Hail Mary Bridge

     
       Woodstock is an elegant, old country club where a group of bridge players sometimes goes for the Tuesday game.

       Apparently Woodstock is undergoing some renovation and workmen were going in and outdoors all morning. A cold January wind blew into the card room chilling the players. Poor Alma Graham's nearly frozen left hand was gripping her cards so tightly, she could barely pick one of them out with her frozen right hand.

     Cindy and I, donned in coats and scarves, were playing against Betsy Parker. I observed as Betsy worked on an impossible 4 Hearts contract. I thought I had the defeating card, but of course she outsmarted me. She played a card from dummy, I played second hand low. She played a ten and my partner had nothing higher. Betsy won the trick she needed. 

     “I had not choice,” Betsy said later. “If that play didn’t work I was going down, so I had to do it.”

     I thought about that and how often you just have to go for it - otherwise you are going down. You have to make a decision and hope for the best.

       Like when I was driving my son to the airport. We left later than we should have and he was probably going to miss his flight. I thought: If we don't take the highway, we don't have a chance. But traffic delays this time of day could doom us. I had to make a decision and quick.

       I crossed my fingers (which is hard to do while driving), took the highway, and he made his flight with minutes to spare. I had smoothly outsmarted my opponents!