Tight-Knit Family

The Chess Game

Dylan

"That's the king, treat him nice. Use your brains, now protect him."

Dad and Papa were playing chess again. I heard they learned how to play from Jason, who loved chess. He loved it more than anything else in the world.

It was a typical Saturday morning, our dads playing chess, and Jason was at Trina and Mendel's. Trina and Mendel had just gotten engaged, and Em and I were so happy for them. Papa...well...he wasn't.

I went over to Charlotte and Cordelia's the other day, and they told me the whole story. How Marvin divorced Trina because he was gay, and how Mendel was Trina's psychiatrist. Something about Marvin not sharing Whizzer's devotion to style or some crap, and some other things I can't remember at the moment.

"Move a pawn."

"No, sir."

"Move."

"Where?"

"There."

"Here?"

"Move a pawn."

"Who?"

"Not the queen."

"Who?"

"Jesus..."

Typical chess game. I remembered something that Dad and Papa told me once, or maybe I just overheard it and it stuck with me. Life's a sham and every move is wrong. I don't know what that meant, maybe I didn't pay attention all that well or I'm not good with symbolism, but those words stuck with me for some weird reason. 

"Hey." Emma said, coming in the room. "Is it just me, or does this chess game seem...ten times more intense than Dad and Papa's normal games?" I nodded and said, "Is it wrong that I'm a little...scared? Have you noticed that they've been fighting a lot lately?"

Emma nodded and sighed. "I'm not gonna worry about it for now. If something happens...we'll deal with it." 

"Whizzer wins!"

"Wait!"

"Whizzer wins!"

"Wait!"

"Checkmate!"

Whizzer won the game. I looked to Emma in confusion, I didn't know what this meant. I heard banging coming from the other room, angry banging. 

It was probably Marvin. And Marvin was mad. I scrambled to the door and pressed my ear against it, trying to hear what was going on.

"Whizzer's supposed to make the dinner- be a patsy, lose at chess. Always bravely acquiesce. Clip the coupons, make the dinner, and love him! This had better come to a stop, Marvin, this has been a lousy and fabulous flop!"

I started panicking, and reached over for Emma's hand. Whatever was happening, this was not going to end well.

"Does anyone understand all I want's a kiss? Anyone understand?"

"Don't start explaining, I'm sick of explaining!"

I started sobbing. I had never witnessed any couple fight before, not even the married couple that owned the orphanage I grew up in. I was scared, I didn't know what was happening.

I heard one last thump on the floor and then peeked outside the door. Whizzer was running out the door with a suitcase.

Then it hit me.

My parents had broken up.