This is a #storygram (mini-stories) from my Instagram, which you can get to via the social media links at the top of this site. I do my best to make them a daily thing for you to enjoy and share with your friends! I really love making them, and YES, many of them will hopefully be expounded upon in novels or other future writing endeavors of mine. Thank you very much for reading and sharing them! Don’t forget to check out my film Portfolio too!

The Story:

Thousands of people pass by this place every year. They see a wooden table that might be good for a picnic. But I see memories.

Every Sunday afternoon my grandfather would be sitting at the table, waiting for me with a checkerboard laid out and all of the pieces in their proper squares. You had to take a jump–that was the rule. The sacrifice of one piece so that the rest of your army could triumph made the game more strategic. He usually won.

It was here in this place, when the game was getting interesting, that I told him I was going to divorce Katie. He paused, looking beyond his pieces, and several seconds later made a move.

“Well, I assume there’s a reason?”
“She’s been seeing another guy.”

I made a move without analyzing my pieces.

“Do you love her, Adam?”
“Of course, I do. But I also hate her for doing this. I’ve… I’ve not handled it well.”
“I see.”

He moved another piece, and I moved one.

“King me.”
“Did you know that your grandmother and I were once divorced?”

I stopped playing, frozen by the unveiling of his deepest secret.

“Not on paper. Too shameful back in those days. We decided to live apart but under the same roof. Separate rooms, separate bank accounts, separate lives.”

I couldn’t process his words into any kind of reality that made sense to me. They had always seemed so in love.

“What changed?”
“Back.”

I must’ve given him as confused of a look as he gave me an answer. He moved another piece.

“She had back surgery and couldn’t move. We didn’t love each other, but we weren’t monsters. I cared for her. Turns out, I’d been giving her stuff when all she ever wanted was my time. We fell in love again.”

His intent was obvious, but his solution was too simple. I felt he still didn’t understand.

“So, you’re saying she wants more of my time?”
“Nope. Make your move.”

I made the jump he had forced me into.

“I’m saying that she’s injured, and you’re not a monster.”

He picked up a piece and jumped the remainder of mine.

“Victory is in the sacrifices, Adam. Let her win.”

 

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This