For nearly a decade, I’ve been playing poker. It started rather innocently on our broken down coffee table in a small apartment in Waynesboro, VA. Dave and Debbie were over for something, and we were bored. Didn’t have any games handy, so Dave suggested we play poker. Mick and I didn’t really know too much about it, and we didn’t have any chips. So I went to the closet and got “Don’t Spill the Beans”, a kids game Mick and I played in college. We split up the beans and Dave began to teach us to play. I remember we played mostly five card draw with no wild cards for a long time and I lost every time. Until I actually got a natural full house dealt to me. I don’t have a poker face at all, and it was apparent to the other three players that I had them. So, my only winning hand netted me three beans.
We evolved from that to playing with a 7-bean soup mix. Garbonzos worth 1, limas 5, kidneys 10, etc. Finally we bought some chips. And that became a tradition we play together. Through the years no matter where we are, we play. At their cabin in PA. On vacation in the UP. Their house. Ours. Anywhere. We always begin with five card draw nothing wild. And as the game goes on, we finish with baseball and a ton of wilds. There is always lots of laughter and trash talking. A little thread that our friendship with the Simpson’s shares. One of many we are thankful for.
Even on Christmas night this year we huddled around the table in their new house with the temperature hovering at 60 and played. And laughed. And enjoyed being together. And, true to form. the ladies won.
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