"No," Anatoly agreed, giving in to temptation and fidgeting with the white king for something to do with his hands. It seemed that the chess lesson might take awhile to start, but truly he was in no hurry. They had time, after all.

"It is very easy to close yourself off, tell yourself you will never love again. It might even work for awhile, but then something will happen. You'll meet someone and you'll find yourself throwing out your self-imposed rules. If you are very lucky, you might find your happy ending."