Prodigy

"So Chad, from the park. He's your father?" she said, now recalling his earlier comment.

"He is."

JJ glanced at Casey then looked back at his dad who was already deep into middle-game strategies with the young prodigy but did catch his son's eye.

Chad was one of those "old men at the park" who was also homeless. He was disheveled and the body odor was distracting to say the least. Outside, it was barely noticeable, but even from several feet away people could smell the man.

"Are you okay?" Casey said as she touched JJ's lower arm almost out of some kind of maternal instinct.

"You know, like they say, 'It is what it is', right?"

Not sure what else to say, Casey said she should probably go get Owen before he drove JJ's father crazy.

"Hardly. He lives for that," JJ told her, a different kind of look on his face.

There was no smile, and it was obvious that just seeing his father had a profound affect on this very attractive younger man she suddenly found...intriguing.

What JJ didn't say was, "Unless it's his own son," but didn't want to burden this attractive older woman he'd been unable to stop looking at until something else captured his full attention.

"Maybe I should get Owen anyway so you and your father can talk?" Casey suggested almost timidly.

"Please don't," he replied, that look still on his face.

He smiled weakly then said, "Please just stay. With me."

"Okay," she quietly replied just as Candy, who'd stepped away to talk with someone, spoke.

"Whew. I can smell him clear over here," she said, waving her hand in front of her face as though she was somehow dispersing the odiferous air near her nose.

"Candy?" her sister said in a way that made her turn and look.

"What?"

"He's...."

"That's my father," JJ told her, his eyes never moving from his dad's face.

He finally turned, and it was to address Candy.

"He um, he lives on the streets, so, you know, taking a shower isn't always possible."

"Oh, my heavens," Candy said, a look of concern on her face. "I am so sorry. I had no idea. I only meant that...."

"It's okay. I'm not embarrassed or upset. I just wanted you to know. That's all."

He then turned around so quickly that it startled Casey.

When she flinched, so did JJ.

"Oh, no! I scared you. I'm so sorry."

As he gently touched her lower arm she felt that same shot of electricity and found herself unable to stop looking at him as her heart rate quickened.

It was then that she realized she wasn't afraid with 'afraid' meaning overly concerned about something that had previously seemed unthinkable. She barely knew him and he certainly hadn't said or done anything to justify thinking he might ask her out, but she knew right then that if he did she would say 'yes' no matter how old...or not...he might be.

She was an excellent judge of character, and was very confident that JJ was someone she could trust. Someone open and honest and...very handsome.

In that brief moment before she replied her mind went back to her second year of college when she'd taken a Psychology course called "Introduction to Personality." One of the assignments they had to do was listen to a complete stranger for five minutes. He or she would talk about something unrelated to the class, and students would then write a 2-3 page paper on who the speaker was, what he liked, and what he believed.

Before their papers were returned after one such assignment the professor told them their guest speaker was back and reintroduced him to the class. As he passed out their graded papers this younger man (who was her age back then) asked if Casey was there.

Feeling self conscious, she barely raised her hand.

"Wow. First of all, I uh, I thought you were a dude, okay?"

There was chuckling before the guy with the shoulder-length, curly hair and scruffy beard apologized.

"Yeah, sorry about that," het told her. "The thing is, when I read your paper, I thought you'd like...climbed up inside my head and got like, you know, into my brain. Everything you wrote about me from my politics to my personal life was like, right on."

"Oh," was all Casey could say, but even then she had this knack for knowing who someone was, and she felt very confident she was right about JJ as she responded to him.

"You didn't scare me," she told him, a whole new look on her face, a look JJ hadn't seen before, but one that told him she was interested.

"I...I'm glad," he said, his voice quiet and low as their eyes locked for several seconds before Casey finally looked away.

When she realized he was still looking at her she slowly turned her head to look at him, too, and there was something she felt she needed to say.

"JJ? You don't have to go to my sister's house. For dinner."

"Are you saying you don't want me to be there?" he asked, the look in his eyes reflecting hurt that he was trying to conceal.

"No. I...I'd love for you to be there. But only if that's something you want to do."

"You'll be there, right?"

"Yes."

"So Owen will be there, too?"

"He will."

JJ moved slightly closer, smiled at her, then said, "Then that's exactly where I want to be, too. With you. Both of you."

