Day 3 The Mate

 The sun is already up, a bit chilly but rather nice for the previous night being quite chilly for this geographical location. As I grab my morning cup of coffee I immediately see two gentlemen that are taking out what looks like a chess board. Very few times have I visited coffee shops and actually seen people who drink coffee and play chess. As I settle in a corner to which I can see the gentlemen sitting by the window setup the chess board, I cant help but notice a couple that just sat down outside. They don’t look like they are too happy by the expressions on their faces. They sit quietly in front of each other outside on one of the coffee tables for quite some time. The morning rush for coffee is here, as the line begins to form, snaking around the display items. As I turn my attention back to the two gentlemen playing chess, it is clear that the game has already begun. If you think about it, the idea of the game is quite interesting…moving pieces here and there all with different capabilities in order to capture your opponent. For someone that has never seen the game it must strike quite a curiosity. Clearly that is the case as, the game has attracted the interest of a much older gentleman, who, has begun hovering around the individuals playing the game. I think the hovering gent has the players feeling awkward. The couple sitting outside seem to be talking about something that would have them both heated. The young blond lady that I presume is sitting across from her boyfriend is using lots of hand gestures while she is talking. It looks like her significant other is trying to talk over her. They must be fighting, it’s a very interesting choice for a couple to come to a coffee shop to argue or have a heated discussion, I wonder why they would choose to do this. Maybe one of them feels that they will get a better reaction from the other person if they are in a public environment. It looks as though the older gent finally left the chess players alone. By the looks of things their chess game has evolved into the mid game. It is clearly an intense game as both players are silent. The Player closest to my 9 O’clock seems to be taking his time with his moves during and after his turns. As he is patient he is also quick with his moves, it looks like he has though several things through before moving his piece. Its rather quite busy with people coming and going. Even the drive through has a line of cars forming. It looks like the baristas are having to work to keep up with the demand for these caffeinated drinks. The player furthest from me seems to be upset by his apparent loss to the other player. It looks like they are setting up for another game of chess, this time however they are switching colors for the winner. The couple outside has left and is now replaced by an older couple sitting outside in the sun with what looks like a toy poodle. I’ve never been a fan of the poodle type despite being a hypoallergenic pet. The older couple with the poodle seem to be sitting quietly in one another’s company totally content, almost like they know something that the rest of us have yet to figure out. The one thing I haven’t seen around in coffee shops are young children. I have seen young teens all the way up to elderly, but don’t ever really see children in these coffee shops.