BINGO

For the elderly inhabitants of Virginia City a special evening got organized. Adam Cartwright had picked up his twins Mitch and Pam from school and in town they saw the poster with the announcement hanging. They walked to it.

Adam read out loud:

“That is a good reason for grandpa to go with widow Hawkins”, Mitch reacted laughing.

“I know for sure that grandpa shall not go and certainly not with her”, replied his father.

The twins looked at each other and they thought the same thing.

“Are you coming?”, asked Adam.

The twins nodded honest and respectable.

Arrived at home the children went straight to their beloved grandpa Ben Cartwright.

“Grandpa, you really must go to Virginia City this coming Saturday evening”, said Pam.

“And why must I go there of you?”, the rancher asked amazed.

“Because there will be a special evening for people at age being held. They play bingo and you can win nice and fine prizes. Perhaps widow Hawkins goes too”, said Mitch.

“Then you can go together. Even so cozy”, his sister suggested.

Ben didn’t look so very happy anymore when he heard about the bingo evening and especially not when his grandson mentioned the name of widow Hawkins.

“I am really not going to that bingo evening. Even if they offered me a million for it”, said Ben.

“Why not? You are at age and so it also organized for you”, said Hoss, the younger brother of Adam.

“I am not that old yet”, the rancher protested.

“Pa, see it as your duty for the other elderly people. Ben Cartwright, owner of the Ponderosa, goes despite his busy chores still to the bingo evening for coziness with contemporaries”, said Adam.

Hoss and the twins were rolling on the floor laughing but Ben didn’t find it very funny. Though he couldn’t resist the begging faces of especially his grandchildren and he gave in.

“Alright. You win. I go but only if widow Hawkins goes with me. Mitch and Pam, you go along as witnesses when I ask her out. Are you coming?”, asked Ben.

“Sure do”, the twins said at the same time.

Adam and Hoss gave each other unnoticed a wink. Ben and the twins went to town. Little Joe, the youngest son of Ben, saw the threesome riding away. Naturally he didn’t understand a thing about it. He dismounted and went inside.

“Adam, what have your twins been up to now?”, Little Joe asked when entering.

“Nothing. Why?”, Adam asked amazed.

“I just saw pa riding away with the kids”, his youngest brother replied.

“Pa would love to go to the bingo evening but he doesn’t dare to ask widow Hawkins out. That’s why the kids must come along”, Adam explained.

Now Little Joe was rolling on the floor laughing.

“Two children of ten years old must go along with their grandpa to arrange a date for him. What a joke”, Little Joe screamed of laughter.

In Virginia City the Cartwrights saw posters for the bingo evening hanging everywhere. They rode straight to the house of widow Hawkins. After they had dismounted Ben looked at his grandchildren seriously for a moment.

“You keep silent and let me do the talking. That goes especially for you, Mitchell Jonathan Cartwright”, said the rancher.

“I promise grandpa”, Mitch said with laughing eyes.

Ben looked at him critical for a second and opened the little gate. He walked to the front door, followed by the twins. Unfortunately for Ben widow Clementine Hawkins had noticed her beloved Ben already and she had opened the front door.

“Ducky of mine! Come inside quickly and those little ones too. I will make tea right away”, Clementine said delighted.

The twins liked it but Ben naturally didn’t.

“Clementine, I only wanted to ask you something”, Ben said but Clementine wasn’t already listening anymore.

The Cartwrights went inside and Ben hoped that the twins would behave themselves.

A moment later Clementine came in with the tea and cookies.

“Sit down, children and ducky”, she said inviting.

Mitch and Pam looked at each other laughing when the widow called Ben ‘ducky’. One strict look from their grandpa and they were serious. The tea got poured in and finally Ben could tell why he had come.

“Clementine, this coming Saturday evening there is a bingo evening. Do you feel like going to it with me. I come to pick you up at half past seven here”, said the rancher.

He hoped that she would refuse but it turned out totally different.

“With you always ducky”, the widow said cheerful.

Ben swallowed his tea the wrong way and coughed badly. The twins were rolling on the floor laughing.

“Oh poor ducky”, the widow said full pitiless.

She tapped Ben at the back whereby the coughing stopped.

“Kids, home”, Ben said a moment later.

Mitch and Pam quickly drank up their tea and followed their grandpa outside.

At the door Clementine called, “See you Saturday ducky.”

Ben didn’t know how fast he had to ride out of town. The children followed laughing out loud but yet at safe distance.

The next coming days were very hard for Ben because he constantly got teased by his offspring about his date with Clementine Hawkins. As wise as he was Ben didn’t react to it.

Finally it was Saturday evening. Ben was preparing himself for the bingo evening.

Because it certainly would become very late he said to his grandchildren when leaving, “You goodnight for later.”

“You too grandpa”, said Mitch and Pam.

Then Ben turned to his sons, “You stay here at home!”

“Of course we stay at home. The bingo evening is for people at age and we are still very young”, Adam replied sarcastic.

Ben just said nothing back and left for Virginia City.

Clementine was already waiting for her ‘ducky’. She was very proud of him and especially because he has finally dared to ask her out after all those years they knew each other. Ben arrived nicely in time to collect Clementine.

Arrived in the hall it turned out that Ben was the only man. The rancher got a light shock but he recovered himself very quickly and took place next to Clementine.

The whole evening it was very nice and even Ben enjoyed himself. Even though no single prize went up his way but also Clementine went home empty handed. But for her was the evening already a big success because she had gone to the bingo evening with her ducky.

Of course everyone was very curious about how the bingo evening had went and especially all the details of the date wanted to be known by other Cartwrights. During breakfast Ben avoided the subject as the plague. So That’s why Adam decided to start about it.

“Pa, what was it like to play an evening bingo with contemporaries on a Saturday evening?”, he asked as only Adam could ask that.

“It was just very boring”, said Ben.

“Grandpa, you can lie as good as I can use my left leg”, reacted Mitch.

Everybody laughed.

“To tell you the truth: the bingo evening was being held because of the a charity and the proceeds went to the orphanage. It was very nice but before you are going to sign me up for the next bingo evening I am ahead of you. I stay at home from now on”, said Ben.

“Then we keep the bingo evening here. Then widow Hawkins can stay the night over”, Mitch suggested.

Everyone except Ben thought it was a good idea.

“Mitchell, would you still like to reach your next birthday?”, the rancher asked teasing.

“Of course. Why?”, the boy asked.

“Don’t mention that word bingo anymore in my presence”, replied the rancher.

“Pa, does that count for us as well?”, Little Joe asked carefully.

“Yes”, his father replied.

“Dadburnit pa, that ain’t fair because you and Adam and you already have had your birthday and we not yet”, Hoss reacted indignant.

“Uncle Hoss, I know it because we just play the favorite game of grandpa on our birthdays”, said Pam.

Ben knew that he would have to hear this for a long time to come and he hoped heart fully that there would never be a bingo evening in Virginia City being organized as long as he lived.

SATURDAY EVENING FOR ALL INHABITANTS AT AGE OF VIRGINIA CITY A COZY BINGO EVENING. BEAUTIFUL AND NICE PRIZES TO BE WON.