Do You Want to Play Cards?

                                         1,174  wds

To avoid her roommates and find her alone he walked around to the kitchen door. He saw her three roommates watching tv as he passed the living room windows. She looked up from the sink when he tapped on the glass of the kitchen door. He walked into the kitchen.

"Hello, how're you?" she said. She continued washing the dishes.

"Oh fine." He stood behind her. He didn't touch her. "Have you been studying hard?"

“Pretty hard.” Her hands wiped out a frying pan with a sponge. 

He stuck his hands in his pockets. 

A girl walked into the kitchen and said, “Hello, Billy.” 

“High Christi, how’re you?”

“Pretty good.  Are you going to stay and watch the movie?”

“What movie?”

“It’s really good,” said the girl at the sink. “I’ve seen it about four times.” 

Christi told him the name of the movie but Billy didn’t remember it.

“Maybe i’ll stay and watch it,” he said. “I just finished playing softball for six hours.”

“You look like you’ve been in the sun,” said the girl washing dishes. She didn’t turn around. 

“Where do you play?” asked Christi.

“Williamsburg park,” and he paused to consider which players she would know, “with the regular bunch.” 

She nodded. 

“We had some good games today.”

“For six hours, i bet,” said Christi.

The girl at the sink finished the dishes, dried her hands on a towel and walked past Christi and Billy into the living room. Billy and Christi watched her leave.

“What was the name of that movie?”

“Heaven Help Us.” 

Billy followed her into the living room. In the living room Christ’s husband Walter sat in his favorite rocking chair watching a show called Battle of the Stars, in which two groups of actors and actresses competed in a race up and down a water slide. 

“What is this show now?” said Christi

Walter told her the title of the show and what time Heaven Help Us would begin.

Billy looked around for the girl who had washed the dishes. She wasn’t on the porch out the front windows where he hoped to find her alone, so he knew she could only be upstairs in the bathroom or her bedroom. 

“Where did Barbara go?”

Walter looked up at him for the first time. “She’s upstairs. She’ll be down in a second.”.

Billy heard footsteps on the sirs. Barbara and another roommate, Andy, came down talking about playing cards. 

“Do you want to play cards?” asked Barbara.

“Sure.”

“Barbara you can’t play now, the movie starts in thirty minutes, you’ll never finish your game by then.”

“We can play for thirty minutes.” said Andy

“You won’t get finished with the game.”

“You want to play, Christi?”

“Let me think about it.”

Barbara cleared off the dining room table. 

“Okay, i’ll play until the movie starts. What are we playing?” 

“Hearts or spades.”

Billy pulled out a chair. 

“Don’t sit there,” Christi said, pointing. “Sit over there.” 

He looked at Christi’s face trying to see why she didn’t want him to sit beside her. “Why, why not sit there? 

“The mirror is right behind your chair. We can see your cards in it.” 

Billy moved to a chair across the table. 

What are we playing, Andy?

   Andy shuffled the cards and before sitting with the mirror behind him he hung an old army blanket over the mirror. “Hearts, or spades if you like.” His hands shuffled the red backed cards. 

“Let’s play hearts,” said Barbara.

“I don’t know how,”  said Christi. “I’d rather play spades. What would you like to play, Billy?”

“Oh, anything you like.”

Barbara had started smoking recently. She lit a cigarette. 

“I know how to play, i just don’t remember right now, Billy said. 

“We can play spades.”

“Okay let’s play spades.”

“Do you want to play spades, Billy?

“Sounds good to me.”

He looked at Barbara and tapped her foot under the table. She curled her feet up under her chair and hooked them behind a chair leg and didn’t look at him. He didn’t know why he had tapped her foot. He wanted to talk to her alone but tapping her foot would not make her leap up and say, Billy let’s go someplace where we can talk alone.”

“But i really would rather play hearts.”

“Okay let’s play hearts.” 

“Can you play hearts, Billy?

“I think so.”

“Don’t you know how to play?” said Christi

Billy shrugged. 

Christi and Andy quickly explained the rules of the game Hearts. 

