Chapter IV: The King’s Bishop

"He was certain that he would never find another man like Jonathan and so decided to make him his friend and ally."

Maccabees 10:16

"I cannot play chess without my king's bishop. In its absence the game to me is lifeless and void. The vitalizing factor is missing, and I can devise no plan of attack." 

Grandmaster Siegbert Tarrasch

Chapter IV: The King's Bishop

ELIEZER was standing in front of the door with his usual contagious smile. He looked even more obese than the last time we met. He has always been overweight, it’s difficult to know if cause or consequence of his aversion to physical activities. A fervent supporter of a cold beer and a lively conversation with friends, he disdained attending gyms or practicing any kind of sport.

I met Eliezer at the Engineering college. As he told me later, he approached me attracted by my introverted manner and his admiration for my intellectual ability. Eliezer was adept of studying in groups, and soon he started going to my home to do academic work and to prepare for the exams. Our partnership worked well since its beginning. He was my best student, understanding everything at the first explanation and asking pertinent questions. His grades were not better only because of his lack of effort, but he was able to finish his degree in Engineering without any flunk, even though he scored the minimum grades in the most difficult subjects.

I envied Eliezer somehow, especially his extraversion and sense of humor. Communicative, he always had a new joke or an old one rehashed, told as a professional stand-up comedian, which earned him popularity among his peers. And, surprisingly, he was also a good adversary in chess. He used to confuse his opponents with unexpected and seemingly illogical moves, but they were the refined product of keen intuition.

At the time when I met him, Eliezer lived with his parents and his six brothers in Nova Iguaçu, a municipality near Rio de Janeiro, in a large house with a huge backyard. I was attracted to the relaxed, irreverent and I'd say even messy, way of life his family had - so different from the mood of formality and detachment of my home. Eliezer's father, Mr. Geraldo, was a very lovely Northeasterner with a great sense of humor - easy to conclude from where Eliezer inherited his extroverted way.

I visited Eliezer's residence a few times. My mother worried every time I went there. She didn’t want her son travelling alone far from the Rio’s municipality and, moreover, by train. Since she couldn’t stop me, she tried to persuade me to use the family driver. I refused the offer and ruled out the option of going by taxi - I considered too much ostentation. Despite her fears, my mother liked this friendship. She was fond of the boy and thought it was necessary for me to be distracted away from home with others of my own age. So maybe I would outgrow my reclusive ways.

Central do Brasil train station

After finishing the Engineering course, Eliezer worked for a period in a multinational company in the implementation of a new mobile phone system. But he gave up operating in the technical area to dedicate himself to what he liked best: negotiating and relating to people. The professional success in the commercial area came quickly, which allowed him to leave the distant Nova Iguaçu city and move to a comfortable apartment in Leblon, two blocks from the beach. He intended to accomplish very soon his project of moving to Ipanema, in Vieira Souto street, facing the sea.

Ipanema, Rio - here are Brazil's most expensive residences

During negotiations to close the last big sale, his company authorized the payment of programs with cyber-girls, the trendy award, for directors with decision power. Eliezer was thrilled with the satisfaction shown by the clients and, to celebrate his achievement, invested part of its commission also fulfilling his fantasy. He didn’t rest until he convinced me to use the service as well, he said, "to improve my mood after the end of the engagement".

"What kind of face is that, my lad?" - Eliezer was amazed by my downcast appearance. "You look like you're coming home from a wake."

"And you look like you're always coming or going to a party," I said wryly.

"That's better, isn’t it? Life is an eternal party.”

He stepped inside and placed on the table a thermal bag, a brand-new Tote Origami, which should have cost over a hundred dollars.

"Since you never accept my invitations to celebrate my conquests with my friends, I have brought some wine to toast."

He opened the bag and took out the bottle, a Marquis de Murrieta Gran Reserva.

"Wow! Celebrating good deals or a big luck in the lottery? You brought a Tempranillo, one of my favorites, the chaste symbol of Spain".

"You deserve it. I asked the sommelier for a red wine that would match a tormented and dreamy young man. I hope you enjoy." He smiled friendly and continued. "Unfortunately, I have not been able to master the science of wines, I tried, as some sophisticated customers enjoy the drink. But most of them would rather drink beer and spirits. When I want to present a client with wine, I turn to Master Rubens, from Lidador. Listing the characteristics of the person, he provides the proper type of wine and even explains the whys. In your case, he suggested a wine from the region near La Mancha, land of the solitary knight Don Quixote, who fought battles with his own tormented vision of the world."

Without rejecting the comparison, I thanked him with resignation. The wine was really top quality and it arrived in a good time, my little cellar was almost empty…

"And to savor it perfectly, at the indicated service temperature of 16 ° C, brought it in the thermal bag, which is part of the present."

