It was a thing for Cruz. Rojas left him to it.
“The kids’ classes get really crowded.” He was proud of what Gary and Greg had established here. “It’s a really good program. Boom loves it.”
“She told me about it that first night.” Elisa smiled at the memory, her eyes slightly unfocused as she thought back to it. “I couldn’t imagine her wanting to get back to the thing that broke her arm so soon, but she seemed like she couldn’t wait.”
Rojas leaned against the doorway to the office, facing out toward the main class area. Souze sat to his left, relaxed and alert. “It was pure accident. The kids all wear proper padding when they spar. Greg was supervising. He always keeps a close eye on the kids to make sure it’s as safe as possible.”
“It’s still direct contact.” Elisa dropped her big shoulder bag and grabbed a broom from the closet.
“Yeah.” Rojas wasn’t going to argue, but he could provide some additional context. “The sparring isn’t ever all-out for the kids, but it’s important for them to apply the moves they’ve learned against a partner around their size and skill level. Otherwise, they might not be able to use what they know in real life if the need ever comes up.”
Elisa slipped off her shoes and stepped onto the mats, starting in one corner and beginning to sweep in short, strong strokes. He noticed she never seemed to remain still for long, always looking for something to do.
“I guess I can see that, but it seems young to start learning to fight a real person.”
He grunted. Hers was not an uncommon perspective. “Never too early for self-defense. Besides, learning the timing and how to move in response to someone else isn’t a bad thing. I hear dancers and athletes learn similar skill sets when they train. In Boom’s case, her arm wasn’t even the result of a direct strike.”
“No?” Elisa didn’t look up from her sweeping, but she did sweep more slowly, more quietly, so she could hear better.
“Nah. Her protective gear would’ve prevented a break that way. In this case, somebody mentioned she’d learn fastest if she was continually pushing beyond her comfort zone to try new things.” Rojas sighed. “Which is true.”
“Hey, Forte felt real bad about what happened,” Cruz called from inside the office.
“It wasn’t his fault, anyway. Boom made me take a picture of her at the ER to send to him to reassure him.” Rojas shook his head. “She tried a flying roundhouse kick. It’s not even one of the core kicks Gary and Greg teach here as part of the Jun Fan Jeet Kun Do curriculum. She learned it from one of her friends at school who takes tae kwon do.”
Elisa straightened and turned to face him. “How did she…?”
He chuckled as she trailed off. “Break her arm doing a flying kick? She executed the kick beautifully. It was a sight to see. But she didn’t stick her landing. She fell backward and put out her arm to catch herself. Too much momentum and she fell badly.”
“Ouch.” Elisa scrunched up her face.
“Needless to say, the proper ways to take a fall are being incorporated into the core curriculum this school year.” Rojas crossed his arms, Souze’s leash hanging loosely from his wrist. “Gary and Greg take their work very seriously, and it hit them hard that a kid was injured on their watch.”
“Some parents would sue the school.” Elisa’s observation was made as she resumed her sweeping. There was actually a decent amount of dust on the mats. It was an ongoing struggle even with no street shoes allowed.
“Yeah.” Alex raked a hand through his hair before crossing his arms again. “This was a true accident, and I’m not going to go after them. Besides, they offered to split any hospital fees insurance doesn’t cover. I don’t want to put them out, and neither does Boom. She loves it here.”
“It was good of them to offer.” Elisa made her way down the side of the mat and started back, keeping the dust she’d swept in a growing line to one side. Very systematic, the way she approached things.
He wondered if she ever noticed how much of her thought process came out in her actions.
“Well, they do have to be careful. Any owner of this kind of school has to be.” Rojas visually checked the windows and doors, everything in sight for anything out of place again. Never knew when something could come up, but it was good to be vigilant, especially in places where something out of place wasn’t expected. “Gary and Greg more so than others in some ways, but mostly the parents who bring their kids here are really positive people. The kids’ program has received community awards for the confidence building and the anti-bullying program.”
Elisa paused again. “How does a mixed martial arts school teach anti-bullying?”