Games People Play

My friend, Fay has a neighbor who is taking Tennis lessons. After the first lesson, she called Fay and said, “ We practiced our forehand swings and our backhand swings, and I did great!” The next day, Fay saw her in the grocery store and asked, “So, how did your Tennis lesson go today?” “Not so good,” said her neighbor. “They introduced the ball.”

I took Tennis as an elective physical education course in college. My fiancé had been on a Tennis team and suggested we play a match. After ten minutes on the court, he asked me, “”What grade did you get in Tennis?” “An A” I proudly replied. “Well,” he said, “it must have been for attendance.” I married him, but we never played Tennis again. However, once I did beat him in Miniature Golf. We never played that game again either.

I once went to dinner with friends who play Golf.  They spoke a foreign language that involved pars and tees and a Mulligan. I thought a Mulligan was a stew invented by hobos.

Pickle ball, a racket sport that combines elements of Badminton, Tennis and Ping-Pong was invented in 1965, and is one of the fastest growing sports in North America. It is recommended for people who enjoy racket sports and pickles.

For people who prefer in-door games to exercise their minds, the Chinese introduced Mahjong. The game is played with a set of beautifully colored tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols.

My Mother played Mahjong, and as a child I enjoyed building towers with her tiles. While a game was underway in our home, my favorite activity was sneaking into the bedroom and trying on the players’ hats and coats. I especially enjoyed parading around in a fox stole that still had the fox’s head attached.

As you might have guessed, I don’t play card games either. I like the snacks people serve when playing Bridge, and I know it is one of the world’s most popular card games. Bridge involves dealing, bidding, playing the cards and scoring, but it also involves card shuffling at which I simply do not excel.

When my in-laws lived in Florida, I observed normal old people turn into blood sucking, rip-out-your-throat monsters while playing Contract Bridge. Four players play the game in two competing partnerships---North and South play against East and West.

My friend Angie is an excellent Bridge player, and went on a “Caribbean Bridge Cruise.” When she got to the table she said, “Hi, I’m Angie,” A woman already seated, scowled at her, and said, “I’m North!” At that point Angie was ready to “jump overboard.”

Chutes and Ladders is a board game for very young children. My son, Josh loved it when he was three-years old. I know that the CIA could make anyone confess anything by making him play Chutes and Ladders more than once. The only board game I ever enjoyed was Scrabble until my Father wouldn’t allow me to make up words.

When it comes to games, I am not a total WUSS! I do love playing Trivia. I especially enjoy joining Trivia teams on cruise ships.  The quiz game involves remembering arcane bits of knowledge, and nostalgic remembrances of pop culture.

On February 5, 1965, Ed Goodgold and Dan Carlinsky wrote an article in the Columbia University Daily Spectator. In the article they asked, “Who played the old Gypsy woman in The Wolfman?” (Answer: “Maria Ouspenskaya”). And the rest is history. The largest current Trivia contest is held in Stevens Point Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s college radio station. I’ve never joined one of the 400 teams that participate, but if they ask, ”Which state is the largest consumer of Jell-O?” I am ready!

Esther Blumenfeld (answer----“California”)