March 2005 - 15

Great Expectations

advice Grandpa was giving me
about this hand or that, resisting the
urge to yell "No!" when he asked
if I remembered the hand with the
long diamond suit.
When I arrived home, released my
tension in a perfect storm of tears
and poured my anguished heart into
my husband's ears, he told me, quite
logically, that I should quit. "It's a
game," he reasoned, "why do this to
yourself?"
He had a point, of course, but I
was too stubborn to quit. Instead, I
began bringing a deck of cards to
work to practice bidding on random
hands. I played mock games, trying
to recall which cards had been played
and which hand had bid which suit.
I made up bidding scenarios in my
head and played a computer bridge
game in my off hours.
I began to feel less nervous at
each game we played, and over the
course of several weeks, I discov‑
ered that Grandpa and I enjoyed
three distinct advantages.
The first one was simple: Grandpa
is a brilliant bridge player. I felt
immense relief when he won the
bidding and I knew my job was
simply to move cards around. He
was too kind to show any relief him‑
self. We sometimes took top boards
simply because he was doing all the
thinking.
It must have been frustrating for
such a talented player to place last
every week, but he never brought it
up or traded me for another partner.
I never would have stuck with it if
he hadn't been so patient.
Our second major advantage was
the element of surprise, a benefit I
also have when playing chess. When
one has no idea what the correct
(or even plausible) move is, one can
seriously confuse an opponent.
I can't count how many times, as
we shuffled our cards and replaced
them, the other players would say,
"I was sure you had another club
because you led the ace," or "I
thought your three of hearts meant
that you had at least another spade."
It was like aiming for the corner
pocket in a game of billiards and
making the opposite pocket instead.
15

Our third advantage was that I
was Grandpa's sole creation. Unlike
many partners who have to adjust
their bidding styles for a perfect fit,
we were on the same page from day
one. We didn't have to figure out
what the other was doing because
my rules were his rules.
Of course, he often had to wonder
if I remembered what he'd taught
me, but he gave me the benefit of
the doubt every time and bid as
though I knew what I was doing.
When I finally began keeping it all
straight, the benefits he reaped from
taking me at my word were enormous.
Finally, after a few weeks of play‑
ing, we achieved heady success. We
placed second to last! It was like a
taste of Olympic gold. I sailed into
work the next day and announced
our victory to my confused co‑
workers, not caring that they didn't
understand why I was so thrilled.
A few weeks later we advanced
to third‑to‑last, and later still some‑
times, although very rarely, made it
into the top three. It was enough. I
had proved to myself that I could do
something that didn't come natu‑
rally, that I could beat the left half

of my brain into submission with a
hard enough stick.
The day I realized I had proved
myself was a confusing one, because
it was then, for the first time, that
I knew I was hooked. It no longer
mattered that I'd probably never be
a great (or even very good) player. I
liked playing.
I could sit around in almost com‑
plete silence for four hours, discuss
hands that were played the week
before, and laugh about redoubling
a bid (and not just laugh to fit in,
either). I'm still surprised.
A few weeks later, I was prac‑
ticing bidding on piles of cards
at work when my manager, Sean,
walked over. "What are you doing?"
he wanted to know. It was a slow
night and I knew he was just curious.
"Practicing bridge," I answered.
"Teach me how to play," he said.
"and I'll help you practice."
I paused, thinking of Grandpa's
cautious reply to a similar question
months before in the hospital.
"Are you sure?" I asked with a
smile. "It might take a while."
Catherine P. Businelle is a freelance writer in Lincoln City OR. 

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Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2005
