Percy and Eli continued their game as Jesse watched for a time, occasionally shaking his head in opinion of one or the other’s moves. Neither Percy nor Eli noticed Jesse’s silent commentary as each concentrated on the board as if they were two grand masters vying for the crown.
Jesse turned his head to stare off in the distance before him and took in a long, deep breath after which his whole body seemed to relax. Adjusting his glasses to keep them from continually sliding down the bridge of his nose, he squinted slightly, trying to focus on a small family a hundred or so yards away. They were all seated on a large colorful blanket – a husband, wife, and a small boy. The husband’s back was to Jesse but he could easily surmise that the two were very much in love by the look of the wife’s face as she observed her husband gently toss the toddler up in the air who giggled loudly in response. After a few minutes of observing the trio, the husband stood up, now turned, facing in Jesse’s direction. Jesse discerned a man of about 30 years of age, fit and healthy. It reminded Jesse of childhood comics of Superman, a fantasy character Jesse had always looked up to, compared himself to.
“Ah damn!” came the interruption to Jesse’s mental wandering. Percy had taken one of Eli’s bishops, to which Eli broke the mutual silence surrounding the three brothers.
“Gotcha!” responded Percy. “Yer bishop is a gonner. Yer move bro.”
Eli sought a retort that he hoped might annoy his older brother, “Bro? What, are you like 5?”
Eli’s attempt at throwing Percy off was foiled. “What, are you like dumb? We’ve called each other ‘bro’ all our adult lives.”
“Chess should be a quiet game. It is supposed to be a game of silent strategy, emphasis on the ‘silent’,” interjected Jesse.
Before either of his older brothers could respond, Jesse continued, “Who do either of you sometimes compare yourself to? I mean, as kids we always compared ourselves to others and each other in all sorts of ways. But I was just wondering for myself if I compare myself to others any more as I get older.”
Both Percy and Eli turned their heads and stared at Jesse in contemplation. As Jesse returned the stare, bouncing his eyes back and forth between the two, he realized they were actually thinking seriously this time about his inquisitiveness.
“Well, Jess,” started Percy, “I’ve always compared myself to Dad – judging whether or not I live up to his expectations and whether I’m as respectable a man as he.”
“I completely agree,” added Eli, “And I’d have to say Mom too. I’ve always tried to be as loving to others – especially family – as she was.”
Jesse smiled so wide his glasses lifted slightly across his face. “And here I was searching my feeble brain for a good answer, an honest answer. But in reality that’s it for me too, now that you mention it. I’ve always looked up to our folks, even now after so many years without them around. Thanks… ‘bros’.”
Percy and Eli nodded in unison an affirmation, then turned their focus back to the black and white pieces on the board in front of them. Jesse, without the other two noticing, wiped a small tear from under his glasses frame off his left cheek, then looked straight ahead again. The small family was gone.