I unlocked my hotel room with Sam standing behind me and joked, “I hope you don’t think that I expect to become a kung fu master overnight.”
“I’m glad to see you’re managing your expectations.”
“Ling-Ru showed me a little bit. And I did break a board on my first try.”
“Breaking boards?” He said slyly, “Are you expecting a showdown at the ivory factory?”
“At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Did Ling-Ru show you the five basic stances?”
“We got distracted by snakes, tigers, and bears.”
“Okay, okay.” Sam positioned himself in the middle of the room. “I’ve got a couple of things you can practice to get you started.”
I leaned up against the love seat adjacent to my bed. “Looking forward to it.”
“There are five main stances in any Chinese martial art.” He crossed his hands stiffly in front of his face, then spread his legs wide and lowered his thighs so they were perfectly parallel with the floor. He shot one fist straight out above his thigh and the other he held at his waist with his elbow bent. “This is the Horse.” He held this pose for about ten seconds before waving me down to his level. “Come, give it a try.”
Sam got up and positioned my body, gently pushing my hips down lower and drawing my thighs farther out. “This is a tough one. Your thighs should be completely parallel to the ground. You’ll feel the burn right here.” He squeezed the middle of my right thigh. “In fact, I should be able to place a beer right here.” He opened the refrigerator in my minibar and pulled out a Tsingtao. “May I?”
“Sure.”
Sam opened the beer, took a sip, and then placed the bottle on my thigh.
Just the sight of the beer resting on my thigh made me feel unstable, but I was able to tighten up and hold my stance.
“That’s good.” He took the beer off my thigh, took another sip, and put the beer on the side table. Then he put his hands on either side of my middle and pressed. My reflexes weren’t quick enough to suck in my gut as much as I would have liked. “And your back has to be straight, like you’re leaning against a wall.” He rolled my shoulders outward to open up my rib cage. “Of course, you probably wouldn’t be wearing clothes like these when you’re practicing, but you never know when you have to use your art, so sometimes it’s good to wear street clothes.” He repositioned my arms and adjusted my feet. “Try holding this stance for three minutes, or at least think about how you would build up to three if you can. The longer you can hold each stance, the stronger you’ll become.”
I tried not to flinch as I kept as steady as possible.
He lowered his body back down into Horse and then went further, shifting his weight onto his right knee and his left leg fully extended, almost touching the floor, his left arm extended behind him and his right arm bent at the elbow and parallel to the ground. “This is the Bow.”
I took a sip of the beer and tried to follow along as he assumed the Bow stance not two feet from my face. His fist shifted out in front of him with his forearm parallel with the floor and his back arm straight out behind him.
“And now the Cross.” He slowly shifted his weight again and waited for me to follow as he crossed his one leg over the other and crossed his arms in his lap. Then he threw a punch straight forward, holding his back fist into his waist with his elbow out like a teapot.
His body was like an iron rope, his manner cool and expert. I was trying not to feel anything while he manipulated portions of my body, but I had to admit that I couldn’t help feeling a spark of energy. His calm strength was intoxicating.
He shifted his body into the next stance. “And now the Drop.” He put his hands on his hips, shot one leg out in front of him, foot perpendicular to his body and leg parallel to the ground with the back leg bent at the knee and the thigh parallel to the ground. I fumbled along, following his lead. Once he got into this stance, he threw his torso forward and his hands out in a V shape behind him, hands forming fists.
“And now the most difficult, the Empty.” He shifted his torso back up and put his weight on his back leg and lifted his front leg just enough that his toe touched the ground but his leg was still held out in front of him. In one fluid motion, his one arm was held out front and the other was out behind him, turned gracefully upward. Then one arm went up behind his head and arched forward as the other sat as a fist on his waist, elbow out.
“If you can master these stances, with ten minutes of practice a day, you’ll be in good shape. There’s the Horse, Bow, Cross, Drop, and Empty stances.”
“I think it will take a little practice just to get into each of these stances, much less hold them.”
He got up and drank some of the beer. “You’ll get it. You’re very flexible and have good balance. You’ll master it in no time.” He handed me the beer. “Here, can’t let a good beer go to waste. You finish it.”
I took a sip of beer. “I appreciate your confidence.”
This man was like a bolt of electricity contained within a tidy locket one could wear around her neck. I wanted to reach out and hold the locket and feel its subtle but kinetic energy. I could see why Ling-Ru would want to warn me away from this perfect specimen of a man—even though she had no claim on him. She had invoked the sacred code between two best friends, but why would she do such a thing over a guy she met three years ago and barely knows?
I had no business pondering all this as if I were interested in Sam, given my feelings for Jon and the professionalism required by my current situation. I wasn’t going to let myself get distracted.
“Seriously, you’re a natural,” Sam said. “I’ve had a lot of students in my day. I’ve seen all kinds.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.”
Sam patted me on the back as we walked to the door. “Eight a.m. breakfast?”
I nodded, handing him back the beer. “Last sip.”
When I went to open the door, we both jumped back at the sound of knocking on the other side. “Are you expecting someone?” Sam mouthed the words to me. I shook my head, looking at Sam’s naked torso and realizing that he wasn’t armed.