Walter and Paige weren't surprised when her detail refused to give them any alone time and so they had to settle for just holding hands most of the time. Wednesday night they found out there was a lookout spot on top of the hotel and so they went up and sat on a bench that was among the garden top roof.
Paige was amazed at the facts Walter knew of the stars in the sky. She eyed him after a moment.
"Is that true? Or are you just making stuff up to try to impress me?" Paige asked while grinning.
Walter smiled and nodded.
"It's all true." Walter told her.
Walter leaned over and kissed Paige when suddenly there was a blinding flash from above the roof of where the elevators were.
"Are you kidding me?" Paige yelled as she jumped up and just as she raised her hand to flip the photographer off Walter grabbed her hands and shook his head.
"Let's just go downstairs." Walter told her.
Paige sighed and nodded as Walter stood and holding hands moved to the elevators and went back to the fifth floor.
"Daddy, isn't there something that can be done about them?" Paige complained as they entered the hotel room he shared with his wife.
"What's that pumpkin?" Ralph asked, confused.
"We went to the garden on the roof for a little peace and quiet and some sleazy photographer somehow snuck up on the roof over the elevators. And the second Walter kissed me they popped up and started taking pictures of us." Paige complained.
Ralph sighed.
"Louise, Louise, have you got the telly on? Walter's going to be on the BBC." Tobin yelled into his phone.
"Oh no, no I don't." Louise cried as she ran over and turned the TV on and changed channels.
"Oh, there's our boy Sean! Megan!" Louise said excitedly.
Sean came hurrying in from the front porch even as Megan came running down the stairs.
"He's stalking off powerful mad, what was said?" Louise asked Tobin.
Tobin chuckled.
"That gussy up girl kept trying to pry into his relationship with Paige. I half expected to see him punch her." Tobin told her laughing.
"Oh, this part is after today's matches. And he did so well today. Everyone seems really pleased and impressed, and look at Paige standing there next to him. Oh those eyes they have for each other." Louise said and then took in a deep breath.
"Did he just say he loves her?" Megan choked out. "Oh, she loves him too. Oh I wish we could be there with them."
"We've got our hands full with these two." Sean said grinning. "I never thought our boy would ever find his other half, but there she is, walking proudly away with him."
"We'll I'm going to make Walter's favorite cake for when he wins this thing." Louise told them.
Thursday was a virtual repeat of Wednesday. Walter defeated everyone that came up against him easily. Those who talked trash before the match started he seemed to delight in taking them down quickly.
Friday was a little more nerve wrecking for Walter as the Ambassador came down to watch and congratulate him on doing so well. Most of the matches on Friday and Saturday took longer than Wednesday and Thursday as everyone but Walter were taking their time, using as much of the clock as they could to plan and maybe psyche out their opponent. Walter kept it simple while refusing to sit down as if to say they weren't worth his time to get comfortable. And embarrassed each opponent by slapping the time clock thirty seconds after their last move to denote it was their turn again.
Louise had Sean move the television into the dining room so they could watch the evening interview as a family while eating.
"Oh there he is, turn it up Sean." Louise said excitedly.
"So Walter, clearly you are a very skilled player but you haven't competed before. Does it bother you that the more seasoned players think you are nothing more than a showboat?" The reporter asked after his last match Saturday.
Walter shrugged.
"I'm not here to win friends. I'm here to play a game as well as I can. I find it interesting that these so-called seasoned players find it acceptable to try and intimidate their opponent before the match officially starts, but I'm a showboat for beating them easily." Walter answered. "But why should that bother me? Maybe if they actually studied and learned the game they wouldn't need parlor tricks to try and win."
"We know that you prefer not to say anything about your relationship with Ms. Dineen here and by the way Ms. Dineen, that is a stunning gown you are wearing. But we know that Wednesday evening someone had snuck some pictures of the two of you. How does that make you feel?" The reporter asked.
"It's aggravating to be honest. We're not celebrities, we're not really public figures so why people have such a fascination about us is puzzling. Instead of being so focused on us, perhaps people need to go out and get some romance of their own." Walter told her.
"One of my associates went down to Callan and visited with your family earlier today and they are really proud of you, how does that feel? We've been told that your relationship with your family hasn't always been so good." The reporter pressed.
Walter stared at the woman for a moment.
"My brain works differently than most other brains. One way is in how I experience tactile encounters. For whatever reason, for most of my life, my sister was the only person I could tolerate touching me. Couple that with a problem relating to emotions that most people experience and it causes issues. Issues I am happy to say are finally being changed, mostly because of Paige. Her touch calms and soothes me in ways I've never experienced before." Walter told her. "My parents haven't always known how to help me, but that doesn't mean they didn't love me or want things to be different. It has just been a process for me to get through."