A very strong odor hit Casey so hard she made a face, but as soon as she saw JJ's father just a couple of feet away she felt horrible.

"Hello, young lady," he said to Casey. "You've gotta be very proud of that boy of yours."

"Yes, thank you. I'm very proud," she said hoping the foul-smelling man didn't notice.

"He might just be the best I've ever seen at that age," Chad told her as he glanced at his son before saying, "or at least one of the two best."

Casey saw him try and smile at his son then noticed JJ just staring back at him stone faced.

"I only wanted to say hello, JJ," Chad said to his only child.

"Hey, Dad," his son quietly replied.

There was a lengthy pause that got rather awkward before Chad excused himself.

"I should really go."

JJ only nodded, and while Casey wanted to ask him to stay, she could see that was a bad idea and something she had no right to do.

"Nice to see you again, Miss Casey, and that boy of yours? He's a genuine prodigy."

He started to turn to leave then stopped.

"So was my son, but I was too...self-absorbed...to be the kind of dad I should have been back then."

He looked briefly at his son again, but JJ refused to play along.

"Okay. Well, congratulations again, Owen. Come by the park and play me before you get too good."

"I already beat you! Twice!" the boy called back, causing the older man to smile, exposing a row of yellowed teeth with a large chip in the front.

"Bye, Chad," Casey said, her heart breaking for the man even as she wondered what could have caused JJ to want to have nothing to do with his own father.

Once again her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her sister's voice.

"So how does 7:30 sound?"

Casey looked at JJ then told him again, "It's okay if you can't make it."

Her sister gave her a look that would have hurt were it real, but she paid no attention.

"I'd like that," he told Candy while smiling at her younger sister.

"Mom? Is JJ coming to Aunt Candy's house?" a suddenly-interested boy asked very enthusiastically.

JJ nodded and Casey told him he was.

"Awesome!"

"All right then. I guess I better scoot and get busy working on dinner," Candy said as she winked at her sister.

"Do you need some help?" Casey asked.

"No. I'm fine. You just go get all beautiful, okay?"

Casey's eyes got big, and then she saw JJ smiling.

"I don't think Casey's gonna need a lot of time to do that," JJ said never taking his eyes off of the very attractive older woman he found very interesting.

He smiled at Casey again then added, "It's hard to imagine her looking any more beautiful than she does right now."

"Mom! You're turning red!" Owen said loudly as he pointed at his mother's face.

As with reminding Chad he'd defeated him more than once, Owen meant no disrespect, and in this case, it was true. Casey couldn't remember the last time she'd blushed until meeting JJ, but she was definitely glowing.

"Come on, Mister," she told her son. "We need to get you...and your trophy...home."

Owen grabbed it with both hands and held it up high.

"Future grandmaster wins first tournament," JJ chirped. "That's gonna be the headline in the local paper tomorrow."

He clapped the boy on his shoulders then said, "You did great today, buddy. I gotta tell you, I see many more trophies in your future, too."

"Mom? Did you hear that?"

Just two feet away she only smiled and said, "Yes, I did. And...I agree."

Candy excused herself to go home and get started on dinner which gave JJ the opportunity he'd been looking for.

"May I walk you out?" he asked Casey.

"Oh. If you like," she told him, hoping not to sound overly excited even as she told herself his interest might be no deeper than her son, the prodigy.

"Mom? Can JJ come to our house? Until we go to Aunt Candy's?"

"Oh, I...."

"That's okay. I'm sure your mom's seen enough of me for one day."

He looked at Casey then said, "Or at least for one morning/afternoon," saying 'slash' in between along with a big smile.

"But my mom really likes you. I can tell!" Owen blurted out.

His mom's eyes got even bigger this time as she thought about what to say.

"You do, don't you?" her son asked almost imploringly.

JJ saw the look on her face and smiled again.

"Yeah, Mom. You do, don't you?"

She noticed a dimple for the first time and that feeling hit her again.

"Well, I...I don't not like you," she told him feeling a little giddy at the way he was looking at her.

"So...can he? PLEASE???"

JJ stopped beside then leaned closer.

"It's fine if you have things to do. I can just meet you there."

She'd had zero interest in other men since losing her husband, but as she reached the front of her car she couldn't stop looking at this one, his having been in high school just a few years ago aside.

