With love, Jerusalem.

The chess board I am holding came from the inner city, in Jerusalem, where I was no where near when it was purchased.  I was dehydrated from a days walk in the desert and a night well spent drinking.  The cost of it all meant that I had to miss the day in Jerusalem, the wailing wall, etc.  

What is the story?  Well, after all that has been said transpired, I had a friend who knew I loved chess boards buy me one for cheap, while I stayed back.  She said the guy who sold it to her was named Moses and had two wives.  She laughs out loud when she told me this.

The board was so freshly made that when I opened it the wood dust smell and shavings were covering most of the pieces.  The board features an XOXOXO style when closed to contain the pieces.  This reminds me of kisses and hugs.  When I was little, my mom always used to write those annoying notes in my lunches and sign them XOXOXO, and also in high school, the notes I wrote and received usually had this XOXOXO.  

The best part about receiving the gift was feeling ill and having to unwrap the bags covering the chess board like a birthday present.  I had no idea what the board would look like, other than that it was going to contain 64 squares and all the pieces.  Although I missed the wailing wall, and actually meeting a man named Moses, I did get to take back with me a piece of chess history that I will never forget in my life.

The board to me simply means, with love, Jerusalem.