~ ~ ~ Since Nightcrawler_Fan isn't available anyway, and I'm getting nothing but good feedback from readers, I will continue after all. Rachel, be sure you note the time intervals; I am now picking up about eleven months after the Havens family first came to Smoky Lake. Summer and Alipang are both now 13, while Chilena is not far from turning 14.
PART FOUR: THE TWO-STICK FIGHTER
This is not mainly a story about martial arts; but it must be understood that Alipang began studying Escrima under Master Pitik Imada no later than two months after his first arrival in America. Pitik made his income as a tax accountant; the combat classes he taught were given free of charge, to keep himself active and fit, and to encourage self-discipline in youngsters as a community service. The first good friend Alipang made among Pitik's pupils was a boy a bit older than he: Gilberto Costamesa, son of the local police officer who had dealt with the Heron family in the aftermath of Nick Heron's injury by thugs. Gilberto had been in the rather informal Escrima school for three months longer than Alipang; but Gilberto had never been in a fight literally for his life, as Alipang had back in the Philippines.
For a long time, Alipang was restricted to learning unarmed techniques; but when he stepped up to weapons, he proved himself a natural. It was on a Saturday morning in mid-July of 2005, in a class with eleven students present (a big showing for Pitik's modest basement-gym), that a friendly stick match between Alipang and Gilberto showed the younger boy's talent. Using very light plastic batons so that they could strike for contact without causing damage, Alipang out-pointed Gilberto: 23 touches to 14.
"Ay caramba!" exclaimed Gilberto good-naturedly when their master called a halt. "Al, did someone hit Fast Forward on your remote? I never saw anyone but Teacher move so fast!"
The victor shook hands with his opponent, saying, "It comes from catching snakes in Luzon." Most of the other students thought Alipang was joking; but Gilberto, like Master Pitik, knew that Alipang was telling the literal truth. "Teacher, how did we do?" Everyone there noticed the "we;" and those who knew Alipang, knew that he was not saying this to get the Master to say he was better than Gilberto, which was already obvious; rather, he was thinking of his friend and himself as having performed an exercise together.
"You both fought very well," replied Master Pitik. "Each of you can claim success, for each of you did the best I have yet seen from you. I will want both of you to assist me in the Labor Day exhibition." These words brightened the sweaty faces of both boys, who exchanged a jubilant high-five.
Master Pitik was referring to his practice of giving an annual Escrima demonstration for the public at Smoky Lake's grand Labor Day picnic. Alipang had seen the one last year, but all the students joining in it then had been college-aged: three young men and two young women. All of those had moved on to other things by now, leaving Master Pitik to choose fresh faces for this year's display.
The one girl currently in the class, a 17-year-old Japanese girl named Naoko* who was due to be a senior at West High this fall, asked, "Teacher, may I be in the presentation too?"
"If you continue as well as you have been doing, then yes. I always want at least four persons on stage including myself, the better to display sparring. Potentially all of you now present may be included in the event, but the best three of you at least.
"Now, in view of Alipang's excellence this morning, I am going to take him to a level that none of you here have been to." Pitik went to a wall rack which contained a supply of the traditional rattan-wood Escrima batons. Taking four sticks, he handed two to his star pupil. "Stand facing toward me here in front, Alipang, while I face your friends; let the others watch you learning as they watch me teaching. Imitate my ready stance."
Pitik passed his left forearm in front of his abdomen, so that the stick in his left hand reached around beside his right hip. His right hand went up, so that the stick it held pointed back above his right shoulder. As soon as Alipang had assumed the same pose, Pitik spoke again.
"All of you have studied only singlestick so far. There is plenty that you can do with one stick. Doubling up weapons does no good if you only hit yourself. But if you _can_ make both your hands work without collisions, you can overwhelm an opponent with your constant blows. Here is the beginning; Alipang, do as I do."
Alipang was able to follow the actions fairly well, because Master Pitik began slowly, and the boy had seen this exercise before. Left-hand stick across from right to left...right-hand stick down...go to mirror image of the starting position...right-hand stick across from left to right...left-hand stick down, and so on. Pitik went on repeating the pattern, making it faster by imperceptible increments, faster, faster, until he judged that Alipang was in danger of hitting himself, at which point he said "Stop. Young man, we'll have you doing this well enough for an audience before Labor Day."
* Named after an actual Japanese girl who was tutored in English by my Mary when we lived in Japan.