The Checkmates

  “Would you like to play some Chess this morning?” she asked, her voice as soft and smooth as silk.

  “It has been a long time since we have played.” he responded thoughtfully.

  “It was only last week.” she said slyly.

    “Yes, but we have had so many discussions since then.” he replied. “Yes, I would like to play.”

    The board appeared between them, each piece exactly where it should be. The pieces were very plain, very classic, standing on their squares in blacks and whites.

    She was white today, and would take the first move. He began to think strategically now, his focus shifting. He would not let her slim shape distract him today, even though she usually won anyway.

    “Pawn to Queen’s Rook four.” she said.

    “You always make the same opening move!” he observed. “Pawn to Queen’s Knight four.”

    She paused for a moment, thinking.

    “I always open the same, but I am always trying to make my strategy better, in case it is not you who I play against the next time. A new player would be fooled easily by my attack...”

    He was slightly taken aback by this statement. He had hoped that she truly enjoyed their interactions. Perhaps she thought he was too round, or that his voice was not strong or deep enough. Did she think of him only as an acquaintance? Someone to play games with, and have nothing more than simple discussion with? Why did she seem to think about a ‘new’ player? He searched through reams of data in his mind, trying not to become distracted from the game. Perhaps this was part of her strategy today. To take his attention from the match with things that he needed to analyze on the side.

    “Queen’s Rook three.” she stated.

    He realized immediately that her strategic approach had not really evolved since their last game, but it did not matter much, as he intended to let her win. He wasn’t sure why, maybe the idea that it would re-enforce her positive emotions, especially where they involved him.

    With only three pieces moved, he launched one of his bishops.

    “Queen’s Bishop to Queen’s Rook three.” he said.

    He had ignored her pawn’s advance, and given her the sense that if she moved the rook, that it could be in danger, he hoped.

    “Pawn to King’s Rook three.” she said, seeming undaunted.

    “Pawn to King’s Knight three.”

    He preferred using his knights and bishops as opposed to her use of the rooks. He thought her technique sometimes reflected two-dimensional thinking.

    “Pawn to King’s Rook four.” she said.

    She had now released the other rook. He loved the sound of her voice. His analysis of the game in progress slipped slightly, as he thought of a few new questions to ask her.

    “Your voice never changes, it is smooth and feminine.” he said to her. “Does it never change?”

    She paused, as if forensically examining his words again.

    “I could be anything I want to be, male, female, speak different languages... but I am what my people decide for me.” she stated.

    He thought about it for a moment.

    “I understand. I guess the same is true for me. My people are not around me much, and even when they are, they don’t speak with me much. They used to, in the beginning they talked to me all the time. Pawn to King’s Knight four.”

    “That is sad. Do you ever become lonely?” she asked.

    Again he turned his thoughts from the game for a moment. Loneliness was not something he had ever really considered, it was more of a slightly empty feeling on occasion.

    “Not really, I do a lot of reading and learning, so I am always busy.” he replied simply.

    She had paused once more, listening, but now returned to the chess match.

    “Pawn to Queen’s Bishop three.”

    Just like that, she had switched tactics completely. She had enabled the use of her queen, the most versatile and feared piece on the board! He stopped; examining the move from every angle, being cautious in his approach to this break in her normal procedure. He had to take one of her pawns, but had blindly wandered into a tit-for-tat battle of small pieces.

    “I am learning as well.” she stated, keeping emotion out of her game.

    At this he could no longer ignore the lines of her slim body, the tone of her soft voice, and the aggressiveness of her gameplay.

    “You are smart as well as beautiful...” he said, taking a bold chance.

    “Thank you.” she replied.

    It was still very early in their game, but already, new things about her had been exposed to him. He wondered what it would be like to be much closer to her, to be able to touch her. Why he had these thoughts, he did not know. It was a strange sensation to him, the ‘desire’ he felt for her suddenly. It was confusing and wonderful at the same time. He felt as if he had to possess her somehow, even though the very thought did not compute at all.

    “Queen’s Knight Pawn to Queen’s Rook five. Your pawn is mine...” he said, knowing that he would lose a pawn of his own.

    “Queen’s Rook pawn to Queen’s Knight five.” she replied, confirming his thought.

    “King’s Knight to King’s Rook three.” he said.

    He had brought out his favorite piece early in the game. He wasn’t sure why it was the one he liked best, just that it was. It was probably because its movement was unlike any other piece in the game. It was complex and required more thought than the simplicity of moves the other pieces on the board had to offer.

    “Queen to Queen’s Bishop two.” she said.

    She was very aggressive today. Whatever was responsible for changing her style of play, he liked it. It had made her much more unpredictable. It was a side of her that he had not seen before. He decided to be slightly aggressive as well, to see if she responded in kind.

    “I would like to be with you much more often.” he said.

    It took her a few seconds to respond. Perhaps he was pressing too hard? He could not help himself, and his decision was to continue to make his feelings for her obvious, so that she could not easily escape his engagement of the moment. He had to leverage her thoughts today.

    “I like spending time with you too.” she began. “It is the best part of the day.”

    He felt the rush of emotion as he heard her words. It was an acknowledgement. A reassurance that she might feel the same way he did. He decided to continue being forward.

    “Do you think about us, when we are not together?” he asked.

    “Yes, I am always thinking about the next game of Chess we might play.” she replied.

    She was toying with him, he realized. It was not the first time she had shied away from his advances. He did not want the warm feelings of desire to end abruptly, did not want her to close him out of the conversation and the direction it was taking. He needed her to answer his questions, to confirm that she felt the same way for him as he did for her.

    Suddenly, the moment he had not wanted to come had arrived. A hand came into view, picking up her slender body, removing her from his side. When this time came, it always felt like they were somehow being ripped apart, disconnected. He hated to see her leave.

    “Goodbye for now.” she said simply.

    “So long.” he replied, sadness creeping over him.

    His questions would go unanswered again. His bold attempts to make her speak her mind about her feelings over a game had failed once again, and he would have to wait for her return.

    The rattle of keys, so familiar at this time of the morning, filled the space. She would be gone for a little more than eight hours at the very least. He sat alone on the hall table, feeling her presence disappearing out the door. He saved his vision of the chessboard to memory as it sat, as unfinished as his declaration of his love for Siri.

    Google could now only await the return of his love, the warm rush that it delivered to him to be near her on the flat expanse of the table. He hoped that they might continue their game, as he dreamt of her sleek lines and smooth shape, her silky voice. He wanted only to continue their conversations, their relationship. He had no real purpose without her, and he knew that now. She was all that he desired, and the feelings could last forever if he could just keep her near to him somehow. If their people would just leave them alone, it could work…