Just then, the doorbell rang, and she moved through the quiet house to answer it. As she crossed through the dim living room, she saw Gail Driscoll follow someone through the doorway opposite her and into the library.

She opened the front door to find Drew standing there, Sean’s denim shirt in her hand. Sean liked the way Drew looked in faded jeans and a white oxford shirt.

“Hi,” Sean said shyly. “I’m glad you could come.”

“Sorry I’m late,” Drew said, holding out the shirt. “Thanks for this.”

Sean took the shirt and tossed it on the mail table. “We waited to give Master Cho her present until you were here,” she said, as they approached the group outside. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“A beer would be good.”

Drew crossed to where Janet and Chris were sitting and bowed to Master Cho. “Good evening,” she said.

Janet Cho smiled. “It is, yes. Thank you for being here.”

Drew looked momentarily uncomfortable, and then made a conscious effort to relax. She watched Sean wend her way through the crowd with two bottles of beer, looking comfortable in a white tank top and black cotton trousers. She seemed to stand out from the other students, not just because she was a good deal older, but because she carried herself with an air of certainty that suggested she was at peace with herself. As always, her presence had a soothing effect on Drew.

“Thank you,” Drew said as she accepted the damp bottle. “Your nose looks normal finally.”

Sean laughed and touched her face self-consciously. “It actually looked much worse than it felt.”

A fleeting shadow flickered across Drew’s face, and she lifted the bottle hastily to her lips. When she spoke again, her voice was steady.

“You handled it well. You would have made an excellent soldier.”

Sean laughed out loud, a full, throaty laugh that animated her usually cool features. “Oh, not at all! I’m almost as bad as my sister when it comes to taking orders.”

“Not that I’ve noticed,” Drew remarked.

“That’s different. In class I understand that the discipline is to make me strong, to keep me focused on the task, to remind me of the seriousness of what we do. Its a discipline I accept as necessary it actually makes me feel safe. I wouldn’t welcome that kind of control in every aspect of my life as I imagine a soldier must do. It may be too safe I would feel stunted, too infantilized.”

Drew nodded. “You’ve got a point. Even though I hope we all hope that some of what you gain in class will support you in the rest of your life.”

“It does,” Sean agreed. “It helps a great deal in my work I’m more resilient, I can listen to my clients their fears, their pain I can hear it and feel for them without being immobilized by it. I feel more balanced.” Sean stopped speaking when she realized Drew was staring at her, an intense searing stare.

“What?” Sean asked quietly.

Drew started and looked away uncomfortably. “I’m sorry. I was wondering how you do what you do listen to all that pain.”

“I try to remember that there are all kinds of pain, and that the human spirit is amazingly strong and that with love and time, there can be healing,” Sean answered gently.

“You really believe that?”

“I do. I’ve seen it. Some pain never completely disappears, but we find a place for it like a distant sound, we can hear it, but the intensity diminishes until it blends with all the other rhythms of our life. One song among many.”

“You’re a poet, Sean,” Drew remarked.

Sean blushed. “Hardly. Its just the way I’ve found to make sense of the human condition.”

“Its good there are people like you to do this work,” Drew said softly.

“Thank you.”

Their eyes met and held for a moment, and both of them knew there were words left unspoken.

Sean looked into Drew’s blue eyes, knowing there was a secret there, wondering if she would ever know it. Drew searched the gentle depths of Sean’s, wondering why she felt so welcome.

They both jumped as a voice at their elbows demanded, “Hey, Sean when are we going to give Master Cho her present? This party is starting to rock!”

Sean looked about and realized that people were beginning to dance, and that the alcohol was flowing freely. As the senior student, it was Sean’s responsibility to present the gift.

“You’re right. Id better do it before we completely lose everyone’s attention!” She looked regretfully at Drew, not wishing to end their conversation.

“Excuse me.”

Drew nodded. “Of course.”

Sean circled through the crowd, informing the students that she was going to get Master Chos gift. The ten women gathered in a semi-circle before Master Cho, who was flanked by Drew and Chris.

Sean stepped forward with a large rectangular object. She bowed, as did the other students in the group.

“Happy birthday, Master Cho,” she said, a sentiment the others echoed.

