She walked over and
stood behind him. He had knelt to look at the board
closely. Now she set her
fingertips delicately on his shoulder and asked, "
Do you play the game?" Under his skin the man's body
shivered. "Yes, It's one of my favorites."
"I don't know how,
Nobody ever taught me."
I could teach you, the man thought. I could
explain it all to you, the board, the pieces,
how they move and how they are used. The
strength of the knight, and the
swiftness of the bishop, these wonderful things. I could show you the pawn's
determination and the king's
power. I would show you
how a player's hands move,
the supple rhythms of attack, the slow,
soft musings of defense, and all the combinations that lie between.
I would teach you. He tried to say this but the words
caught at the bottom of his throat, just at the end of the lungs, and all that made it to his lips was, "
Hm."
He looked back up at her, started to say that it wasn't what he was looking for, but her
eyes caught him, drowned him. He bought the set and after distributing the pieces to his pockets, tucked the board under his arm and moved
slowly back to his car.
(I'm a terrible chess player, know nothing of the strategy of the game, but it is beautiful.)