"I suppose that'd be all right. IF you don't mind being bored with us."

The very loud, "YES!" from Owen drowned out JJ's reply, but Casey did hear the last of it.

"...not gonna happen."

"Well, okay. If you want to follow us home...."

"Mom? Can I ride with JJ? PLEASE???"

"It's okay with me--Mom," JJ told her, that smile there again along with a first-time wink, making her tummy do funny things.

"Um...okay. But let me give you my address just in case we get separated."

She told him, and then he smiled at her again before saying, "Now all I need is your phone number."

Casey made a kind of 'how dare you' noise but couldn't help smiling back.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem," she said, a warm feeling spreading throughout her body beginning directly south of her naval. "If you really want it."

"Cmon, JJ! And I'll tell you my mom's number on the way, okay?"

JJ laughed, too, then told Casey, "I really do want your number," before turning to open his car for the young prodigy.

Casey hadn't pulled out of the parking lot when her phone rang and her skipped a beat hoping it was JJ. Bluetooth let her answer it handsfree, and the sound of her sister's voice brought on a touch of disappointment.

"Whatcha doin'?" came the singsong sound of Candy's voice.

"Um...heading home."

"Alone?"

The teasing sound was unmistakable.

"What do you mean?" Casey asked, now wondering if Candy had somehow seen Owen get in JJ's car.

"Oh, just wondering. That's all."

"Ha! Yeah, right."

"I was leaving when I kind of noticed how this extremely attractive, younger man followed you outside."

"Uh-huh. And?"

"Oh, come on! Just tell me! I slowed down and saw Owen get in JJ's car, so what's going on?"

Casey smiled as another tingle made its way through her body.

"If you must know, JJ's coming over."

"Coming over. Hmmm. I know if he was coming over to my place, I'd be...cumming. Were I single, of course."

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Casey told her sister as she smiled in spite of her weak attempt to sound offended. "He just wants to...talk chess. With Owen."

"Oh, okay. Sure. Yeah, that makes sense. It has nothing to do with you, huh? Nothing at all."

The teasing was getting worse, and as much as Casey wanted to be angry, she couldn't be and finally laughed.

"I think maybe he...kind of...likes me," she let herself say.

"Duh! I saw how he looks at you, Case. He definitely likes you."

Casey knew something more was coming and waited for it.

"The question is, 'Do you kinda like him'?"

Casey's head was swimming and her heart was nearly racing as she let herself say something else that had been unthinkable just the day before.

"I know we just met, but...yes. I think I kind of do."

"Casey! I am SO happy for you! This is really wonderful, don't you think?"

Casey only thought about it for a moment before realizing that even if nothing ever happened with JJ, the way she was feeling showed her it really was still possible for her to love someone again. She could never, ever forget the love of her life, but after well over two years of believing she would always be alone, she now knew that didn't have to be her future.

So while the huge difference in their ages almost certainly meant this would be little more than a friendship, that was fine. And were there a kiss or two in her future, that would be even better. Just knowing that she could feel this way again gave her a sense of hope she hadn't had since learning that the only man she'd loved was gone.

"I have no idea what any of this means, Canz, but it...it makes me feel...."

Before she could say it, her sister finished her sentence.

"Hopeful?"

"Yeah. That's a very good word for it. Hopeful."

"Little sis? I can't tell you how happy this makes me. And Casey? Don't feel guilty, okay? You deserve this. You deserve to love again."

Casey didn't say what she was thinking, but the thought caused another wave of warmth.

"I also deserve to be loved again," she thought even as for the briefest of moments she let her imagination go from a first kiss to another first she hadn't experienced in a very long time.

By the time she pulled into the driveway Casey had come back to her senses. She allowed herself to be happy while also cautioning herself to keep her expectations low. Or at least reasonable.

"This is a springboard," she said to herself as she got out of the car just as JJ pulled up and parked along the curb.

"Mom! JJ has the coolest car ever!" Owen called out as he slammed the passenger door shut.

"Easy, buddy!" she called back just as JJ got out and smiled at her again.

He drove a black, 2017 Honda Accord Coupe with a V-6 engine. It was almost six years old and only had a little over 55,000 miles on it, and JJ planned to keep it until the wheels fell off.

