That made me laugh.
Carl stepped aside and let me in.
Our first visit lasted less than an hour. I heated soup, washed two dishes, and changed the sheets on his bed.
He thanked me at least six times.
Before I left, I noticed a chessboard on the coffee table.
“Do you play?” I asked.
“Badly.”
“Perfect. So do I.”
The following Thursday, we played our first game.
He beat me in twelve minutes.
“You lied,” I said.
“I exaggerated my weaknesses.”
“That’s still lying.”
“It sounds more respectable.”
That was the beginning of our friendship.
Tea, Board Games, and Unanswered Questions
Carl never spoke much about his past.
He said he had worked in “business consulting,” but he never explained where. He said he had traveled, though there were no photographs around the house.
He had no family pictures, no diplomas on the walls, and no framed memories of birthdays or holidays.
The house looked less like a home and more like a place someone had borrowed.
