106
|
WINTER
2015
At theendof termour instructor encouragesus tomoveout of the
beginners’ room, next door towhere thebigkidsplay seriousbridge.
Wearenervousand reluctant but it’s time to test
our skills. Thenew room is largerandhasmany
square tables flankedby four chairs set inmili-
taryprecision. Wechooseone, sit facingeach
otherand shareone last encouragingglance.
Thecardsarenot shuffledanddealt but arrive
inboxeswith scoringpaper tucked inplace, folded
and ready.A reverential silence
permeates the room. Playersdonot bidaloud.Weeachhavea set
of biddingcards clustered together, also inboxes. It’sdifficult to lift
out the right onewithout spillingothers.
At thenext table, thecry“Director!” ringsout, someonewavesand
Tiffany scootsacross the room to investigate thecrime, a toohastydis-
playof trumpby the ‘dummy’ before theopponent had ledhisopen-
ingcard. This isanopportunity forapubliccorrectionand ‘a lesson
for everyone to learn’.Aquick scanof the room, no stoolsanddunce
capsbut perhaps thereare some set aside in thekitchen.
After four hands, thewinnersmoveon toanother table.My spouse
and I stayandgreet our newpartners.Mine isanunsmilingwoman
who immediatelyasksme if I play ‘Stayman’ ordo ‘transfers’. I am
like theproverbial deer caught in theheadlights.Mymindanervous
blur, I forget Stayman iswhen someone responds toano trumpbid
with ‘twoclubs’ even if sheor hehasnoclubs. It’sawayof looking
foramajor suit.
“Um, sort of.”
Nostrils flareand thebiddingbegins.More trouble
ariseswhen I supportmypartner’sbidwithonly twoof her suit.
Onewas theaceand I thought she’dbepleasedwith that butmy sup-
port is inadequateandwe lose thehand.
“In future, pleasekeep inmindonenever raiseswithonly two trump.”
“But onewas theace.”
Adismissive shakeof theheadand she
switches chairs, relieved tobedonewith
me.Mynext partner iswhitehairedand
jolly.Hequickly surmises I amabeginner,
frequentlybids threeno trumpandplays
everyhandwithadmirable skill.Wearewin-
nersand switch tablesandpartners. I decide
I preferplayingdefense, being thedummywhilemypartner takes
charge. I’m still uncomfortablewith thebiddingprocess.After two
hours,my spouseand I help foldup tablesand stackchairs.
“Howwas itwithyou?”
“Okay. I feel as if I shouldweara sign, like ‘student driver’.”
He ishappy. “I bid twogamesandmade themboth.”
“Really?”
Wenowplaybridgeonceaweekandoccasionalweekendsafter
dinnerwith friends. I’m improving; oncebida small slamwithno
penalty. But bridge isnotmyonlyactivity.OnMondayandThursday
I volunteerat the local elementary school,workingwithchildrenwho
havedifficultyarticulating sounds. They look intoahandheldmirror
as their cupidmouths form thecorrect shape; tongueagainst roof of
mouth for ‘L’, rabbit teeth for ‘F’, repeatingwordsandphrases that
contain thedifficult letter.After thispracticewe talk togetherandplay
agame.Mypersonal favorite is ‘go fish’.
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