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Dimitri felt at home here, accepted. He was not the best of players, but neither was he the worst. He felt comfortable – hidden -here in the middle of the city, under the spreading figs with their roots riddling the pathways and their canopy killing all but the softest of winter grass in the hard-packed earth.
Whether watching from the benches, or pacing the massive chequerboard littered with fetid fruit, he felt comfortable, unlike at Railway Parade. That woman he married and his own mother - in cahoots to bring him undone -this time over how he dressed. How he dressed! How are you supposed to dress when you test the axle strength of bogies all day, week in, week out. He was content being a labourer, working in king-gees that grew grottier as the week progressed.
Leon moved his queen to take the pawn in front of Dimitri’s king’s bishop.
6 comments:
Was that photo taken in Australia ... it looks so European.
Yes, I took it one day last week at the outdoor chess area behind the Elizabeth Street entrance to St James Station.
Love the description of the ground.
Poor old hen-pecked Dimitri. Bloody women. :)
This riff has a lovely relaxed feel to it.
Just one small thing: Was the repeated phrase "he felt comfortable" deliberate? Repetition is often used for emphasis, so just wondered.
I realised it was there and considered changing it. Normally, I don't like to have the same word too close together as it appears clumsy. However, in this case, I really did want ot indicate that Dimitri regarded this as his loungeroom
This small section of Hyde Park is a bit like a boules "rink". and is full of east european men over 50. This chap was the first I have noticed with the umbrella. Normally I only see asian women with umbrellas to ward off the sun.
One more thing ... don't usually like to explain or even tell you(se) where the photos are taken.
What I wanted to try to indicate here, is that Dimitri is not concentrating on the game but on his "irrits". Hence, the title and the last line.
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