She Never Knew Read Online Free PDF Page A

began taking off their shoes in preparation for the warm up exercises
that were about to begin.
    Kat selected a
seat next to one that had a bright blue water bottle on the floor. Recognizing
the bottle as belonging to Eli’s mother, she set her purse underneath her own
chair. Her sweater was damp, so she removed it and hung it on the back of her
chair. When she sat down, Eli’s mother came out of the bathroom and walked
toward Kat.
    “Well, hello
there!” Kat smiled at her friend. “Get a little wet?” She laughed as Rhonda
glared at her. Her shirt and pants were spotted with water and her auburn hair
hung limply over her shoulders.
    “We went to see Eli’s
cousin today and time got away from us. Obviously, I didn’t have time to stop
at the house to get our raincoats.” She sat down next to Kat and rubbed her
knees, trying to warm her hands.
    “Would you like
to wear my sweater?” Kat offered. “It should be dry in a few minutes.”
    “Thanks, but I’m
okay. I’ll warm up once we get on the floor.” She motioned to the instructor in
the front of the room.
    There were eight
children in the Tiny Tigers program, ranging from three to six years old. All
of them stood at their respective places on the activity floor, chattering
excitedly.
    Tyler was three
months younger than Eli, so they were paired up as partners. Both boys had
known each other since they were born and did almost everything together. Their
mothers were also the best of friends and lived across the street from each
other. The women often took turns babysitting and jokingly referred to the
other’s son as her second child. Kat was grateful to have Rhonda in her life and
she trusted her completely when she left Tyler in her care.
    While Tyler and Eli
went to separate preschools, they often shared similar extracurricular
activities. Taekwondo was one of them. After two months in the program, both
boys had earned their orange belts. They were ahead of their peers due to the
fact that they practiced regularly together.
    “All right, how
are my Tiny Tigers doing tonight?” Dottie smiled widely, clapping her hands. The
owner was a tall woman, who usually dressed in her state championship uniform
that gave her an aura of stern authority. “Did y’all get wet?”
    The children
clamored, jumping up and down, eager to get started. “Okay, let’s warm up!”
    Dottie Rodriquez
was a no-nonsense kind of woman. While she understood young children were
highly energetic and rambunctious at times, she had little tolerance for those
who disrupted her classroom. She spoke loudly most of the time, perhaps in
effort to maintain control of her students. She was a fourth degree black belt
martial arts instructor and was known for being one of the best trainers in the
area.
    “Parents!” she
yelled. “We’re gonna do something a little bit different tonight. Come on up.”
She waved her hands for the parents to step forward onto the floor.
    After Kat and Rhonda
removed their shoes, they took their respective positions behind their sons.
Tyler looked up at his mother and she gave him a wink.
    “Here’s what
we’re going to do. We’re going to learn what we need to do when someone grabs
us from behind.” Dottie eyed the children and continued, “We are going to
pretend that your mommies and daddies are the bad guys!”
    Tyler turned
around and said to Kat, “You’re the bad guy, Mommy!” He giggled as many of the
kids did the same with their parents.
    Tyler didn’t
notice the frightened expression on Kat’s face, but Rhonda did. While Kat tried
to wear a happy face, it was obvious how uncomfortable she was.
    “You okay?” whispered
Rhonda.
    “Yeah, I’m
okay.” Kat replied. “I had a bad memory there for a second.” She smiled at her
friend, grateful for her support.
    “All right! Mr. Henley
here is going to give us a little demonstration. She motioned to the side of
the room, where he stood next to a rack of sparring gear. Ryan Henley, a