Angela sat at the small café table with her daughter, Mary, who was wearing a bright pink birthday hat. Mary picked at her food, looking sad and uninterested. Angela leaned in close to her daughter and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Sweetie, you need to eat your food," Angela said.
Mary replied in a quiet, sad voice. "But he's not here."
Angela reached out and placed a comforting hand on her daughter's arm. "I'm sure he's just stuck in traffic. He'll surely be here soon," she said, trying to console the little girl.
Angela glanced at her phone and saw that she hadn't received a reply from her husband. She quickly typed out a text message, "Where are you?" and hit send.
"I'll be right back, sweetie," Angela said as she stood up and made her way to the window side of the café.
She dialed her husband's number and held the phone up to her ear, but there was no answer. She sighed and hung up, worry creeping into her mind.
Jake sat at an open space in the dimly lit bar, with a large table in front of him. Three men stood opposite him, each with a chess board in front of them. Mark sat with his legs crossed, looking relaxed and confident.
The three men sweated profusely as Mark had all of them in "check." A small crowd of people had gathered around the table, waiting anxiously for their next move.
The three men reluctantly made their moves, each one looking more defeated than the last. Mark stood up and made his own move, swiftly putting them all in checkmate.
"Checkmate," he said, a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
The crowd cheered, impressed by Mark's skill. One of the men, Jake, looked particularly unhappy as he begrudgingly handed over the bet money. He quickly chugged a drink and checked his phone, seeing multiple missed calls.
Jake entered the house, feeling the weight of the gift in his hand. It was a special day for his daughter, Mary, and he had hoped to find the perfect present for her. As he stepped inside, he saw Angela waiting for him with a plate of cake in her hand.
"Well well, if it isn't the father of the celebrant," Angela said, offering him the plate. "Cake?"
Jake felt a pang of guilt as he looked at the cake. He had let Mary down, again. "Angela, I'm sorry," he said. "I was trying to find a really nice present for Mary and I guess time just got away from me."
Angela stood up and walked towards him. "That lie stinks almost as bad as your breath," she said, looking at him with disappointment.
Jake hung his head in shame. "Missing your daughter's birthday, Jake...that's a new low even for you," Angela said, her voice heavy with emotion.
"I tried...I am trying...what do you want from me?" Jake asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"To be my husband? A father to our daughter. She has done nothing to deserve this, none of us have," Angela said, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.
"I know, I just need to..." Jake started to say, but Angela cut him off.
"Need to what? Win? You are losing your family, Jake...you lost a tournament, it's not the end of the world," Angela said, her voice rising with anger.
"You don't understand," Jake said, his voice full of frustration.
"Then make me," Angela said, challenging him.
Jake rested against the wall, feeling defeated. Angela moved towards him and rested her hand on his chest. "Just...talk to me," she said, her voice softening.
Jake remained silent, feeling the weight of his mistakes.
"You should focus on the living...rather than chase some dead dream," Angela said, removing her hand and leaving the room.
Jake followed her, feeling lost and alone. "You're sleeping on the couch," Angela said, her voice final.
Mary watched from her room as her parents argued, tears streaming down her face. She had been so excited for her birthday, but now it felt like a disaster.
As her father walked past her room, he noticed her watching him. "Hey sweetie," he said, trying to smile.
Mary closed the door on him, unable to face him.
Jake sighed in defeat and made his way to the couch. He lay down, feeling the weight of his mistakes pressing down on him. He closed his eyes, hoping to find some peace in his troubled mind.