Saturday, January 18, 2025

The Third Night

 

During the week, on Thursday, Nick asked me: “All set for tomorrow?”

“Absolutely,” I replied.

And so, we met for our third dinner.

As we sipped one last glass of wine after the meal, settling on the couch, he noticed some of my artwork hanging on the wall.

“Do you like abstract art?”

“Not really, though I’ve tried my hand at it as a form of self-expression.”

“Like these?” he said, pointing to the pieces on the wall.

“These aren’t exactly abstract works. You know, I’m quite fond of traditional board games from different cultures—so much so that I collect them. With the internet, it's easy to research games and their rules. So, when I find the rules for a game that isn’t available on the market, I make the game myself and try to treat it like a beautiful object, a work of art. That’s when I realized that game boards could be seen as abstract art. They’re squares and circles, curved and straight lines, colors. Letting my imagination run wild, I created these pieces. Some of them turned out so well that they ended up on the wall. After all, my love for games also brings me a big problem.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, you see, I live alone, I don’t have any partners, and my damn shyness makes me too timid to join something like a chess club. Sure, there’s the computer, but it’s like reading on a screen—it just doesn’t compare to the pleasure of reading a real book. The texture of the paper, the act of turning the pages, holding the book, the smell of the paper!” (and I made a comical expression of sheer delight).

He laughed and said, “That’s what also explains your many books.”

“Yes, books. They’re my many friends. I read them, re-read them, look at them, and blow them kisses.”

“That’s really curious!”

“What’s that?”

“You’re so intelligent, sensitive, sweet, and yet you relate to books.”

“I’m all that, perhaps, and I’ll tell you that I do like people. I enjoy meeting them, loving them. Even the big troublemakers. But I don’t allow space for the intimacy of a deep relationship.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead!”

“Pick a fun game for us to play next week.”

“Okay, but don’t leave me in the dark. What’s a fun game to you?”

He thought for a moment and said, “I think I’d like something dynamic, not too much thinking involved nor too mechanical or boring.”

“I think I can think of something like that. Definitely not chess.”

“I’ve never played chess.”

“It’s my favorite game, though I’m the worst chess player alive. It’s true, I’ve had games that lasted more than ten hours.”

“What?! No way, that sounds awful!”

“Well, get ready for next week, my fellow player!”


 

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