they not be? They took in a kid who wasn't their blood and made him feel a part of their family."
"That is generous. What are their personalities?"
"Carol, my adoptive mom, is very nurturing. She works at an animal shelter. I think, in some ways, I was just another stray to her. She took in a lot of dogs and cats during my childhood. Her husband, Rick, is an easygoing guy. He doesn't want a lot, doesn't need a lot. He's one of those rare people who is content to go to work at the hardware store, come home to his family and relax in his recliner while he watches whatever sports event is on."
"They sound great. Where do they live?"
"They live in Pasadena now. But they raised me first in Boston, then in Portland, and later in San Francisco. They moved here a few years ago, and so did I."
"Do you see them a lot?"
"Not that often, but every couple of months."
"Do they have other children?"
"Two girls. The oldest was born four years after I moved in with them, when I was eleven, the other one a couple years later. They're sweet. They were a lot younger than me, so I wouldn't say I'm close to them, whereas they are very tight with each other."
"Who do you have more in common with, your mom or your dad?"
"You're very curious about them."
"I am. So, what's the answer?"
"To be honest, I'm not like either one of them. Animals are okay, but I don't need to have a pack of dogs sleeping on my bed, or a cat waking me up with the loudest meow you've ever heard. And while I can hang a picture, I'm not really into construction or plumbing or industrial supplies the way Rick is."
"Did they support you wanting to be an actor?"
He hesitated. "Yes. I think because I wasn't their biological kid, their expectations for me were different than for their two daughters. They just wanted me to be happy, and if I was, then they were okay. They'd done their best by me. I was lucky that my parents left me with them and that they were willing to adopt me. Otherwise, I could have bounced around the foster system for years."
"I'm glad that didn't happen to you. I know what it's like not to fit into a family, and I was born into mine, which makes it even worse." She paused. "What about your grandparents?"
"I had one on each side when my parents died. My father's mother was in Russia. I'd never met her. My mother's father was too ill to take on a kid."
"That's too bad."
He shrugged. "Can we change the subject? I don't like talking about my past."
"Because it's too painful?"
"Parts of it are."
"What are the good things you remember about your biological parents?" she asked, ignoring his request to change the subject. She wanted to know more about him.
"My mom loved to cook. The house always smelled good. I'd wake up in the morning to her cooking oladyi, Russian pancakes. She'd serve them with honey and chocolate. At lunch, there would be warm pirozhki, and for dinner beef stroganoff. She was a wizard in the kitchen. At one time she wanted to be a chef, but once she got married and had me, she was happy to be a homemaker. I should say I think she was happy, but I don't really know. I was seven when they died. I barely remember who they were."
"What about your dad?" she asked, happy to be getting longer answers now.
"He was a chess master. He taught me to play before I went to kindergarten. He loved the game. And he always beat me. He told me I'd learn more from the games I lost. He was right. Every time I lost a game, I'd try to figure out another way to win. He taught me a lot of life lessons through chess. He was always full of quotes about the game. I don't know who said them, but he'd repeat them to me every chance he got."
"Like what?"
"When you see a good move, look for a better one."
"So, don't pick the first thing you see."
"Exactly. He also used to say, in life, as in chess, one's own pawns block one's way. Sometimes you have to beat yourself before you can beat your opponent." He shook his head. "It's weird how those came back into my head. Although, it's probably because the chess tournament at the club