Free Half and Half by Lensey Namioka Page A

with a pair of clubs almost as thick as rolling pins. He started with a few slow taps, then gradually built up the tempo and increased the force of his pounding. Swaying with the beat of the drum, I could feel the same drive that I felt during the Scottish dancing.
    I also got a thrill from seeing the way the drummer's muscles rippled. Hey, maybe I could join a taiko group someday!
    As the drummer came to the climax of his piece, his sticks whirled so furiously that all I could see was a blur. We gave him a big hand as he left the stage. The other players came back onstage to play on the smaller drums, but they were less exciting than the performer on the big drum.
    Amanda poked me. “Say, isn't it almost time for Ron's kung fu exhibition?”
    I jumped up. “Yikes! What time is it?”
    Amanda didn't have a watch, either, so we asked a woman next to us for the time. “It's ten to eleven,” she said.
    We ran for the exhibition hall. When we got there, Mom was standing by the door looking for us. “What took you so long?” she asked.
    We rushed inside and made it to our seats just as Ron's group came out. They bowed to the audience. Then the announcer called out the names of the contestants for the junior group. Ron and his opponent were next to the last pair, which meant Ron was in one of the top levels.
    I looked at the boy who was Ron's opponent. He was so much taller and bigger that I got worried. Nainai had said that in kung fu size wasn't important. Still, it was a bit scary the way Ron's opponent loomed over him.
    “I sure hope Ron gets his growth spurt soon,” I muttered.
    “Height isn't everything!” said Amanda. She always defends Ron. “Hideyoshi was one of the greatest generalsin Japanese history, and he was a skinny little runt. And don't forget Napoleon. He wasn't much more than five feet!”
    “You'd better not let Ron hear you say ‘skinny little runt,'” I said. “And I don't think he likes to be compared to Napoleon, either.”
    On my other side, Dad gave me a poke and told me to keep quiet and not distract the contestants.
    The bouts began. Each pair of combatants bowed politely to each other before they squared up to fight. I had seen kung fu before, so the moves weren't new to me. I was familiar with the punches, the high kicks, some delivered with the fighter turning his back. Of course in an exhibition fight, the blows and the kicks are not allowed to land and actually hurt anyone. This wasn't a bloodthirsty boxing match.
    None of the bouts lasted very long. We all applauded at the end of each match as the referee announced the winner. At times I couldn't tell who the winner was until it was announced, since you never saw a loser lying stretched out on the ground.
    My anxiety grew as the time for Ron's fight approached.When the two boys came out and bowed, I saw again the big difference in size between Ron and his opponent, who had a reach almost six inches longer.
    But when the bout began, Ron didn't have trouble with his opponent's longer reach. He managed to get inside the bigger boy's guard and “land” a few good punches. I stifled a scream as the other boy aimed a kick at Ron's head. Ron dodged it with a spectacular backward flip, and that ended the bout. The crowd cheered as the announcer declared Ron the winner.
    Amanda and I grinned at each other with relief. Grandpa MacMurray took out a grubby handkerchief and wiped his brow.
    I hardly noticed what happened in the last bout, and only knew it was over when I heard the applause. After the kung fu exhibition, we all went to the side entrance to meet the team members as they came out.
    Mom was the first to spot Ron, and she rushed over to give him a big hug. Grandma MacMurray was next to hug Ron, while Grandpa shook hands formally with him. But there was nothing formal about the big smile on Grandpa's face.
    Ron looked around until he saw Dad. “Well done,” Dad said quietly.
    Amanda and I were the last to congratulate Ron. At least