It wasn't exactly "cool" but it was about as cool as anything he could afford. He'd managed to pay it off and get a bunch of much-needed maintenance done after winning his first big tournament, and he'd finally been able to put a little bit aside for the proverbial rainy day.

"It's a coupe!" Owen said, as he ran to his mom. "That means it only has two doors!"

"Oh, okay," his mom replied, not sure she'd ever heard than before. The word 'coupe', yes. Not that it was having only two doors that made it one.

"He's a little wound up," JJ said once he got to the mother and son.

"Can you go unlock the door for us?" Casey asked her son as she handed him the keys.

He tore off toward the front door, and that gave Casey a chance to talk to JJ alone.

"You know he lost his father."

"Yes. I'm so very sorry. For both of you."

"Thank you."

She stopped, and when she did, so did JJ who also turned to look at her.

"Losing his father really changed Owen."

JJ didn't reply, he just let Casey talk.

"He's an extremely bright kid, but he became...withdrawn. It's like he...I dunno...like he retreated to a place somewhere inside of his mind."

"I'm not a psychiatrist, but that makes a lot of sense to me. That's a safe place for him. A place where no one can hurt him and where no one d...."

"Dies?" Casey offered, understanding JJ's hesitation.

He only nodded, and just as they continued up the driveway, Owen came running back.

"Cmon! It's open. Let's go inside!"

On the front porch, Casey stopped again.

"I can tell you're a very nice guy, JJ."

"But?"

"No. No buts. I only wanted to say...as a mother...Owen hasn't had a male role model in his life since his father. And it's obvious he really likes you...."

"I won't let him get hurt, Casey. I promise you that."

"Then let's go inside, shall we?" she replied with a warm smile and another wave of warmth from being just inches from that very handsome face met a strong wave of relief concerning her son.

JJ let her go in first and closed the door behind them. Casey started to tell him to make himself at home, but Owen was so excited he didn't hear his mom talking.

"JJ! You wanna play chess with me?"

"Owen. Honey. Give JJ a chance to relax, okay?"

Her son gave her a sheepish look which told her he understood.

"Sorry."

"Hey, I have an idea," JJ said, words that caused Owen's eyes to get big.

"How about we find a place to put that super duper trophy of yours?"

"I know the perfect spot! Cmon!" Owen said as he turned back toward his bedroom.

"If you need a break just let me know," Casey told him.

JJ took a couple of steps, stopped, then turned around and smiled at her.

"I'm not gonna need a break. I promise."

He turned away then looked back again, that amazing smile there for Casey to see.

"I hope this doesn't sound too...weird, but...." he began. He smiled again then added, "I could get used to this."

As he walked away Casey thought but didn't say, "You know what? I think maybe could I, too."

The perfect spot turned out to be the very unoriginal place on top of Owen's dresser. JJ was pretty good at woodworking and could easily make a trophy case, but for now, the dresser was just fine.

The two 'men' stood there admiring it when JJ asked what he thought.

"I wanna be the greatest chess player EVER!"

That had been JJ's dream for many years, too, but after finally just barely breaking into the top 10, he no longer had any such aspirations. He still wanted to play, and with any luck, win a few more tournaments, but it was becoming clear he would never be the next Boris Spassky or Magnus Carlson, the Norwegian chess grandmaster who spoke incredibly good English.

"Listen. I've got something in my car that just might help. Can you give me a minute?"

As they walked back to the kitchen area JJ told Casey he'd be right back, and in just about a minute he walked in carrying some kind of box made of wood. It not only caught her attention, but Owen was almost beside himself.

"Is that a chess board?"

"It is," JJ told him as he invited the boy to have a seat.

His mom walked over, too, just as JJ set it on a coffee table in front of the sofa.

"This was given to me as a part of my tournament winnings."

Almost unable to contain himself, Owen said, "This is SO awesome!"

As JJ opened the box, Owen saw the chess pieces.

"Are those hand crafted?" he asked, still in awe.

"They are."

"Mom? Did you know there are only a few people in the world who make all of the best handcrafted chess sets for the entire planet?"

JJ tried not to smile at the young boy's enthusiasm, but he was correct. Staunton chess pieces had been the standard for tournament play since 1849 and sold for around $500 each.

"No. I had no idea," she replied before asking if she could sit down.

As excited as he was, Owen got up and went around the table so his mom could sit next to JJ, something both adults noticed.