D
Discordant
Guest
Chad's strategy for monopoly never changed, and it was as ill-fated as ever. He simply bought up every piece of property he landed on without a care for either saving money or collecting matching sets. It was as if he just expected the gods of randomness to see him through. If he could buy a house, he always did, even if Ellen wasn't due to pass by that property for at least a few turns. This left him with little money on hand to pay for landing on her properties or even the measly $50 it cost to get out of jail. He didn't care though. He simply moved his rock, the piece he always chose, around the board enjoying the moment. Playing games was never about winning. It was simply about having fun and enjoying the company of friends and loved ones.
But a funny thing happened as they played. The woes of the world slipped away. The here and now dissolved into an amalgamation of so many fond childhood memories. In his mind's eye, the board transformed into an unblemished masterpiece, the cards and money restored to their original vibrant colors. He could experience the tree house as it had been, with a new coat of paint and the smell of freshly cut lumber.
At one point, he reached out to take Ellen's hand. He squeezed it lightly, the way two young children might, reassuring each other that the other was still by their side to help them through whatever new twist the world had to offer their unfinished minds.
"I'm sorry," he said, as he landed on one of her hotels and relinquished the last of his cash, but he wasn't referring to the game at all. "I should have tried harder. We were so close and then… I know people drift a part… change, but I never expected it to happen to us. And then one day you wake up and your best friend is nowhere to be found. But I promise, it won't happen again. Now that you're back in my life, I won't give that up ever."
But a funny thing happened as they played. The woes of the world slipped away. The here and now dissolved into an amalgamation of so many fond childhood memories. In his mind's eye, the board transformed into an unblemished masterpiece, the cards and money restored to their original vibrant colors. He could experience the tree house as it had been, with a new coat of paint and the smell of freshly cut lumber.
At one point, he reached out to take Ellen's hand. He squeezed it lightly, the way two young children might, reassuring each other that the other was still by their side to help them through whatever new twist the world had to offer their unfinished minds.
"I'm sorry," he said, as he landed on one of her hotels and relinquished the last of his cash, but he wasn't referring to the game at all. "I should have tried harder. We were so close and then… I know people drift a part… change, but I never expected it to happen to us. And then one day you wake up and your best friend is nowhere to be found. But I promise, it won't happen again. Now that you're back in my life, I won't give that up ever."