Dr. Silva’s Expressions

The wise Dr. Silva, combat instructor at Myer’s, always has some sage advice for Mei on her journey to grow stronger–physically, mentally, and emotionally! He is Brazilian and so I included some translated idioms so he could confer his calm wisdom even better. Check them out below!

At night, all cats are grey

Meaning: when there’s no light, everything looks the same.

He told this to the class during their first lesson to emphasize that calm was required in order to make good decisions, even in the heat of battle. In the climax of the book, despite the dire circumstances and almost overwhelming fear, the students manage to maintain a tendril of their training that anchors them and allows them to function.

Stick your foot in the breadfruit

Meaning: just go for it!

Dr. Silva tells Mei this when she delivers a lackluster hit into the training target. He wants to see her really strike hard so he can fully assess her ability, but she thinks he wants her to kick!

There is no beauty without an if

Meaning: nothing is perfect

Dr. Silva explains to Mei that if she learns to train her core and coordinate her hits properly, she should be able to use a high percentage of her strength. She will never be able to strike with wild abandon or use 100% of her strength, but nothing is perfect.

Peel the pineapple

Meaning: you have to go through a tough exterior to get to the sweetness inside

Dr. Silva references this twice. The first time, he tells Mei that she’ll have to work hard training her core in order to tap into her potential. The second time, he’s talking about his husband, Coach M! On the outside is his prickly and armored exterior, but a deeper reservoir of sweetness and kindness lay, just like in Devi.

Drop the token

Meaning: it’s takes time to learn a new skill

Devi is angry at Dr. Silva when she sees Mei get knocked to the floor by the training apparatus. She wants him to turn it down to the immobile setting, but he explains that she needs to be patient and trust that Mei will learn.

Those who see faces, don’t see hearts

Meaning: don’t judge a book by its cover

Mei heavily doubts that Coach M is truly a kind person, despite Dr. Silva’s reassurances. He urges her to look deeper and points out that, despite Coach M’s apparent dislike of her group, he has always pushed them further without actually really punishing them. He’s also the head of the endowment committee and thus was responsible for picking them as the ones who got the scholarships to come to Myer’s.

Soaking

Meaning: you have to sit with something uncomfortable sometimes

Dr. Silva and Mei literally soak in the ocean while she tries to understand what she should do about Devi not being ready to commit to a relationship. Even though he never directly tells her what she should do, she understands his point. She decides to trust in herself and Devi and just enjoy their relationship for what it is right now instead of pushing forward. You know how it turns out!