Chapter V: Pawns in movement

"And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: 'Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands; and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them.'"

Genesis 24:60

"The Pawns are the soul of the game." 

Grandmaster Philidor

Chapter V: Pawns in movement

I put on the sneakers hurriedly as usual. They were quite dirty as the result of the downpour that fell during last Thursday training. I thought about cleaning the dry mud, but I found no rags nearby. I remembered the quarrels I had with my mother when against my will she handed my sneakers to the housekeeper wash them. Ms. Amelia performed the task with great satisfaction, but since childhood I always tried to be self-sufficient, and I never liked that people took care of me. Besides, I considered the task superfluous and I used most of the sneakers until I discarded them, without washing them even once. Those sneakers were worn out and begging for a replacement. However I would still use them in the next race - quality sports material is incompatible with a teacher’s salary.

It was a Saturday morning, and though the living room’s window I could see the cloudless blue sky. I would try to run the four and a half miles around the edge of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in about twenty-five minutes or so, my best mark. I lived there since I graduated, when I left my parents' house and occupied the family apartment on Joana Angelica Street near the corner of Epitácio Pessoa Avenue. The four floor building was old and in need of renovation. The apartment was closed for several years after the eviction of a troubling tenant. I liked to live there, the living room window offered a beautiful view of part of the lagoon where I used to train for the street races.

I stopped in front of the huge mirror on the wall of the living room. Even though I was so close, I could see my full body. My mother installed this huge mirror in one of her usual surprise visits. According to her, the mirror was for me to check my appearance and not go out untidy – it would be her eyes taking care of me. I had already considered changing the door lock to prevent her intrusions, but it was useless to fight her.

Lagoa Rodrigues de Freitas

I looked thinner... I was really eating very few at that time. After I reached 5’11, my weight stabilized at around 175 pounds. I would check it out in a next opportunity. My physiognomy was serious, I looked tired and older. I approached the mirror and tried to find some wrinkles, with no avail... I concluded that it was still early for my thirty-three years.

I gave up on the elevator and went down by the stairs to warm up my muscles. I answered the porter's greeting and was passing by the concierge when I heard "Good race, Mr. Isaac." It was my next-door neighbor, Ms. Lidia, coming out of the elevator. She was always trying so hard to be nice and to pull off a conversation, but I used to avoided her.I thanked with a nod and she gave me a complacent smile.

I crossed the Epitacio Pessoa Avenue distractedly and a hurried driver honked at me. The temperature was pleasant and I felt physically well. I did five minutes of stretching lazily. I turned the stopwatch on my wristwatch on and began to run with long strides. I tried, without success, to push away Rebeca from my thoughts. I ran trying to dodge from countless people who exercised or who just wandered along the edge of the lagoon in that beautiful sunny Saturday morning.

I forced the rhythm trying to escape from my daydreams, but my mind always returned to Rebeca. Every now and then I seemed to see her physiognomy stamped on the face of some young woman lost in the crowd. After wandering through several recent episodes, my mind focused on the conversation I had with Eliezer before the first encounter with Rebecca. I should have taken his advice.

"I see no reason for your excitement, Eliezer. These cybergirls, while representing the state-of-the-art in technology, are no more than luxury dolls - a huge effort just to create cyber-prostitutes."

"The point here is not just sex, buddy. If it were only that, a technological and financial investment of that amount would not really be justified. No one would pay such high value to get it. But it is about fullness, rapture, charm! In this date there will be a complete and rewarding involvement. She will find you and she will, totally, romantically and chemically, fall unexpectedly in love with you as in the most beautiful love stories.

"Don’t exaggerate. At best, she'll behave like a competent prostitute. She will do her best to satisfy the customer, but, as always, everything will be a great staging."

"That's where you fool yourself, pal. A cybergirl does not judge nor pretend. This will be the purest and most genuine date of your life... And of hers. I read about it: the behavior of a cyber is not simulated, it is always being itself, spontaneous in its attitudes. And even the orgasms of a cybergirl are sincere manifestations, they are an unconscious reaction to the stimuli received, like what happens to an excited woman."

I got confused. Eliezer completed:

"In addition, cybers are totally healthy, their bodies are sterilized before each new encounter. Imagine, having sex with a escort girl has become safer than having sex with a faithful wife. And if you prefer, for an additional fee, you can get a virgin. You are a man who can and will have everything you want. And it's not just what you want, it's what you need."

"This is folly to millionaires, I am only a teacher," I remarked, discouraged.

"You can pay, my friend. And you deserve to present yourself with this opportunity - a treasure, which I guarantee you will never forget. But follow the rules. If you like the experience and wish to repeat it, avoid meeting again with the same cybergirl, - and he completed in an alarming tone - do not go clinging to a fantasy. Remember that only she should fall in love.

"Don’t worry, I don’t have cash for so many dates."

My memories were interrupted as I passed Cantagalo Park. A group of young peopel occupied the multi-sport courts and the baseball field making a fuss. They wore yellow T-shirts with the siliciones symbol stamped on the chest and some of them carried banners with the movement’s slogans.

Cantagalo Park

The Siliciones formed the group of activists of the fashion and the adhesions had increased quickly. I’ve seen several of them in the classes in which I taught. According to comments I heard from the students, the movement was fighting for the acceptance and integration of androids into society, seeking "a revolutionary and redemptive man-machine symbiosis. The term Silicione came from the junction of silicon, the raw material of electronic circuits, and silicone, the material used to model the outward appearance of the artificial beings.

The Siliciones defended the massive public and private investment in research for the improvement of the new creatures. As with environmental groups at the end of the 20th century, political parties were already forming to fight for this flag, enacting laws that would protect and regulate harmonious coexistence between carbon units, the humans, and silicon units, the artificial creatures. High-tech companies interested in expanding their business financed and provided the Silicione movement with advocacy and outreach material.

I checked my wrist watch, my efficiency had decreased in the last mile. I needed to focus more, focus on training... I tried once more to push away the thoughts out of my mind.

I practiced physical activities to keep the body healthy and as a form of hobby. I did not enjoy team sports, I preferred to get involved with as few people as possible. I enjoyed being alone. Street racing and tennis were obvious choices.

I missed playing tennis. It was the perfect sport: it let me exercise completely my individuality. I avoided even playing doubles - I consider it a sacrilege to have to divide my half of the court with another guy. Even though sport was so imbued in my life, I did not feel compelled to compete professionally. When I was younger, some coaches offered to work on my tennis career. They said that I had the potential to rise quickly in the national rankings and compete in international tournaments if I worked hard. I was not interested. I participated in amateur tournaments and street races to maintain a commitment to the practice of physical activity and as a hobby. In fact, I always competed with myself and had no intention of forcing the training with the sole purpose of highlighting myself.

The Marathon was close and I wanted to at least keep the same result of the previous year, a personal record of the ten Marathons that I had participated in. I checked the wrist watch once more at the fourth mile mark. It annoyed me. I would be far from the best mark. It was useless to blame the time lost to get rid of those in the way - the lack of concentration was my responsibility.

I completed the lap arount the Lagoon in thirty-three minutes. Although exhausted, I felt euphoric as I always did after training. I preferred not knowing that this state of happiness was a result of the endorphin released into the blood by physical activity. Perhaps it was better to live the illusion that life was beautiful in itself and that it had some real value. I filled my lungs with the fresh air of that radiant sunny morning. I felt an impulse to throw myself on the grass and lie still, resting and enjoying the blue sky punctuated by a few clouds and experience my state of happiness. But I hurried back home carrying the memories of Rebeca.

 - Your comments are welcome! - 

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