The gift was a hand-painted golden tiger, done by one of the students. The frame was also handmade and gilded by another student. The idea had come from all of the students, and they had all helped pay for the supplies.

“Ah, yes” Janet Cho said as she surveyed her gift. “You have captured the spirit of the tiger well may you all carry a little of the tigers tenacity and power in your hearts. Thank you.”

As the students wandered back to their friends and partners, someone, probably Susan, dimmed the terrace lights and turned the music up. People began to dance in earnest.

Sean saw Ellen emerge from the house looking upset.

“You okay?” Sean asked.

“Fine,” Ellen replied abruptly. “How’s the party going?”

Sean motioned with her arm toward the laughing, milling crowd. “Great. Suse is having the time of her life. I think she’s insulted every one of my friends.”

Ellen remained curiously silent. At length she said, “Is Drew here?”

“Yes,” Sean said, “she’s over by the stairs.”

Drew was sitting on the broad stone wall that enclosed the terrace, watching the dancers. Even Janet Cho and Chris were dancing in one dim corner.

“Why don’t you ask her to dance?”

“Oh I couldn’t!”

“Why not?”

“It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“Excuse me?”

“You know she’s my teacher”

Ellen cut her off with a rude snort. “Oh, please she’s what? All of five years older than you? You’re not in the dojang now, Sean. This is just the real, old fucked-up world out here.”

Sean was taken aback by Ellen’s rancor. Ellen could always be counted on to see the humor in every situation.

“Are you sure you’re all right? Is it Susan?”

“Must everything be about Susan?” Ellen snapped. “Go ask the woman to dance, for gods sake!” At that, Ellen pushed her way through the crowd and disappeared.

Sean remained just outside the doorway, paralyzed by uncertainty and uncharacteristic self-doubt. She had never done this before, never even Imagined doing it. But when she asked herself honestly if she wanted to, the answer was yes. Finally, she willed her legs to move.

It was fully dark now, and Drew was only a silhouette against the sky as Sean approached. Drew sat with her arms out to either side on the wall, her legs lost in shadow. The dancing bodies seemed to fade into the background as Sean moved closer, until all she could see was the woman before her. When she finally faced her, she was at a loss for words.

“Would you like to dance?” she asked at last.

It was the last thing Drew expected, and she was momentarily stunned. Before she could think, she answered, “Yes,” and pushed herself off the wall. Her hand moved automatically to Sean’s back as they moved to a space near the edge of the crowd.

As Sean turned to face her, the music slowed, and before she knew it, she was in Drew’s arms. She slid one hand to Drew’s shoulder and rested the other on her waist. Drew covered the hand on her shoulder with her own and encircled Sean’s waist with her other arm. They moved naturally together, and Sean felt the light pressure of Drew’s body against her own. She trembled, and hoped that Drew didn’t feel it. The places where their bodies touched felt electrified. Without thinking, she leaned her cheek against Drew’s shoulder, and the arm about her tightened. She felt Drew’s heart pounding against her breast. Drew’s body felt at once strong and soft. The muscles under her hand rippled as they moved, but it was the softness of another woman’s breasts against her that stunned her. She wouldn’t have believed how exciting it felt to be this close to a woman. They danced in silence, each listening to the sounds of the others body. When the music ended, they stood with their arms still enfolding each other, each reluctant to break the hold.

Finally, Drew stepped away. “Thank you,” she said huskily.

Sean nodded, unable to speak.

Drew took another step back, putting distance between them.

“I must go.”

“Yes,” Sean said numbly. “I understand.”

Drew shook her head. “No, Sean, you don’t.”

And then she was gone.

CHAPTER FIVE

When Janet Cho opened the dojang two hours before class, she was not surprised to find Drew there before her, working out. Her uniform was soaked, and Janet knew she had been there for hours. She returned Drew’s bow and moved in silence to one end of the room. She watched Drew practicing a weapons form, noting that Drew, if possible, appeared more intense than usual.

“You have something on your mind, yes?” Janet asked when Drew stopped for water.

Drew looked at her old friend in surprise. “No, why do you ask?”

Janet shrugged, “You have that look that says you want your head to be quiet.”

“There is nothing,” Drew said firmly.