Checkmate

  Enola sat at a small table within her walled garden, reading erotica. She closed the book and tears fell onto the cover. She cried not because the book was sad or the writing bad, but because the wonders expressed in those pulpy pages was something she would never experience.

   The young woman wiped her face and picked up a chess puzzle book. At one time Enola was enraptured with the world of chess. Now, she held little desire for it. As she read her right leg felt itchy. She ignored it, just as the world ignored her.

   Young men caught up in a nearby baseball game occasionally yelled along with the crack of a bat. The noise disrupted Enola and she rolled her eyes. Enola couldn’t understand men’s fascination with baseball.

   “Pretty girls shouldn’t sit alone,” an unrecognized voice said from behind her.

   Enola twisted around and saw a man with piercing green eyes standing near the exterior door of her walled garden. “Who are you and how did you get in here?” she said in a raised voice. Her heart raced. She couldn’t tell if she was more fearful or angry at his trespass. Or was it something else that unnerved her?

   The gray-haired man walked around a wilted rose bush and stood across from her. “Forgive me, I need a few minutes of your time.”

   The man seemed to be in his sixties, but quite handsome for his age. Enola never let herself be swayed by an attractive face. She had faced off against many good looking men, typically locking up their king with her queen. The rectangular bag held by the man annoyed her.

   Enola put her book down and crossed her arms. “I don’t know who you think you are…”

   “I’m Gabriel,” the man interrupted. “I was hoping we could have a quick game.”

   “Well, Mr. Gabriel, you are trespassing. Please leave.”

   “I know. I just need a few minutes. In fact, that’s all I have. I was hoping we could play some speed chess.”

   “I don’t play chess anymore.”

   “I’ve heard that.” Gabriel sat in the opposite chair, opened the bag, unrolled a portable chess board and began to place the pieces.

   “What are you doing?”

   “Setting up,” Gabriel said without looking up. 

   Instead of traditional black and white, the pieces were blue and orange. The man set Enola up with blue and orange for himself. The orange knights looked more like dragons than horses. Enola had never seen a set like that before. 

   “I told you I don’t want to play.”

   Gabriel finished setting up and then looked around. “Nice garden.”

   “It would be nicer if you’d leave,” she said.

   He gave her a side look, “And, it would be more beautiful if you’d leave.”

   Enola was flabbergasted, “How rude! How can you say such things on my property? Get out or I’ll…”

   Gabriel leaned back in his chair, “You’ll what? Call someone? Who?”

   “The police for one,” Enola snapped.

   “Who else? Who else can you call, Enola? ”

   Enola’s mouth gaped.

   “The phone is in the kitchen. Go get it. Lord knows it never rings. Get your phone if you think you can get past me.”

   Enola shifted in her chair, uneasy by his knowledge of her and her name. “How do you know all that?”

   “Internet.”

   “Liar. Get off my property.”

   Gabriel shrugged and then glanced at his watch. “Tell you what; if you win I’ll leave right away. But if I win you’ll open the garden door and treat me to a cup of coffee.”

   Enola blinked a few times, “That’s it?”

   “That’s it. What do you have to lose?”

   Enola sized up the man. With a one time rating of 2569, only other Grandmasters could successfully challenge her. This should be easy, even though she hadn’t played in a few years. She glanced over his shoulder at the door leading to the house. There was no way to get passed him to the phone. She hoped the man wasn’t crazy.

   “Oh, and one more thing.” Gabriel snatched her queen. “You don’t get to use this.”

   “Are you insane?” Enola put her hands on her hips, “That’s not fair.”

   “Who said life is fair? Besides, I’m an unranked nobody. You should be able to stomp me with no problem.”

   Enola fidgeted in her chair, wishing should could literally stomp him. She rolled her eyes, “Fine. You go first.”

   Gabriel brought out one of his strange knights. Enola countered with her move. The pieces from both sides marched forward. A few fell early.

   “I’m sorry about your Dad,” Gabriel said.

   Her hand froze above a piece. “That was awhile ago. Get that off of the Internet too?” Enola said in a bitter tone as she made her move.

   More pieces moved around. More pieces were lost.

   “If your Dad knew this garden was now a prison, he would never have built those walls.”

   Enola glared at Gabriel, “This isn’t a prison; it’s my sanctuary.”

   Yelling erupted from the baseball game. Enola heard a thump behind her. She turned around and saw a baseball roll to a stop against a dead rose bush.

   “Times up,” Gabriel said.

   Enola twisted around. Gabriel was gone. She looked down at the board and was equally stunned. Gabriel had stalemated her into a corner, pinned between his strange knight and orange king.

   Someone started beating on the garden door.

   Enola got up and hobbled toward the door. Her stump in the prosthetic leg burned with each step.

   She unlocked and opened the door. Her eyes met a piercing green stare. Enola was dumbfounded. The attractive young man had on a blue shirt with an orange dragon. Enola looked back at the chess board, but it was now gone too.

   She turned toward the young man and blushed not knowing what to say. The young man seemed equally dumb with his fly catching mouth.

   Then, Enola blurted out, “Would you like some coffee?”