Saturday, January 30, 2016

Sneaking Out

Ralph defied his parents' orders and kept sneaking out to play chess. It was an addiction. His grades suffered. He was hanging out with a rough crowd--east Europeans and Russian kids his age. They cursed and spit and drank Red Bull out of the bottle.
His folks showed him slides depicting the evils of chess, how it leads to bad hygiene,sloppy fashion and non verbal communication.
They got him involved in a healthy activity--a youth bowling league. Ralph had never been inside a bowling alley. As soon as he entered the place, fear gripped him. Loud crashing noises, shouting, smells, strange shoes. His whole body shook. His team consisted of four other addicted chess fiends. None had a clue what to do. He could barely lift the ball. His shoes were too big. He had a two step approach and tossed it with both hands. He bowled a 36. Snickers from other teams. This was living hell
A month later, he and 12 others hid in Marvin's basement in the middle of the night, chess boards spread out on a large folding table.
They twitched in anticipation. Addiction had won another round. Are there rounds in chess?

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