Cosmic Chess.

He of the long auburn hair looked at me with the wisdom of ages.

“Would you put me through that again?” he asked.

“No”.  Was my response.

“Would you put them through that again?” was his next question.

I paused.

“Ah”, he said “We may have a problem here”. I agreed.  I explained my reasoning, for romantic love and I have never gotten along all that well. We talked some more.

“So, family has always managed what nothing else has managed?”

“Yes.  Except for the one time that it did not”.

“And what would have worked then?” he asked.

“Romantic love” was my response.

He grinned that boyish grin, and those blue eyes that hold the wisdom of ages twinkled with joy.

“Well then, you have both now and, if one should fall, the other is there. Always and forever there”.

My eyes widened in shock as I absorbed the meaning.

“Checkmate” I said.

“No.  Not yet.  You have one move left, but you are one move off  checkmate”.

Now, given the context of this discussion, the only move that I could make would produce the same outcome as checkmate would.

So, as far as I am concerned it is already checkmate.

Never play chess with them. They cannot be beaten.

I think I really, really love that about them, you know?