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It was Sunday in mid-May, some weeks after the All-Valley. Sam and Tory were fighting… a controlled match on the Miyagi-do sparring deck, under Daniel’s watchful eye. Tory drove forward with an offensive barrage, pressing her advantage in size and strength. Sam responded with her agility and superior knowledge of Miyagi-do, using distance and technique to evade or block each of Tory’s strikes. Seeing a sudden opening, a chance to counter, Sam fired a single swift punch at Tory’s midsection, with an emphatic kiai.
“Yame!” Daniel called out the Japanese word for ‘halt.’ Gesturing in Sam’s direction, he added, “Point, Sam. That’s the match.” Tory smiled subtly at Sam and the girls bowed to each other, and then to Daniel. “Looking good, both of you. At this rate I might not have much left to teach you by the end of summer.”
The girls laughed softly. Daniel smiled as well. “But seriously,” he continued, “I think Toguchi-sensei will be impressed with you as well, when he comes to visit this summer. I have a Zoom call with him later this week, and hopefully we’ll make plans. I can’t wait to introduce him to all of you guys.”
“That’ll be awesome!” said Sam, smiling widely. She’d heard a lot about Chozen from her father, and so had Tory since joining Miyagi-do Karate.
“Definitely,” Daniel agreed. “I’ll keep you posted.” He glanced at his watch. “For now though, it’s about that time.”
Teacher and students bowed once again. Then Sam and Tory walked out to the gate, arms around each other’s waists.
“So… what should we do later?” Sam asked, grinning. For the first time in weeks, Tory had a relatively short shift at work and the girls had a chance to spend the afternoon together.
“Whatever you like, baby,” Tory replied, much as Sam had expected. “You know the hotspots in the Valley a lot better than me.”
Sam nodded. She was keenly aware of their different backgrounds, though it wasn’t easy to discuss out loud. Deep down, though, she was certain that all that really mattered to her and Tory alike was just being together. “Do you want to come over to my house?” she suggested. “We can go swimming, or just hang out by the pool.”
“Perfect!” Tory leaned closer, grinning, and kissed Sam long and softly on the lips. “I’ll swing by my own place right after work and grab my bathing suit. And then I’ll be there.”
********
That afternoon, Tory walked slowly up to the front door of the LaRussos’ mansion, feeling a slight tension in her belly. The sight of the big house stirred memories that she preferred not to think about. Taking a deep, cleansing breath - as she’d so often done since she’d taken up Miyagi-do - she reminded herself that those memories, though still very painful, were her past. Today, she was expected at the LaRusso house. Thinking about spending the next few hours poolside with Sam, the knot in her stomach gave way to gentle butterflies and she smiled excitedly.
Sam opened the front door before Tory had even reached for the doorbell. “Saw you through the window,” she said. She was wearing a bikini top and short jean shorts, with her hair down, and Tory thought her heart skipped a beat. She’d never seen anything so beautiful.
“Hi, Sam,” she whispered back. The girls clasped each other, close and snug, and kissed passionately.
“Come on in,” Sam said then. She brought Tory in from the doorstep, one arm still wrapped around her. “Can I get you anything?”
“Thanks, baby. I’m good for now.”
Sam led the way to the kitchen, beyond which was the back door to the patio and pool. “I was just gonna grab a glass of lemonade. Want some?”
Tory grinned. “Sure, that sounds great actually.”
“Make it three, please,” said a voice from nearby, “if you wouldn’t mind, Sam.” Amanda sat at the dining table, reading on her tablet. Looking up, she added, “Hi, Tory. It’s great to see you again.”
“Thanks, Mrs. LaRusso. You too.”
Amanda laid a hand on the tabletop. “Come and have a seat, if you would. Make yourself comfortable. I’d like to chat with you for just a minute.”
Tory nodded and sat down across from her, while Sam went and got lemonade for everyone.
“I heard you were very brave, and that you did great at the meeting.” Amanda switched off her tablet and set it aside, smiling at Tory. Tory smiled back shyly, looking down at the table. Her face and ears felt a bit warm.
“I had Sam with me, holding my hand the whole time. And of course Mr. LaRusso was there too and really had our backs.” She straightened up and looked at Amanda. “So it wasn’t too terrible. Plus, the committee obviously really respects him. I think that’s what really convinced them.”
