“You beat me.”
“I saw you coming,” she replied coolly.
Her appearance was the same: blue jeans, a T-shirt, old sneakers, and her long hair pulled back into a ponytail. She sat opposite Kid at the table.
“Black or white?” she asked him.
“I like black,” he said.
“White it is for you then,” she said.
He laughed. “You are something else.”
“Anyway, are you going to make it an interesting game this time?”
“You care to place a little wager?”
“I don’t bet. Besides, I have no money on me.”
“Let’s not play for money. Let’s play for information and time,” he suggested.
“What?”
“If I win, you tell me everything I want to know about you. And I get a kiss from you . . . maybe a date, too.”
She looked at him straight-faced. “And what do I get when I win?”
“I’ll take you out, somewhere special. Your choice.”
“It sounds a little unbalanced and unfair for me. How do you know that I want to go out with you?”
“Well, you can pick.”
“If I win, then I want you to leave me alone,” she said clearly.
“Wow, really?”
She nodded, looking him directly in the eyes. “If you’re confident about your game, then you’ll take the bet.”
The Kid sighed. He then huffed and said, “We have a bet.”
“I hope you’re a man of your word when you lose,” she said.
“I am.” He didn’t plan on losing this game. “Ladies first,” he suggested.
She moved her pawn. He moved his. Two more pawns were moved, followed by her knight, his bishop, and her queen. The two became exceptionally focused on the game. Their eyes were completely lowered to the pieces on the chessboard and magnetized by every single move made. The Kid became more aggressive with his movement. He looked six moves ahead, trying to find Jackie’s weakness. But she was highly skilled.
Twenty minutes went by and the game was close. It became so close that it concluded in a draw. Jackie had no legal move, and her piece wasn’t in check.
“Damn, that never happened before,” The Kid said.
“There’s a first time for anything.”
“So, who wins the bet?” he asked playfully.
“No one . . . unless you want to go at it again?”
He smiled at her, saying, “I want to get to know you better, and I want my date. So let’s play.”