“Deal the cards now and i’ll figure it out as we go along,” said Billy. 

Andy dealt the cards

Later in the game, Christi said “You shouldn’t have used that card Billy.  Now you get thirteen points against you. Are you sure you know how to play?”

Billy said, “It takes me awhile to remember how to play. I’ll get it.”

From the living room Walter called, “The movie’s on, the movie’s starting.” 

“Oh, the movie,” said Christi. Christi and Barbara stood up and threw their cards on the table. 

“Is it the movie or just previews of the movie?” said Barbara

“Just previews,” said Walter.

The women sat down.

“No wait, it is the movie.”

Andy remained. He said, “Hold on a minute, let’s finish the hand.”

Barbara said, “What for, you’re winning what are you complaining about?

“Let’s just finish this hand.”

“We’re gonna watch the movie,” said Christi. 

Billy and Andy looked at each other. The women walked into the living room and sat down. Billy gathered the cards and looked into each hand and folded them into a deck and followed Andy into the living room. All the chairs were taken so Billy sat beside the tv on a footstool and looked around the corner at the screen. He couldn’t see the picture very well. 

For five minutes Billy tried to watch but his neck was sore from playing softball. He felt his attention fading and knew he was tired. He said, “I’m going to split.”

“You’re not staying for the movie?”

“No, i played ball all afternoon and i‘m tired. I need a shower.”

“Nice of you to come over,” said Barbara. She didn’t look at him. They all said goodbye to him. As he left the house, he glanced behind him. He waited a few moments on the porch in case Barbara followed him out wanting to talk alone in the cool evening. Through the screen door he saw her watching tv. He thought of what to say to her. At his car he waited awhile longer but she didn’t come out. So he started the engine and drove away. 

“We don’t’ really have anything to say to each other. She told me on the phone. A hundred and thirty six dollars. Split that in half. Sixty eight dollars, that’s my half for the procedure. She’s really being nice to split it with me, to share the costs. I guess i should feel lucky. No, not bad, i should feel lucky. That’s not much at all.”       Do You Want to Play Cards?

                                         1,174  wds

To avoid her roommates and find her alone he walked around to the kitchen door. He saw her three roommates watching tv as he passed the living room windows. She looked up from the sink when he tapped on the glass of the kitchen door. He walked into the kitchen.

"Hello, how're you?" she said. She continued washing the dishes.

"Oh fine." He stood behind her. He didn't touch her. "Have you been studying hard?"

“Pretty hard.” Her hands wiped out a frying pan with a sponge. 

He stuck his hands in his pockets. 

A girl walked into the kitchen and said, “Hello, Billy.” 

“High Christi, how’re you?”

“Pretty good.  Are you going to stay and watch the movie?”

“What movie?”

“It’s really good,” said the girl at the sink. “I’ve seen it about four times.” 

Christi told him the name of the movie but Billy didn’t remember it.

“Maybe i’ll stay and watch it,” he said. “I just finished playing softball for six hours.”

“You look like you’ve been in the sun,” said the girl washing dishes. She didn’t turn around. 

“Where do you play?” asked Christi.

“Williamsburg park,” and he paused to consider which players she would know, “with the regular bunch.” 

She nodded. 

“We had some good games today.”

“For six hours, i bet,” said Christi.

The girl at the sink finished the dishes, dried her hands on a towel and walked past Christi and Billy into the living room. Billy and Christi watched her leave.

“What was the name of that movie?”

“Heaven Help Us.” 

Billy followed her into the living room. In the living room Christ’s husband Walter sat in his favorite rocking chair watching a show called Battle of the Stars, in which two groups of actors and actresses competed in a race up and down a water slide. 

“What is this show now?” said Christi

Walter told her the title of the show and what time Heaven Help Us would begin.

Billy looked around for the girl who had washed the dishes. She wasn’t on the porch out the front windows where he hoped to find her alone, so he knew she could only be upstairs in the bathroom or her bedroom. 

“Where did Barbara go?”

Walter looked up at him for the first time. “She’s upstairs. She’ll be down in a second.”.

