Skip assembled the rest of the Old-Fashioned that I had begun right before he arrived – the first cocktail made in our home in well over a year. I poured a mocktail spritzer for myself, and we convened on the back patio, a pair of vaccinated bros reunited to plan an upcoming trip to Boston over a game of chess. Our little world resumed as if we’d never left off, all fabulousness and freshness, with a few new twists.
First up was the chess game. I hadn’t played in about three decades, and I’m not sure why I waited so long. It brings back some wonderful memories – my best friend in grade school first taught me how to play the game. Billy was the smartest kid in the class, and the best one to teach me the game. I picked it up quickly and soon we were trading off wins and losses at a pretty even keel. When my Uncle Roberto came to visit a few months later, he asked if I wanted to play chess, and that’s when the real lessons began.
Pleasantly surprised at my Uncle’s prowess with the game, I was immediately beaten time after time after time, but I was learning and watching and formulating a shift in strategy. He led with his Queen. I played with my silly pawns and rooks, cowering in defensive mode while my Uncle ruthlessly ransacked the game. It was a lesson in chess, and a lesson in life. Soon, I evolved my game. The Queen would lead my board from that moment forward – and eventually that board would lead my life. Better to be bold and storm your lot in life than sit timidly back, hiding behind a row of petty pawns and the limited diagonal power of the bishops.
It all came flooding back as Skip made the first move and we began plotting out a trip to Boston, which we were both eagerly anticipating. Unleashing my Queen upon his formidable fortress, I won the first game, and then the second. It was the first time I beat Skip at anything since possibly ever. He has busted my ass at Connect Four, trivia, cards, more trivia, Rubik’s cubes, and just about any and every other game ever made. With such a history between us, I figured he would whip me at chess too, since he’s always been a thinker and puzzler, but perhaps chess is the one thing I can win. We’ll pick it up again in Boston to see if these wins were just flukes.
Maybe it was the game, maybe it was being back with an old friend, and maybe it was the power of the Queen returning, but I felt happily emboldened by the end of the evening. It had passed quickly – too quickly – and catching up in person on what we missed over the last year will take some time. As spring unfurls, and we move from April into May, time feels like it’s back on our side. A momentary reprieve, and a rather happy one that I’m tentatively embracing. Hope has been missing for too long.