Amanda nodded. “My husband has known them a long time. Despite all the complications of the past year, they still value his opinion. Even so, only you could’ve told them what happened, Tory, and you really came through. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you,” said Tory. “I’m just glad to have it over with, and to have all my baggage with Cobra Kai behind me.”
“Definitely,” Amanda agreed. She patted the tabletop as her smile widened. “Plus, you and Sam are now officially All-Valley co-champions. How does that feel?”
“I think it feels awesome!” Sam set three tall glasses of iced organic lemonade on the table and sat down next to Tory, who took a long chug from hers.
“Wow, that’s really good. And yeah, Sam’s right,” she replied to Amanda. “It does feel pretty awesome.”
“And no one’s given you any trouble since the meeting, I hope,” Amanda added softly, leaning just a little closer.
Tory shook her head. “Surprisingly no. I mean, Kyler and his friends have been sulking ever since Silver closed up shop, but no one’s really said anything. No fights have broken out or anything.”
“Good! Let’s hope it stays that way.” Amanda took a sip of her lemonade, then added, “And how’s everything else going… school, your mom, the work situation?”
“Same old, same old, I guess.” Tory finished her drink and set the glass down. “I’m passing all my classes, though not exactly with flying colors. Still, I’ll be able to move on to senior year next year. Other than that, my mom’s hanging in there, for now, and work is what it is.”
Sam moved her chair a little closer to Tory’s and wrapped her arm around Tory’s shoulders. Tory smiled and reached up to cover Sam’s hand with her own. Amanda laid both hands on the table and looked Tory in the eye.
“That’s really what I wanted to talk to you about, Tory. My husband and I have been talking, and we feel we could use a little help this summer, over at the dealership, if you’d be interested.”
Tory straightened up and her eyes went wide. “Mrs. LaRusso, are you… offering me a job?”
Amanda nodded. “It wouldn’t be all that exciting,” she cautioned. “There’ll be some sweeping up, filing papers, and so on. But we can pay you probably a bit more than what you’re used to, and give you a consistent daytime schedule.”
Tory sat silent and still for a moment, still holding onto Sam’s hand where it lay on her shoulder. “That already sounds a lot better than playing dress up for a bunch of kids.”
Amanda laughed. “I think so too. And, depending on how things go, we could probably get you started with some other responsibilities, where you’d learn a little about the auto industry, sales, inventory, and so on. Those will be great things to have on your résumé if you want to do something else down the road.”
“Wow!” Tory sighed and looked down at the table. Sam squeezed her shoulder and began to rub her back. “Did you know about this, Sam?” she asked without looking up.
Sam shook her head. “I had no idea.” She looked across the table at Amanda. “Mom, when did you and Dad…?”
“Pretty much right when you two got together,” Amanda replied. “We wanted to do something helpful and nice for Tory, and we figured this was probably the best thing we could offer.”
Tory looked back up at Amanda, her eyes misty. “I don’t know what to say, Mrs. LaRusso. This is amazing!”
“It’s really our pleasure, Tory, and I think you'll do really well. Tell you what… you and Sam go enjoy your afternoon by the pool. Come and see me at the dealership after school one day this week. I’ll show you around and we can get started on the paperwork. How does that sound?”
“I’ll be there!” Tory pushed back her chair and stood up. She held out her hand across the table. Amanda stood as well, smiling, and gave it a firm shake.
Sam stood at Tory’s side, her arm still snugly around Tory. “You’re awesome, Mom. You and Dad both!”
********
The LaRussos’ pool was cool and refreshing. Sam and Tory splashed each other playfully in the shallow end, gradually wading out to the middle of the pool where the water was almost up to their shoulders. Sam quit her splashing and suddenly sprang up into Tory’s arms. Tory laughed and caught her, holding her close. Sam wrapped her legs around Tory’s waist as well, and they kissed long and passionately.
“You really didn’t know?” Tory whispered once they’d parted for breath. She adjusted her grip around Sam’s waist and hefted her a little higher. The water made it easy.
Sam shook her head. “I really had no idea, but somehow I’m not all that surprised. And I’m so happy for you!”
Tory grinned. “I’m really excited too. Even if it’s just for the summer, this job will make a huge difference.”
“Finally, we can look forward to just really enjoying this summer together.” Sam leaned down and kissed her softly. “I love you so much,” she whispered.
“I love you too, baby,” Tory whispered back.
They kissed again, holding each other in the clear blue water under the afternoon sun.