AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, not really.”
“Okay.” Jun took a sip of coffee, thinking through the problem. “So, show me your surfing stance.”
“Here? In the kitchen?”
Jun nodded. Kai glanced around, but the two of them were alone. He shrugged, bent his knees and put his arms out as if he were surfing. Jun studied the curve of his once-injured knee. To her eyes, he seemed strong. There was nothing about the motion he was doing now that indicated a problem. And yet she’d seen the knee buckle twice before.
“No pain?”
Kai shook his head. Then he bounced from one squat to another, as he might if he had to shift weight on his board. “No, it’s fine here. On land.”
Jun put down her mug as she studied the problem in front of her. She took a step back so she could see Kai’s whole body and not just the knee. Her alternative-medicine courses taught her to look at the whole patient, not just the source of the injury. Human bodies were elaborate systems, each element dependent on the others.
“What’s different about the water?”
“What isn’t?” Kai shook his head. He stomped one foot on his solid wooden floor. “This has a constant support, but in water, of course, your entire body is engaged in just trying to stay ahead of that freight train barreling down on you. And the water pushes and pulls, and it’s a constant battle to stay balanced. Well, you know.” Kai nodded at her. Jun did know. It was why surfing was such good exercise: every muscle family was engaged.
“The knee just gives,” Jun said. “Under that pressure.”
“Yeah, right when I think I’m going to make it, the knee just...folds.”
Jun shook her head as an idea came to her. “You know what? I don’t think the knee is the problem at all.”
“Then what is it?”
Jun leaned forward and stood on tiptoe. Then she tapped Kai’s temple. “It’s up here. We’re going to do some meditation and visualization today.”
“Why do I think I’ll have to burn incense and chant?” Kai grinned.
“You just might, if you don’t watch it.”
* * *
“HAVE YOU DONE this before?” Kai asked as they sat in his personal gym. Kai had designed every bit of the room with his likes in mind; the gleaming wooden floor, mirrored wall and artfully arranged bamboo garden in the corner made it a place he didn’t mind working out. He sat cross-legged, waiting for Jun to join him on the mat across from his. He had some doubts this plan was going to work.
“I once helped a woman who was terrified of flying to get on a plane. I took a class on using alternative medicines to alter behavior. Visualization can help you overcome your fear.” Jun lit some sandalwood candles near them and plugged her smartphone into the speaker system. Soothing reed music floated into the room.
“I’m not scared of flying,” Kai said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
“Aren’t you, though?” Jun said, the corner of her mouth lifting in a teasing smile. “Sometimes the brain can overthink situations. After all, our brains were engineered to survive being hunted on the open plain and in the jungle. Fear is an excellent survival tool, but for us modern people, who don’t have to worry about being eaten by saber-toothed tigers, fear can be crippling, and it can get in the way.”
“I’m not afraid,” Kai lied. He was afraid, of the water, of the massive power of it, of finding himself being tossed like a rag doll at its whim. Before the tsunami, he’d loved surfing: the bigger the waves, the better.
“Okay, well, if you aren’t, if your mind is not tripping you up, then you should be able to do this exercise without any trouble,” Jun said, sitting in front of him, crossing her legs. “We’re going to start out like we do with meditation, taking a deep breath in and letting that breath out. So close your eyes and be guided by my voice.”
Kai let his eyelids fall closed but wasn’t sure he believed this would do any good. Meditating might make him feel less stressed while he was doing it, but none of that helped when he was out in it, the surf threatening to take him down and drag him under.
“All right, now breathe in...and out.” Kai listened to the smooth sound of Jun’s voice. He tried not to think about how sexy it was. Was there nothing about the woman that was unattractive? He let out a breath and felt his chest loosen a bit.