"Your family seems very much in favor of your relationship with Ms. Dineen as well, your sister Megan is especially happy about it. Ms. Dineen, is your family supportive of your relationship with Walter?" The reporter asked.
"My Father is sponsoring Walter in this tournament and affords us time to be together as a couple. So yes, he does, besides that both of my parents have told us after the fiasco of being spied on at the Christmas ball that they support us being together." Paige told her.
"So Walter, your final opponent has been decided for tomorrow. Kirill Volkov is going to be challenging you for the championship. Do you know anything about him?" The reporter asked.
Walter shook his head.
"He claims he will beat you in less than thirty moves tomorrow. Any thoughts?" The reporter asked.
Walter pointed to the scoreboard.
"Well, I would say it seems unlikely. According to the scoreboard over there, he's lost one game in the double elimination tourney and none of his games thus far have ended in less than one hundred moves. I haven't lost any and all of mine ended in less than fifty moves. Could he beat me, sure, there is a possibility. If I was to play everyone I've already played again there is a chance they could win the second time. We'll see when the dust settles, I don't intend on disappointing my girlfriend so he better come with something more challenging than a cheap threat." Walter told her.
"Thank you Walter and you too Paige for being candid with us. Have a great evening and good luck tomorrow." The reporter told them, bringing the interview to an end.
"Oh, Walter did so good in the interview tonight. Who would have thought our boy would be on piped telly." Louise said as the four of them sat at the dinner table watching and eating.
Sunday Walter and Paige went down to have breakfast in the restaurant instead of staying in their rooms. Cabe and his partner quickly cleared a small area to ensure their safety and then Walter and Paige were allowed to sit.
They found their time being interrupted as young kids were constantly coming up to ask for Walter's autograph on their chess pamphlets. Ralph and Veronica joined them just before they had finished.
"Well Walter, did you sleep well last night? How do you feel going into this thing?" Ralph asked.
Walter smiled.
"I slept okay, I feel good going into it. I expect to walk out a winner no matter what." Walter told him as he squeezed Paige's hand.
Ralph grinned.
"That's my boy. Well I'm only telling you this because you'll find out in a bit and I want you to work through it beforehand. So don't be too nervous but I was talking to the Ambassador earlier and he will be here to watch your final match along with Ireland's President Mary Robinson and the Prime Minister John Bruton." Ralph told him.
"Oh that's amazing Daddy. Isn't that amazing Walter?" Paige asked.
Walter kind of nodded as he tried to reason why they would be there for the event.
"Walter, all I can say is, you have far surpassed any expectations I had for this tournament, I'm really proud of you and no matter how we leave here today. Win or lose, I'm leaving here on cloud nine." Ralph told him.
Walter smiled.
"Thank you." Walter said simply.
Finally they entered the hall and Walter checked in and was given his pass. Ralph took the opportunity to introduce Walter to the Prime Minister and President before he had to be at his table. Both of them along with the US Ambassador congratulated him on reaching this point and wished him well on his final game as the pride of Ireland went with him.
Walter walked out onto the floor as every eye followed him. Volkov won the coin toss and so he was already seated on the white side and Walter pulled his chair out and sat down and reached out and Volkov shook his hand. The official stepped up and started the game clock and stepped back. Volkov seemed to be studying the board for several long minutes which seemed absurd to Walter. No piece had been moved yet. Slowly Volkov reached out and picked up his queen's pawn to move it.
"So, you are the one huh? The one with a girlfriend that is a slutty American whore?" Volkov asked in a whisper as he finished his move and hit the clock denoting it was now Walter's turn.
Paige frowned.
"Somethings wrong, Walter's mad, really mad." Paige told her Mom and Dad.
Walter jumped up and stormed away. Pushing past officials and observers as he moved straight into the bathroom.
"Come on Walter, you only got so many minutes, when it is your turn." Ralph said quietly as the seconds ticked by.
Volkov grinned and pushed back in his chair. He stretched his legs out and placed his hands behind his head as he watched the clock slowly tick down.
"Cabe." Paige said finally.
"I got this kid." Cabe nodded and moved to go check on him.
Just as Cabe's hand was about to hit the door it swung open and Walter charged out and passed by him. The rage on his face was worse now than before as people wondered just what was about to happen. Volkov's smile disappeared as Walter still had twenty seconds to move and he came to a stop before the table and his hand flew out and moved his pawn and hit the clock.
