A cop named Stallings drove us to Karrin's home. He was a good sport and refrained to laugh. Much.

When we arrived, I offered my wrists. "Please, if you don't mind?"

She tapped her cheek.
-"I have some things to show you first."
My designated nanny led us to a small service room. "Haul that chest to the sofa, please."

I took hold of the mini-fridge sized chest and heaved. My knees strained under the load.

She gestured to her wheelchair.
"I would do it myself but you gotta heal me first. Then I kick Ron in the nuts and we can pop your cherry."

My cheeks colored yet I managed to keep my voice steady. "Why do you flirt with me ...like that?"

She drove the chair to the kitchen.
-"Like what?"

My arms wept in joy when the chest thudded against the wooden floor.
-"Like you actually desire me."

Karrin placed the kettle to boil.
-"Your answers lie inside."

I inspected the behemoth, brass fittings, and a numeric lock.
-"That gotta be a lot of answers."

The scent of herbal tea filled the room as Karrin placed the cups on the table. Then she took a ragged breath and unlocked the chest.

That's why it weighs a ton.
It was bursting out with trophies, medals, photos, and cups.

She took hold of her chair's armrests and her voice cracked.
-"When I got reduced to this, I knew that desk work was an option. Yet when some rando thrillseeker challenged my dojo…"

I placed my cuffed hands over hers, the metal guards resonating in the room.

Karrin grasped my hands.
-"I wasn't there. It filled me with rage and wanted to cave down his face with my own fists. Then it dawned on me; even if I was….being like this…I couldn't have done anything."

Her hands shook, tremors running down her frame.
-"I, who knows twelve styles. I, who was planning to start my own school."

She hiccuped.
-"I would forever be unable to do a kata. Running against the walls."

She took my hands to her face and pressed her cheek against them. Amid tears, she breathed slowly, deliberately.
-"Ron came to visit each day. Every single day. I shouted at him, even threw my used diapers at him. He replied: It is a shitty situation."

I snorted.
-"How come I believe you? His puns should be illegal."

Karring opened her mouth to speak and no sound came forth. It took a couple of tries before she regained her voice.
-"Then one day, I couldn't bear the sight of those trophies. Those mementos that only showed me how much I lost. I stashed them and my house only got worse. Because there wasn't anything else that marked this place as mine."

She poured the tea with one hand, never letting go of mine.
-"Ron came to visit me. He found the same delightful scent of vomit and whiskey. He didn't care. I was with my gun in my mouth. He didn't even blink and went to the kitchen to use my lighter for his tobacco. I was shaking, with fear, with shame."

Her other hand reunited mine.
-"That day he dragged me to your clinic. Other times he begged, that time he came closer and patted his pockets. My car keys? I took out the gun from my mouth to say he always drops them in my kitchen. And the sonuvabitch disarmed me, hogtied me and placed duct tape in my mouth. He manhandled me into the car and next thing I know…"

She pressed my hands against her lips.
-"...some shoddy as fuck charlatan straps me to a table and shows me his snake."

This time she trails kisses over my other hand.
-"And for the first time since the shooting… I felt my foot. And he says he can get me walking again. He says in less than a year I return to practice the Art."

I was mesmerized by her eyes, her lips framed by tears only enhanced her beauty.

She smiles. It starts small, as a spark in her eye. Soon blossoms into a full-blown smile.
-"And then he finds my goddaughter. As far as I know, that charlatan deserves my firstborn."

My jaw dropped.