“Years later, when jiu-jitsu started spreading more widely, he trained that too.”
Ryan asked:
“Rank?”
Samuel sighed.
“Black belt.”
“How long?”
“Twenty-four years.”
The room reacted.
Derek lowered the microphone completely.
Ryan stared at Samuel.
“You’re a black belt?”
“Yes.”
“And you said you ‘used to train.’”
“I do.”
“When did you stop?”
Samuel looked toward the entrance where his truck sat outside.
“Depends what you mean by stop.”
“I haven’t competed seriously in decades.”
“I still move.”
“Teach a little.”
“Mostly farm.”
Marcus said:
“He owns Price Family Farm outside Georgetown.”
“Cattle?”
Samuel nodded.
“Cattle.”
“Soybeans.”
“Tomatoes when my wife gets sentimental.”
Ryan looked confused.
“Why are you here?”
Samuel pointed toward the food-pantry booth.
“Tomatoes.”
A few people laughed.
Ryan did not.
He was still staring at the mat.
“You knew you could do that.”
Samuel shook his head.
“No.”
“Come on.”
“You’re twenty-eight.”
Samuel pointed at him.
“You train full-time.”
“You’re stronger than me.”
“Faster than me.”
“If that round keeps going hard for five minutes, your advantages get more important every second.”
Ryan frowned.
“Then why did I end up down?”
Samuel thought.
“Because for twenty-six seconds, you weren’t fighting me.”
“Who was I fighting?”
Samuel pointed toward the crowd.
“Them.”
Ryan looked over.
Samuel continued:
“You wanted them to see what they expected.”
“The young black belt embarrassing the old farmer.”
“You had already accepted the ending.”
“So every time the ending looked less certain, you rushed.”
Marcus nodded.
Ryan said:
“I was still winning the exchange before that.”
Samuel smiled.
“Maybe.”
“You were moving me.”
“Yes.”
“You were faster.”
“Yes.”
“You probably would have controlled me eventually.”
Ryan stared.
Samuel continued:
“That should make this easier to hear.”
“What?”
“You didn’t need to prove it.”
The words landed harder than the takedown.
Jacob was still sitting near the side.
Samuel looked toward him.
“He told you easy twice.”
Ryan’s eyes moved to the teenager.
Jacob looked down again.
Samuel continued:
“That’s why I spoke.”
“Not because I thought I could beat you.”
“Because somebody younger and less experienced gave you information about his body.”
“And you treated it like an inconvenience.”
Ryan opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
Marcus said:
“I warned you about this.”
Ryan looked at him.
“When?”
“Every time I told you not to turn technical rounds into ranking ceremonies.”
Ryan frowned.
“I thought you meant ego.”
Marcus stared.
“I did.”
Derek stepped forward.
“Okay, everybody.”
“Great show.”
Samuel looked at him.
“No.”
Derek froze.
Samuel pointed toward the microphone.
“Don’t turn this into a show.”
Derek lowered it.
Samuel continued:
“You offered him money to embarrass an old man.”
“I thought it would be funny.”
“Why?”
Derek had no answer.
Samuel waited.
Finally Derek said:
“Because people would watch.”
Samuel nodded.
“That’s true.”
Then he looked around the pavilion.
“That doesn’t make it good.”
Nobody spoke.