The wherewithal to break the stalemate came down to the masterful stratagem of the chess-loving son of the ambassador.

And yet the universe continued to toss out mysteries seemingly without end.

"Right now they're keeping people out, but before long they're gonna be keeping us in," said my father as we packed up the house.

Their first order of business was to ban the teaching of history for if the people understood the past they would be less inclined to allow their leaders to repeat it again and again.

Billy liked the Old Testament best, the "eye for an eye" way of thinking, rather than the New Testament with its emphasis on loving thy neighbor since his neighbor was a liberal asshole.

"The day I realized everyone else was as lost and confused as I was, no matter what kind of facade they show the world, was the day I gained an edge over my competition," he said with a wry smile.

The old man stood on the stage with just his guitar, but when his shaky hand hit that first chord, the years seemed to melt away and his tales of heartache and dreams shook the audience to their core.