Without much words, I thanked him once more.

"I thought the cyber girl was going to improve your mood. I tried to talk to you to know your impressions of the meeting, but you disappeared! You don’t answer my calls, nor my messages..."

"It’s the end of the semester, you know, intense academic activity" I said without much conviction.

"I know what's happening. This isolation means that you must be experiencing one of your existential crisis. Despite my good intentions, I believe I did you a disservice." He joked as he poured the wine goblets. "I did not attach enough importance to the fact that you fall in love so easily. But do not worry, remember that these crises pass quickly."

Eliezer sprawled himself on the couch and looked at me waiting for an explanation.

"Well, every time I fall in love, I decide it will be the last time," I explained dispirited. "I decide I will no longer be the victim of such dismay. To be in love is to let oneself become fragile, to renounce reason. Passion is an uncomfortable and pathological feeling. People lose their individuality, identity and reasoning power. And to resist is beyond our will, at least of mine."

I took a sip of the wine and walked to the window. I looked distractedly at the flow of cars on Av. Epitacio Pessoa, intense at that time of day and turned to Eliezer.

"It is terrible to suffer from the typical signs of passion - palpitation, goosebumps, sweat, sparkle in the eyes and loss of appetite. I'm sick once more. And, in the end, all this is but a command of nature necessary for the perpetuation of the species and which manifests itself mainly by physical attraction."

"But passion goes far beyond biochemistry, my friend. It involves liking, smells, memories and sensations. And no one is immune to it, whatever its age or life experience. Console yourself, anyone is subject to the allure of passion."

"Did you know that passion comes from the same Latin word and means suffering or sacrifice?"

"Yes, I heard recently in a sermon in the Church, it is as in Passion of Christ - suffering of Christ."

Eliezer kept trying to comfort me.

"But the passion also has its positive side, because it stimulates the imagination and the creativity, inspiring artists. It is believed to be responsible for most of the human aesthetic production. Imagine how much masterful melody, wonderful paintings, or sublime poetry were created by passionate souls!"

"Yes, but the very art to which you refer to also describes much misfortune and destruction caused by passion - see Othello and the Capulets, to cite only Shakespeare."

"But you must agree that the requited passion causes great happiness and satisfaction to the lovers."

"Yes, but on the other hand, any difficulty in reaching that fullness usually brings immense sadness, for the lover is only happy when he achieves the object of his passion, the other," I grunted irritated.

"That's your only weakness. Isaac, the logical, the self-sufficient, falls before the Passion. Cheer up. This is not the first time I've seen you like this and I know you overcome this fast enough. Passion is always temporary, as intense as it may be, except in the sick cases, in which the individual becomes obsessive. But that is not your case."

"What is the use of knowing that passion is the result of a mythical idealization of the other? Knowing that soon the lovesick will begin to realize that this idealization was wrong. The other no longer behaves within the profile of expectations idealized by the lovesick, generating an intense frustration, which happens to be experienced with great irritability by the lovesick." I paused to savor the wine and continued...

"The passionate realizes the mistake he made and the process begins to recede. There is a gradual return and reinforcement of the identity of the ex-passionate, who comes to see the other as it really is, which can even generate an inverse feeling of extreme repulsion for the sufferings endured."

"Then, my friend, in your case you'll have an eternal passion!" Eliezer joked, trying to suppress a laugh. "Your passion this time will be different, for Rebeca will never disappoint you. She was designed perfectly for you, by yourself and completed by e-Venus. My buddy, this time you screwed up, it's going to be forever."

I was silent, evaluating his arguments and trying to imagine how I could endure living that way for a long time...

"Surrender, my friend. Turn your passion into a great love. Since you haven’t learned to love another human being, I think it's okay to start even with a cybergirl. Only love makes us better and gives meaning to our existence, believe me."

"Redemption for love, ridiculous," I said sarcastically. "I wonder how much fun you must be having."

"Do not be unfair to me" Eliezer said, pretending to be offended and continued: 

We were silent for a moment.

"Philosophy makes us go around in circles and we turn and return to the same point." Eliezer joked.

He smiled and got up from the couch, placed the goblet, half empty, on the table and walked toward the door.

"Some of the company's colleagues are going to meet in a pub near here. Come on, you need distract yourself."

"Thank you, but I'm not in the mood for conversation. Maybe in the next opportunity."

Eliezer made a point of insisting, but gave up, he knew that once I made a decision, I hardly changed my mind. He put his hand on my shoulder, smiled, and left without a word.

I closed the door thoughtfully. I considered it a grave fault of character to find myself bewildered, without having any meaning for life. Deep in my heart, I would like to find a cause for fight for, something that justifies life or even death.

 - Your comments are welcome! -