Chapter 5: Stripped Off
1304 Words
The national Taekwondo competition was held one afternoon in July in a San Jose’s convention center. It was filled with thousands of spectators. Low murmurs of excitement, sometimes shouts, grunts and whistles could be heard as two other separate competitions for other divisions were ongoing.
Fifteen-year-old Kimora tightened her black belt after she straightened her white dobok (uniform) beneath her blue body protector. Her low ponytailed red hair was ensured to not get in the way of her head guard, and her shin guards were already secure. She slowly moved in the middle of the blue and orange mat in the spacious venue with confidence, eyeing the opposition in her red body protector and head guard. She was aware that this dark-haired girl was last year’s champion. They were of the same age, height and even weight and belt. She thought it was a perfect and fair match.
Kimora worked hard to be able to get here today. She practiced everything she learned from her instructor and coach, who was a teacher in her local high school. He was a Korean who held different belts and learned various kinds of martial arts aside from Taekwondo. She respected him both as a person and her master, as well as her class adviser.
Her green eyes swept the place. She saw her coach who was sitting on the balls of his heels, giving her an encouraging smile. Her parents were also present to watch the competition, but she knew they were forced to take a leave from work on a weekday. Nonetheless, she was glad for their support, for being here for her. Her two older sisters, however, were not there. Twenty-three-year-old Kendra was out of town for her work as a personal assistant of a rich housewife, while nineteen-year-old Katy who was in college was busy with her summer class project.
Many eyes were focused on both of them contenders as the referee came in the middle, gave them instructions before he signaled for them to fight. Both of them began to attack an Ap Chagi (front kick), hitting both in the stomach. She could feel the force of it but was prevented by the body protector.
They both slightly staggered backward but were quick to meet in the middle again. She did a double roundhouse kick (Narae Chagi) and a jumping front kick, hitting her opponent right where she wanted. She was able to dodge when the champion retaliated a spinning hook kick and side kicked her. It hit her opponent in the side, causing the latter to lose her balance. And yet, she was quick to stand up.
Before Kimora could let her attack again, she did a powerful 360-degree spinning hook kick, hitting her opponent between the neck and jaw. She thought she heard something c***k and saw her opponent fly sideward and hit the mat in a loud thud, like a log that fell to the ground.
She blinked and heaved, watching her opponent lay still on the mat without even grunting in pain. Everyone became quiet for some seconds before the referee blew his whistle to check on the red contender.
“Medics!” The middle-aged female referee yelled with urgency.
The other two pairs of players on their respective mats were distracted, looking in their direction. There were worried murmurs that ensued, while Kimora was frozen in place, still staring at the immobile body on the mat.
“She’s not breathing,” one of the two medics said.
It made Kimora’s heart fall to her stomach, and she felt something cold slither down her spine. She suddenly felt cold that it was hard for her to breathe.
“Kimora!” Her mother managed to get her attention.
Her eyes sluggishly went to her mother’s worried face. She slowly blinked and hard when her vision became blurry. The frantic words she heard did not seem to register except that one being said, “I can’t feel her pulse!”
She fell to her knees, and everything went black. Her body seemed to feel numb as she did not feel herself fall to the mat.
When she opened her eyes next, she was in an emergency room. She was still clothed in her dobok minus the belt and her protective gears. Her parents were there with her, talking with a female doctor.
“It was due to shock that she lost consciousness but she’ll be fine.”
No, I’m not fine, Kimora thought. She felt her body tremble when her brain recounted what happened earlier that afternoon.
“W-what happened t-to her, Mom, Dad?” She forced herself to ask with quivering voice and lips. Even her chin trembled uncontrollably as eyes started to water.
Her middle-aged mother sat down on the edge of her bed, cupping her face. “It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident, Kimora,” she said in a low voice.
The young doctor and her father looked at her with sympathetic eyes.
“If she needs some help, here. This is a friend of mine and she can talk to your daughter,” the doctor said, giving her father a white name card.
“Thank you, Grace,” her father said. It appeared that they knew each other well for him to call her by the first name.
The light brown-haired woman nodded and left to attend to another patient.
“Mom… you didn’t tell me clearly. What happened to her? What happened to Cassie?” Kimora asked, hands clutching at her mother’s red blouse.
Her mother started to cry and sniffle. “S-she… passed away, honey.”
“What? No!” she wailed. “She’s not dead! She’s not!”
“But, honey… it wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. Everyone knows it! You did not mean it!” Her mom embraced her gently.
Kimora’s tears dampened her pale cheeks even more. “That’s not true, Mom! She’s not dead!”
“Yes, she is, honey. But just remember it wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t!” Her mom shook her by the shoulders, looking deep into her eyes.
Kimora just wept incessantly, her body shaking.
She could accept this fact. But as her mom kept saying it was not her fault, she felt guiltier as moments passed by.
***
Days passed by, and Kimora withdrew from the world. She heard about the decision from the association. She was stripped of her belt and was banned to enter any competition. It was her plea to keep herself from practicing martial arts ever again, although her instructor and some officials in the association were against it since she did not intentionally kill her opponent.
“But I don’t want to kill another one unintentionally,” she uttered with bowed head, eyes stinging with unshed tears.
“Kimora…” her coach could only mutter softly.
She excused herself and went home.
She went to Cassie’s funeral and knelt in front of her parents and Cassie’s grave, asking for forgiveness, for taking their daughter’s life. Tears silently made their way to her chin.
“It wasn’t your fault, Kimora. We were there. We saw it. There was no foul play,” Cassie’s father said, trying to console her with tears in his eyes. He even put a hand on her shoulder.
“I promise not to fight again,” she vowed in a whisper. She had no idea if it was for herself, for Cassie’s parents or for Cassie herself.
- Writer
