in horror. “You can’t play poker! You play bridge!” What was happening here?
Grandmother frowned at me. “We know how to play poker too. That’s what we played in the early days.” The Early Days meant the 1960s, when their kids were graduating from high school.
“Joe can’t play.”
“Don’t be rude. Of course he can.”
Joe was casting long glances at both Grandmother and me. He cleared his throat. “I don’t have to stay. All I wanted was a ladder. I’m painting my living room. I should probably go, anyway.”
I braced my hands against the table and stood on tiptoe, speaking toward his ear. “It might be better. They’ve been playing bridge on Wednesday nights for years.”
Thelma rapped my knuckles with a deck of cards. “Don’t talk about us like we’re not here. Joe stays.”
“Ouch!” Well, that was that. When Thelma made up her mind, she made a mule seem even-tempered.
Betty was pulling a dining room chair through the front entry. She was bent nearly in half, grasping it by the seat.
“Let me do that for you!” Joe was beside her in two seconds. He set the chair down on all four legs and then took Betty’s hand to help her regain her posture.
Faker! Her eyelashes fluttered and she placed an unsteady hand over her heart. “Thank you, Joe. You’re so strong.”
I didn’t need that. I walked out of the living room and had almost rounded the corner to the stairs when Grandmother’s voice stopped me. “Jackie? Aren’t you going to play?”
I kept climbing the stairs. “No, thank you. Not tonight.”
“Joe needs the ladder.”
“Call me when you’re done and I’ll get it for him.”
They did better than that. They sent him up to find me two hours later.
“Knock, knock.”
If people aren’t going to go to the trouble to knock on a door, then why do they say the words? It’s one of those questions I’ll ask when I get to heaven. If I don’t kill Joe first and get disqualified.
“Yes?”
“Do you mind getting me the ladder? I really do need it.”
I turned from the computer to look at him. He was standing with one arm propped above his head against the doorframe. He looked tired.
“Did they give you a hard time?’
“They beat me. Took me for fifty dollars!”
“Good for them.” Maybe he wouldn’t come around again. I pushed my chair away from the computer, rose to my feet, and looked around for some shoes. I opened the closet, picked up the closest pair of Converse I saw, and shoved my feet into them.
When I turned around I saw Joe, still standing in the doorway, casting nosy glances around my room. I marched past him, closed the door, and trotted down the stairs. I was in the kitchen before I realized he wasn’t behind me. I retraced my steps and found him in the living room, saying his goodbyes.
Adele was counting the money she had won. “You’ll have to come next Wednesday. You might be able to win your money back.”
“Only if I can sit next to you again.”
Grandmother stopped Joe as he turned to leave. “Do you have our phone number?”
He shook his head.
Grandmother wrote it on the tally sheet and then handed it to him. “Call if you can’t make it.”
Joe took the piece of paper, folded it, and tucked it into his wallet. “I’ll put it on my calendar. Wednesday night with the card sharks.”
They all giggled.
Honestly! How do you like that? They’d switched from bridge to poker. And I’d been replaced. They’d gotten a permanent substitute for their substitute.
He raised a hand. “Goodnight.”
We walked through the kitchen and out the back door. There was a suggestion of stillness in the air. Night was settling around us. “Does your house have air-conditioning?”
“No.”
“Do you have any fans?”
“Not yet.”
Couldn’t he do anything for himself? “Just a minute.” I went into the house, unplugged the fan from the living room and started carrying it away.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Grandmother
Grandmother frowned at me. “We know how to play poker too. That’s what we played in the early days.” The Early Days meant the 1960s, when their kids were graduating from high school.
“Joe can’t play.”
“Don’t be rude. Of course he can.”
Joe was casting long glances at both Grandmother and me. He cleared his throat. “I don’t have to stay. All I wanted was a ladder. I’m painting my living room. I should probably go, anyway.”
I braced my hands against the table and stood on tiptoe, speaking toward his ear. “It might be better. They’ve been playing bridge on Wednesday nights for years.”
Thelma rapped my knuckles with a deck of cards. “Don’t talk about us like we’re not here. Joe stays.”
“Ouch!” Well, that was that. When Thelma made up her mind, she made a mule seem even-tempered.
Betty was pulling a dining room chair through the front entry. She was bent nearly in half, grasping it by the seat.
“Let me do that for you!” Joe was beside her in two seconds. He set the chair down on all four legs and then took Betty’s hand to help her regain her posture.
Faker! Her eyelashes fluttered and she placed an unsteady hand over her heart. “Thank you, Joe. You’re so strong.”
I didn’t need that. I walked out of the living room and had almost rounded the corner to the stairs when Grandmother’s voice stopped me. “Jackie? Aren’t you going to play?”
I kept climbing the stairs. “No, thank you. Not tonight.”
“Joe needs the ladder.”
“Call me when you’re done and I’ll get it for him.”
They did better than that. They sent him up to find me two hours later.
“Knock, knock.”
If people aren’t going to go to the trouble to knock on a door, then why do they say the words? It’s one of those questions I’ll ask when I get to heaven. If I don’t kill Joe first and get disqualified.
“Yes?”
“Do you mind getting me the ladder? I really do need it.”
I turned from the computer to look at him. He was standing with one arm propped above his head against the doorframe. He looked tired.
“Did they give you a hard time?’
“They beat me. Took me for fifty dollars!”
“Good for them.” Maybe he wouldn’t come around again. I pushed my chair away from the computer, rose to my feet, and looked around for some shoes. I opened the closet, picked up the closest pair of Converse I saw, and shoved my feet into them.
When I turned around I saw Joe, still standing in the doorway, casting nosy glances around my room. I marched past him, closed the door, and trotted down the stairs. I was in the kitchen before I realized he wasn’t behind me. I retraced my steps and found him in the living room, saying his goodbyes.
Adele was counting the money she had won. “You’ll have to come next Wednesday. You might be able to win your money back.”
“Only if I can sit next to you again.”
Grandmother stopped Joe as he turned to leave. “Do you have our phone number?”
He shook his head.
Grandmother wrote it on the tally sheet and then handed it to him. “Call if you can’t make it.”
Joe took the piece of paper, folded it, and tucked it into his wallet. “I’ll put it on my calendar. Wednesday night with the card sharks.”
They all giggled.
Honestly! How do you like that? They’d switched from bridge to poker. And I’d been replaced. They’d gotten a permanent substitute for their substitute.
He raised a hand. “Goodnight.”
We walked through the kitchen and out the back door. There was a suggestion of stillness in the air. Night was settling around us. “Does your house have air-conditioning?”
“No.”
“Do you have any fans?”
“Not yet.”
Couldn’t he do anything for himself? “Just a minute.” I went into the house, unplugged the fan from the living room and started carrying it away.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Grandmother
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