Billy heard footsteps on the sirs. Barbara and another roommate, Andy, came down talking about playing cards. 

“Do you want to play cards?” asked Barbara.

“Sure.”

“Barbara you can’t play now, the movie starts in thirty minutes, you’ll never finish your game by then.”

“We can play for thirty minutes.” said Andy

“You won’t get finished with the game.”

“You want to play, Christi?”

“Let me think about it.”

Barbara cleared off the dining room table. 

“Okay, i’ll play until the movie starts. What are we playing?” 

“Hearts or spades.”

Billy pulled out a chair. 

“Don’t sit there,” Christi said, pointing. “Sit over there.” 

He looked at Christi’s face trying to see why she didn’t want him to sit beside her. “Why, why not sit there? 

“The mirror is right behind your chair. We can see your cards in it.” 

Billy moved to a chair across the table. 

What are we playing, Andy?

   Andy shuffled the cards and before sitting with the mirror behind him he hung an old army blanket over the mirror. “Hearts, or spades if you like.” His hands shuffled the red backed cards. 

“Let’s play hearts,” said Barbara.

“I don’t know how,”  said Christi. “I’d rather play spades. What would you like to play, Billy?”

“Oh, anything you like.”

Barbara had started smoking recently. She lit a cigarette. 

“I know how to play, i just don’t remember right now, Billy said. 

“We can play spades.”

“Okay let’s play spades.”

“Do you want to play spades, Billy?

“Sounds good to me.”

He looked at Barbara and tapped her foot under the table. She curled her feet up under her chair and hooked them behind a chair leg and didn’t look at him. He didn’t know why he had tapped her foot. He wanted to talk to her alone but tapping her foot would not make her leap up and say, Billy let’s go someplace where we can talk alone.”

“But i really would rather play hearts.”

“Okay let’s play hearts.” 

“Can you play hearts, Billy?

“I think so.”

“Don’t you know how to play?” said Christi

Billy shrugged. 

Christi and Andy quickly explained the rules of the game Hearts. 

“Deal the cards now and i’ll figure it out as we go along,” said Billy. 

Andy dealt the cards

Later in the game, Christi said “You shouldn’t have used that card Billy.  Now you get thirteen points against you. Are you sure you know how to play?”

Billy said, “It takes me awhile to remember how to play. I’ll get it.”

From the living room Walter called, “The movie’s on, the movie’s starting.” 

“Oh, the movie,” said Christi. Christi and Barbara stood up and threw their cards on the table. 

“Is it the movie or just previews of the movie?” said Barbara

“Just previews,” said Walter.

The women sat down.

“No wait, it is the movie.”

Andy remained. He said, “Hold on a minute, let’s finish the hand.”

Barbara said, “What for, you’re winning what are you complaining about?

“Let’s just finish this hand.”

“We’re gonna watch the movie,” said Christi. 

Billy and Andy looked at each other. The women walked into the living room and sat down. Billy gathered the cards and looked into each hand and folded them into a deck and followed Andy into the living room. All the chairs were taken so Billy sat beside the tv on a footstool and looked around the corner at the screen. He couldn’t see the picture very well. 

For five minutes Billy tried to watch but his neck was sore from playing softball. He felt his attention fading and knew he was tired. He said, “I’m going to split.”

“You’re not staying for the movie?”

“No, i played ball all afternoon and i‘m tired. I need a shower.”

“Nice of you to come over,” said Barbara. She didn’t look at him. They all said goodbye to him. As he left the house, he glanced behind him. He waited a few moments on the porch in case Barbara followed him out wanting to talk alone in the cool evening. Through the screen door he saw her watching tv. He thought of what to say to her. At his car he waited awhile longer but she didn’t come out. So he started the engine and drove away. 

“We don’t’ really have anything to say to each other. She told me on the phone. A hundred and thirty six dollars. Split that in half. Sixty eight dollars, that’s my half for the procedure. She’s really being nice to split it with me, to share the costs. I guess i should feel lucky. No, not bad, i should feel lucky. That’s not much at all.”

End of “Do You Want to Play Cards?”