A Spaceman

Chapter 30--Nobody's got the right

"What's the object of this game?" I ask, watching as the children move pieces on a checkered board.

"To capture the king," Billy says, pointing at one of his black pieces.

"You've really never played chess, Dr. Darc?" Billy's little friend who I've learned is named Tess, asks. I've come in to have my very late dinner with them before doing my last round before going home.

"No, I always thought it was a game stupid people played to look clever," I say, carefully selecting a bite of food from my container. I always bring my own food. You simply cannot trust other places. Who knows what sort of things they might put in there.

"Since I can't actually participate in war, strategy games are good for my developing brain cells," Tess says, very seriously.

"Hmmm, I suppose as much," I say, watching them. She's letting him win if I'm not much mistaken and I'm typically not. He's on oxygen, can barely sit up, so she's lying on the bed next to him to play with the board on the little meal tray. I am needless to say having a late dinner, technically I'm supposed to be in my office, except thing is people can find me there and in turn ask me to do things and I've a very lovely barbeque I've been wanting to eat all day and I would really like to in relative peace. Relative being two small children. Ah, whatever, I'm fond of the creatures. It's not as though any adults are around paying attention to the beggars. I'm sitting on the floor by the bed, on the far side, so that if anybody passes they won't actually see me because of the raised bed. don't judge, this is the only way to eat around this place without getting indigestion. "Would either of you like anything to eat? I've got plenty here?" I wonder if somebody bothered to feed the girl.

"No, thank you, I ate earlier," Billy says.

"No, thank you, my dad says I'm not supposed to eat things from other people because I don't know what it might be," Tess says, very seriously.

"Your dad is very clever," I say, dryly, taking another bite. Drug dealers aren't usually this lean, not quite stringy though, so it's palatable. Still I need to find something better next time. I'm really thinking Squib is just about ready for harvest.

"I know. he's the smartest man in the universe," she says.

"How do you know?" I ask, amused.

"He told me," she says.

"Then he can't possibly be," I say. I do love arguing with this kid.

"He is," she says, frowning.

"He can't be---you see people who think they're not all that smart, seek to become so, people who think they are clever do not see any need to improve upon themselves, so they fall," I explain.

"What if nobody is actually as clever as them?" she asks.

"Remember, this, little one, there is always somebody who is more than you, even if you've never met anybody cleverer than you, even if you're the most beautiful little girl in the whole universe, even if you think you are the darkest thing that haunts the night, there is something worse; and someday that thing will find you," I say.

"What about you? You must think you're clever since you're a doctor and you save people's lives," she asks.

"No, I know the day will come when somebody bests me; just like I was telling Billy here, earlier we all live on borrowed time, never know when the metaphorical bell tolls for us, so each and every day, every minute you must enjoy for what it is, as it was given to you, deny yourself no pleasures, live as though you'll have next hundred years or eighteen seconds, it doesn't matter, be as fully you as you can be," I say.