Marshall maneuvered his chair away from his desk and pointed to his closet.
“You’ll have to get my chess set down.”
Sidney pointed to the closet. “In here?”
“On top,” Marshall said.
Sidney opened the closet door and stood on her tiptoes to peer at the top shelf. Next to shadowed football trophies, she found Marshall’s chess set stashed away in a satchel. She pulled it off the shelf.
“Your parents told me you haven’t played for a while,” Sidney said as she handed the chess set to Marshall.
“Not with them,” he said.
He turned to the table in the corner and slid his chess set out of the sack, which consisted of two pinewood cases that each held the competing black and white chess pieces. Opening the first case, Marshall revealed elaborately sculptedfigures. The characters were seated in thick protective foam inside of the chess case. Eight white pawns ran in a circle around the perimeter. The rooks, bishops and knights made up an inner ring, and in the center sat the king and queen. Marshall removed each piece and studied it before placing it on the board. Sidney sat in the chair across from him amazed by the transformation. Marshall seemed to have an easier time with his motor skills when he handled the chess pieces. He sat taller in his chair and his articulation when he spoke was more precise and direct.
“This is quite a chess set,” Sidney said, opening the second case, which held the black pieces. “I’ve never seen one quite like this before.”
“It’s a Lladró. The pieces are porcelain and handcrafted.”
Sidney removed a figurine and studied the design. She was never much of a chess player, but even to her untrained eye, she knew this was a unique set. Medieval themed, the figures each carried long, stoic facial expressions. The king was decorated with a tall crown and elongated beard. The pawns carried blank stares under their headdresses.
“These pieces are amazing,” Sidney said.
“Grace gave it to me,” Marshall said. “After the accident. It was a way to pass time while I was laid up. I haven’t played with it much since she’s been gone.” He pointed to the board once the assembly was complete. “You can open.”
Sidney moved a porcelain pawn forward. Marshall did the same.
“It seems a shame to keep this chess set stored in the closet. Why haven’t you played lately?”
“I play online.”
“Your dad says you won’t play with him.”
“He’s said that for ten years. But the truth is that since Grace has been gone, I haven’t played with anyone on this board.”
“Why?”
Marshall was quiet while he studied the board.
“Your dad thinks it’s because you’re angry with him,” Sidney said as she moved another pawn forward.
Marshall shook his head. “No. It’s because Grace asked me to put my set away after she went to jail, so I did. Today is the first time I’ve had it out since.”
Sidney smiled. “You two played a lot? You and Grace?”
“Used to,” Marshall said, still scrutinizing the board.
“Your mom said you and Grace are close.”
“As close as you can get when you never see each other. But Grace and I don’t need to see each other. We have something that connects us.”
“What connects you two?”
Marshall pointed to the bedroom door. “They didn’t tell you?”
“Your parents? No.”
“Grace was born with a rare type of leukemia. The only thing that would save her was a bone marrow transplant. My parents couldn’t find a matching donor. So they had another child—me. I was a perfect match. Grace likes to say that part of me is inside her, so we’ll always be connected. And we each understand that neither of us would be around if the other didn’t exist. If I didn’t come around, Grace would have died. And if Grace hadn’t gotten sick, I wouldn’t have been conceived.”
