Bradahdda comes up to me confident, bragging that he is the best at school, beats everyone in his family, and is here to take me on. I ask his age, and he tells me he's only twelve and then reminds me he is the best. He has a little entourage of cousins, siblings, campaign managers, and promoters. I also notice he's carrying a fresh box of sweets from the booth across. "How much this box went cost?" I asked him. "Uncle, this box cost twenty-five dollars. Why?" "Cause if I win, this is my box of candy." You should have seen the blood drain from his face.
I guess his campaign manager went to speak for him and said, "Shoots." There was a small staring contest between the manager, who had nothing to lose, and the candidate, who had his candy box on the line. I reminded him, "No worry, beef curry, you are the best. " which restored his confidence. Then out of the blue, his big sister or finance officer upped the stakes with the "What if he wins" which is a good question. "Then I'll buy him another box of candy." Suddenly, his entourage got excited like wolves licking their chops, encouraging him to take the deal. Again, they got nothing to lose, but peer pressure is a bitch.
He's ready to shake my hand, sealing the deal. But wait, I told him, you must understand the rules before accepting the agreement. I ran through the rules to ensure we were on the same page and there were no hard feelings afterward. Since we play the same rules, he shakes my hand, and we start the match. I give him a lot of credit. He is good, but not as good as he thinks. We are at the point in the game where he's got no moves, and no matter how hard he stares at the board, he is still out of action. It's funny when you travel with an entourage. They start as consultants, telling him what to do, and then abandon ship when the storm hits, and right now, his campaign manager is gone. His finance manager is gone. Only his little sister is left standing by his side.
I said one more game, and as we played the second match, I gave him some tips and pointed out some of his mistakes and good moves. By now, the calvary and the entourage had returned with Mom. She was a little puzzled by the police report she got from the posse and when she heard me talking and teaching him how to be a better player.
Everybody knew I let him win. Before he left, I told him he could have his box of candy back. I was only playing for fun, but he owed me one candy. He opened his box, and I asked his little sister which one she would choose. She pointed out a piece, and I told her to take it out and that she could have it. Before Bradahdda left, I told him to do what was best for him. You shouldn't have taken the deal. You took all the risk, and the reward would have been great, but you needed to recognize the competition. Next time study the competition first before you make a challenge.
The Mom came to thank me for the life lesson. I told her that her son was good but overconfident. She rolled her eyes and agreed, then left. His younger sister waved bye to me with a sugary smile.
A guy on the side started asking questions, so I pointed to the seat across from me and offered him a lesson. I had good fun at the Waipā Summer Festival.