Volkov swallowed and made his next move.
Walter was on fire in more ways than one as he kicked Volkov's arse in less than ten moves. As Volkov tipped his king over, Walter turned and walked off the floor to a thunderous cheer. Paige ran after him with Cabe and his partner following behind her.
She found him sitting on a bench that lined the hallway between the hall and the hotel. Paige slowly stepped up as Walter had his arms wrapped around his chest and he was rocking back and forth. She sat down beside him, and turned towards him.
"Walter, what happened, what's got you so upset?" Paige asked softly as she wrapped her arms around him.
Walter leaned into her and moved his arms around her and shook his head.
"It doesn't matter." Walter told her even as he shook in rage.
Cabe reached up and touched his coms.
"Copy that. Walter, I'm sorry son. I know something has made you mad as all get out, but they need you back in the hall for the presentation and final interview." Cabe told him.
Walter sighed and stood. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Paige as he reached his hand down.
Paige returned his smile and took his hand and stood up.
"You got this Walter." Paige told him before kissing him.
Walter shook his head.
"No, we got this." Walter told her and they began walking back down the hall.
"We're just waiting on Walter O'Brien to return so they can do the presentation and then we can do a final interview with him. But as you can see behind me at the scene you would think this was a championship football game that had just been won by the home team. I've never seen participants at a chess tourney this excited. Maybe it is because Walter seems like just an average person, that anyone could do what he did. Let's see if I can't get someone who can speak about this. Mr. Dineen, Mr. Dineen, can you take a moment to tell us how you are feeling right now?" The reporter asked with a raised voice trying to get over all the ambient noise everyone was making as she tugged on his arm.
"How do I feel? Are you kidding me? I was beyond happy before the match started. Walter is just phenomenal and I can't wait to see what he accomplishes with that beautiful brain of his." Ralph told her in a booming voice.
"Did you suspect Walter to do so well in the tourney? As his sponsor you must have noticed something special about him." The reporter asked.
"The first day he was at my house, he looked at a game I was playing against an old friend back in the US and he told my daughter checkmate in six moves. I had just stepped in and heard it. So I told him to sit down and prove it. He did it in five." Ralph told her grinning from ear to ear. "And then he went on to beat me six straight games in less than ten moves."
"That sounds amazing sir. Do you know what happened after the match started? What caused Walter to storm out and almost lose the match?" The reporter asked, almost yelling to be heard.
Ralph shook his head.
"Sorry, I haven't been able to talk with Walter about it yet." Ralph told her.
The reporter had her hand to her ear and was frowning.
"I was just informed of something, Mr. Dineen, one of our techs was going over the video footage and they figured out what it was. Would you care to watch and comment on it? I do have to warn you, they say it is graphic." She asked him while holding out a laptop.
Ralph reached down and hit play and the video zoomed in, past Walter, on Volkov and they watched his mouth barely move but the software was able to read his lips and they saw the printed words.
"So, you are the one huh? The one with a girlfriend that is a slutty American whore?" The words blazed across the screens of televisions everywhere including there in the hall where everyone was celebrating.
Louise gasped even as Sean jumped up and started cussing.
"Poor Walter and Paige." Megan said with tears.
"I can't believe the boy kept it together that long. I'd have cracked him upside the head right there, tournament be damned." Tobin swore.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! Here we are knocking on the end of the year. Chapter 9 will be on the 1st so I will take this time to wish you all a very Happy New Year! May it see you all living your best!
2LawDog - Thank you! So glad you are enjoying it!
Railman - Thank you! hehe Mr. Dineen says he couldn't pass up the opportunity. He said it was like taking candy from a baby. lol
Margaret - hehe Paige is indeed a firecracker in this story. She is nearly 13 at this point in the story, her birthday is April 13th. Glad you are finding things in it to love!
Susan - Yep, life has a way of interfering in what we like or want huh? But no worries, the story marches onwards and I look for to everyone's comments no matter when they find the time. So very glad you are enjoying it. Well, he noticed the couple acting a little secretive exiting the ballroom and decided to sneak around himself until he found a nice hiding place. He was just disappointed there wasn't better lighting. I don't believe it was the same guy that was at the hotel roof top. lol
Chipbass - Thank you brother! I, like all the writers here, appreciate everyone's comments. They are the only form of payment FF writers get so they really help in the motivation department! lol So glad you are enjoying the story and are along for the ride!
To the Adventure! -Tim