly, in a simple pattern that looked like the capital letter I. He stopped a few times to demonstrate the individual movements of blocking, punching, how to make a fist and the proper foot positions for greatest balance.
    After a few minutes of his tutelage, she began to feel a little more comfortable. This was easier than she remembered. She didn’t lose her balance once, which had always been a problem, and her body wasn’t nearly as awkward as she remembered it being when she’d tried so hard before. This time, her movements came almost effortlessly and she felt an increased spring in her steps, her feet and hands answering her commands