Chapter 5
five
. . .
It’s been a long road, but we are less than two weeks out from the second most exciting chess tournament of the year.
With the volunteering finished, our candidates are getting ready to engage in an intense two-day workshop with the legendary five-time World Chess Champion, Henry Barss.
Randy Carlisle, whose father was a long-time friend of Barss, was seen escorting the man around the Caroline residence.
The two stopped for a quick photo, seen here waving at the cameras.
There’s no question that Carlisle is the favorite going into the Candidates.
Even Barss appears to be placing his bets on the young man.
Signing off, I am Richard Locus, and this is Endernet, coming to you from Lethbridge, where community grows. Back to you, Han.
I roll over, sprawling to the other side of the bed so I can pull Margot into me, only to find her side empty and cold. I press the heel of my palms into my eyes, clearing the sleep from them. Where did she go?
I pull my “Make Homophobia Extinct” rainbow T-rex T-shirt over my head and groan as I pull up my yoga pants. I’m deliciously sore from last night, the pain reminding me of the heavenly levels of pleasure Margot so graciously delivered.
A quick peek at the clock tells me I’ve slept past the breakfast time allotment. Did she go out to grab us something?
The halls are clear as I make my way through and down the steps to the communal room.
The tables are filled with my fellow trainees.
I expect to find Margot sitting at ours, even imagine her with a wry grin on her face as she holds out a coffee to me, telling me I need to get my energy back up after last night.
Only, she’s not there either. Her chair sits still, neatly tucked in, our chessboard still untouched.
“She left.”
I turn to find Randy standing with his arms crossed, sporting some ill-applied and non-color matched foundation under his left eye.
What the hell happened to him?
“What?” I ask, disbelieving.
He shrugs. “Caught her sneaking out last night. Took me by surprise so hard that I tripped up the stairs.” He gestures to his eye.
I don’t want to believe him. His words sound practiced, but then again, maybe he’s been explaining the situation to everyone else this morning, hence the hint of rehearsal.
“I heard she got kicked out of the tournament. They wouldn’t tell me what rule she broke. But it must have been bad.”
Something about all of this feels wrong.
Margot didn’t break any rules. At least none that I knew of.
And she wouldn’t just leave, would she? Did I really mean that little to her that she would just dump me as soon as she got what she wanted?
Did she lie to me in the shower? Was this really all a game to get under my skin?
Have we been playing chess all this time?
My heart wants to say no, but I can’t help but remember how things had ended between us last time: me, heartbroken and alone in Paris, and her booking a one-way ticket back to Lethbridge.
Not even the city of love could cure the emptiness in my heart then, and I feel the scars begin to crack open again in my chest, threatening to leave me bleeding to death on the floor.
I blink back the tears stinging my eyes and straighten my shoulders. “Okay,” I tell him. “Thank you for the information, Randy.”
He places a hand over his chest and gives me a slight bow. “You know, I’d train you myself if I didn’t think we’d end up on opposite sides of the table at the next world championship.”
Something in my stomach flutters at the thought of actually making it to the final stage. I still have a long way to go, though.
“Thanks, Randy, but—”
“In fact,” he says, interrupting me. He takes a step closer until I can smell the coffee on his breath. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for it.”
A month ago, I would have melted at his words. A month ago, I would have swooned at them. But today, all I feel is a bone-deep emptiness.