Chapter 5 is a very important chapter in the book, it fills in a couple of crucial gaps.
I've always been confused by Mrs. Larusso's comments at the Orient Express restaurant.
"They have this program: two nights a week. As soon as a spot opens, I'm in. And the benefits - I'd never get them working in computers. They pay for everything."
Huh?
Chapter 5, pages 23-26
The front door opened. Daniel pasted the well-practiced smile on his face and greeted his mother easily.
"Hi, hon! How's the eye?" she asked, dashing in.
"Okay. What's the rush?"
"I got a job!"
"Yeah, I know. Rocket Computers. Flight to the Future!"
"'Crashed in the Present' is more like it. The company went bankrupt last Friday. Can you believe it? Isn't that my luck?"
"So, we're going home?"
"Honey, we are home. This is it." She walked into her bedroom, then came back out again. "Seen my black shoes?"
Daniel reached under the couch, found them, and handed them to her.
"So, what's this job?"
"It's just fantastic, honey. Listen to this story. I walked out of the former Rocket Computers offices, feeling pretty low - as you can imagine - and a woman comes flying out of this restaurant, the Orient Express - isn't that cute? - yelling about how she's going to quit. Right behind her a guy is yelling, 'You can't quit. You're fired!' It's one minute to noon, people are coming in for lunch, and I'm the Number One applicant. I got the job. What a story, huh?"
Daniel couldn't hide his disappointment.
"So after going to school - all those night classes about computers - you're going to be a waitress?"
"Hostess, if you please."
"Big difference."
"Yes, Daniel, there is. But it's only temporary anyway. It'll feed us until something better comes along."
Daniel wanted to change the subject. He did have some good news, after all.
"I started driver's ed at school. I got my learner's permit."
"That's nice," his mother said, distracted.
She held up a pair of earrings to her lobes.
"Do these go?"
"Sure. Listen, if I get enough practice in, I can get my license on my birthday."
"How do I look?"
Daniel pasted the smile back on his face. This time, however, the insincerity showed through.
"Great," he said, dully.
"Hon, there's stuff in the fridge for dinner. See you later." With that she hurriedly pecked Daniel on the cheek and dashed out the door. He retreated to the corner of the sofa and his not-so-happy thoughts about the Garden of Eden. The door opened again. His mother stuck her head in and said, "How's Friday afternoon?"
"For what?"
"Driving lessons." Daniel beamed at his mother and then watched her leave.
After dinner, Daniel took out his karate book. He was glad he'd brought it from Newark. He thought that perhaps if he followed a careful regimen, he could get as good at karate as Johnny and then feed him some of his own medicine.
However, it didn't take long to figure out that the few lessons back in Newark and the book could not replace experience with a really good teacher. The movements and strategies simply could not be conveyed in a book. Well, it was all he had and it was better than nothing.
For perhaps the twenty-fifth time, Daniel wondered why he had ever told Freddy he knew karate. Now he'd have to learn it for real to get back Freddy's friendship and to get back his own self-respect.
With renewed determination, he turned to his book. Carefully, he read the section on front snap kicks. He found that if he held the wall with one hand and the book with the other, he could read and follow the instructions. Somehow, though, it lacked Bruce Lee's fluid movement. Daniel persisted, setting a goal for himself of one hundred kicks, each side.
As he got to fifty-seven, there was a knock at the door. When he opened it, there was the handyman, Mr. Miyagi, holding a wrench and bowing.
"I come to fix faucet."
