"No Robbie, the bishop moves diagonally, rooks move forward and backward."
Eric is teaching Robbie how to play chess. They are sitting on the floor in the den. Robbie is the nine-year-old son of Victoria Alisa. The two of them have been living with the Master and his slave wife, Tanya Marie, for a little over a year, ever since she left her abusive husband and began divorce proceedings.
His eight-year-old daughter, Carolyn, is sitting on the sofa reading about the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus while Erica, his youngest daughter of 15 months, is quietly playing in her crib.
Tanya enters the room.
"Honey, could you go talk to Vickie? She's got some crazy idea that she is imposing on us living here and wants to move into that dump she looked at on the Interstate Service Road a couple of months ago."
"Ok would you finish here? Teach him the moves."
"I don't know how to play chess as well as you," Tanya protests.
"For crying out loud Pet you're not teaching him the strategy of the game, just the moves. You can do that can't you?"
"Yeah I guess so. Just talk to Vickie for me? She thinks that I'm letting our friendship get in the way of good sense. She's in the master bedroom."
"I'll see what I can do," he says as he leaves the den.
Eric enters the bedroom and sits next to Vickie who is sitting on the king size bed folding clothes. "What's the matter my Love? Tanya tells me you're thinking of moving out again." He takes a folded towel out of her hands and puts in on the bed next to her.
"I can't stay here any longer Eric. I've already worn out my welcome as it is and you two need your privacy. I'm just intruding in on you and your wife."
"Stop right there!" he says in a commanding tone.
Vickie does not answer him. She looks at him despondently. Her hands are in her lap.
Ever since Vickie moved in with Eric and Tanya, he has taken control of her life, drawing her deeper and deeper into an intricate web of faith and love. This was especially so after she started to have sex with the two of them.
Eric has done things to her and for her sexually that her unloving husband never did and couldn't do. Ever so slowly, he has been revealing a world of intimacy to her that only true love can give.
Eric has brought her passions from the depth of desiccation and want up to the zenith of delirium and joy, back down into the caverns of desire and destitution then up to the zenith of delight and ecstasy. He has brought her passions on a rollercoaster of feelings, up and down, up and down.
He knows that she is on the brink of capitulation; her total surrender to him is almost complete.
"First of all, I thought we had this all worked out the last time you were thinking of moving out. You help pay the bills and you can live here as long as you like."
"Yes but . . ."
"But nothing. Do you really believe that if you were living somewhere else life would be as comfortable as you have it here? All the time you've been living here that lazy bum you're leaving hasn't given you so much as one dime. You know he's not going to come through with any alimony or child support the courts may grant you."
"Yeah I know and I don't want anything from him. It's just that . . ."
"Last week Tanya showed me that apartment project you're thinking about moving into," he interrupts her again. "It's a garbage heap. Do you want to raise Robbie in a place like that, in that environment on your salary alone?"
"No, but what other choice do I have?" Vickie shakes her head and looks distraughtly at him.
"You can continue to stay here.
"Robbie and I can't continue to sleep in the same bed," she offers weakly.
"Now how often is that? Most of the time you fall to sleep in our bed after sex with me and Tanya."
The Master pauses and looks lovingly at the troubled woman. Then, "You're right and that's something Tanya and I have been discussing lately between us."
"What's that?" she looks at him questioningly.
"Tanya and I think we should just let Robbie have that bedroom for himself and you just sleep with us from now on. We both want you to. We both love you, you know that."
"And I love you both but I don't want to become a wedge between the two of you and destroy your marriage."
"You're not going to become a wedge between me and Tanya. Our love is too strong. But if you move out you will destroy a marriage."
He strokes her hair. Then, "You'll destroy our marriage. You and I may not have a piece of paper stating that we are husband and wife. But you know as well as I do that you and I share a bond . . . a love between us that is a whole heck of a lot stronger than a marriage license. Of that I'm sure."
"Oh Eric you are so sweet. I just wish . . ." she does not finish but looks down into her hands in her lap.
"I don't know what you wish, but if you move out you'll be taking something from me that I've grown to love. Robbie's become like a son to me these past several months. I would love to have the opportunity to help you raise him. I could be the father he's never really had . . . Do you know what he called me the other day?"