Tales

When I stepped into the room, I had already forgotten how I had come to be there. My memory of things behind me were lost or hidden, and, no matter how hard I tried, I could not retrieve them.

There were nine other people in the room, playing cards on a large coffee table. My place was next to two lovely people named Marie and Chester. They were very much in love, but not too caught up in themselves to show me the ropes of this game we found ourselves playing.

"The rules are simple," Marie told me, "You draw four cards from the deck and try to mix and match with the other players, kind of like Fish."

"But not as simple as all that," Chester explained, "You can only exchange cards if they are of the same suit and if the person you are trading with has a card of a lower number. He does not reveal what his card is, but you must reveal what yours is. In addition, everybody must exchange at least two cards and, at the end of each round, you can discard as many cards as you like and draw the same number."

Timidly, I asked of them, "What's the objective of the game?"

Marie laughed giddily and Chester allowed himself a smile.

"Well," he answered, "We're not really sure, because the people who started this game have already left. Each of us has our own interpretation of the game. Marie and I believe that the goal is to get all four kings, as it seems to be the most logical objective given the guidelines."

"But we're not one hundred percent sure it's even possible," Marie told me, "In fact, I've never seen anybody who has had more than two kings at a time, because then it would be impossible to trade."

"What a strange game," I commented, "Why are we playing it?"

Chester thought about that for a moment before answering, "That's the question, isn't it?"

I sighed, quite confused by this spectacle. It was my assumption that these people were all very drunk and that they were just being silly. Still, something was nagging at me, and I felt the desire to let go of my inhibitions and be silly along with them.

"Can I join in?" I asked.

"It's best if you wait a few rounds," Marie suggested, "It's a hard game to get the hang of."

I laughed; it really didn't make any sense to me at all. Shrugging it off, I decided to watch. Marie and Chester allowed me to view their hands as they traded off with the other players, people I didn't know, and I started to understand the basics of how the game was played. I also noticed a new person in the room, a beautiful woman off in the distance, learning the rules of the game from another man, and I wanted to join her. I felt that she would be in the same boat as myself, caught up in this very confusing game and not yet sure of even how to play. But Chester and Marie held me back; it would be awkward to just leave them after all the help they were providing.

Then, after a few rounds, something dramatic happened. Chester, during a trade, was given the ace of spades. There was an odd reaction on his face-something I couldn't read-and Marie became very upset when he laid his four cards on the table. Then, without any words, Chester stood up, dropped his head, and left the room.

I looked to Marie, who was almost crying, and asked her what had happened.

"There's one rule that you can't avoid," was her reply, "And that's the ace of spades rule. If you are handed that card on a trade, you must leave the room without saying or doing anything. It keeps the game from getting too crowded, I guess, but I know I'll miss him."

At about the same time, another new person came in and took a seat with a nice couple on the couch. I found myself counting the people again and discovering that there were still ten people in the room. I was frustrated and found myself just wanting to get on with it.

"Can I play now?" I asked Marie.

She was still morose over the loss of Chester, but she managed to nod. I smiled and drew myself four cards from the deck: the ace of diamonds, the queen of spades, the jack of hearts, and the ten of diamonds. It looked to me like a good first hand, even though I wasn't one hundred percent sure of what a good first hand was supposed to look like.

Marie didn't last long in the game, though. It was as if she were trying to lose out of a lack of caring. Without Chester, she didn't seem to have any fun. She kept trading out her spades, trying to find the ace, and, eventually, she received it.

Her reaction was equally odd to me at first, because she smiled and looked content at having lost the game. She rose to her feet and quietly left, her head high and her tears gone.

Unfortunately, this left me alone. I sighed, trying to play the game by myself for awhile. It was tough, though, and I didn't have anybody to ask questions when a new rule would show its head. So, out of loneliness I guess, I remembered the beautiful woman I had seen many rounds before I had even begun playing. I looked over at her and, to my delight, I found her looking at me. The other man who had shown her how to play was still next to her, but her smile told me that I was welcome over there. With that, I rose to my feet and made my way over to her.

"Hello," she said, "My name is Mara. I saw you looking at me."

Those first words seemed odd but wonderful, and I fell in love with her instantly. I sat next to her, pleased that I had somebody to play the game with.

"Hi," I replied, offering my hand for her to shake, "I'm Joe."

She smiled again as she shook my hand and I felt happy again. I hadn't even realized that I missed Chester and Marie until I touched Mara, but, by then, I didn't need their company so much.

"This is Gregory," she said, pointing to the man next to her, who was eyeing me suspiciously, "He was my tutor."

"Pleased to meet you," Gregory said.

I nodded to him and played my hand.

"So," I said after I had finished, "What do you make of this game? I think it's pretty silly."

She turned her head and looked at me quizzically.

"I don't find it silly," she said, "I think it's quite beautiful. The way everybody plays it is interesting. Everybody has something strange and new to contribute to the game and, if you watch long enough, you find the subtle beauty in the game. It keeps improving itself while staying the same, you know?"

"I never thought of it that way," I replied honestly.

And, thinking about it, I started to see her point. This silly and pointless card game did seem to be intriguing and somewhat beautiful. I hadn't known her long, but Mara had already shown me a new way of looking at things.

"Can I see your cards?" I asked.

"I don't know," she replied, "It's pretty early on for me to trust you so much."

I smiled.

"C'mon," I said, "I'll trust you."

I showed her my hand, which I thought was pretty pathetic. She lit up when she saw my cards, though, as if I were holding a fantastic hand.

"Wow," she said, "That's a great set of cards!"

"Really?" I replied, taking a second look.

She put her head on my arm and showed me her cards, which looked far better to me: two kings, an eight, and a five. She seemed disappointed in them, somehow, and I realized that we both envied each other's hand.

"Hold on," she said, "It's my turn."

On her first trade, as she received her card, her face fell and her eyes dropped. I knew before she put the cards down that she had received the ace of spades. I told her to stay, that she didn't have to obey the stupid rule, but she didn't stop. She stood up and, without even looking at me, Mara walked out of the room. I wanted to follow her, but I was stuck playing the game.

Besides, as she left, a new woman walked in and sat down next to me. She reminded me a lot of Mara, and I showed her how to play the game.

"I know it seems silly and stupid," I told her, "But it's actually quite beautiful after you play it for awhile."

"I don't think it's stupid," the new woman-her name was Sylvie- told me, "I want to play."

I laughed, remembering how I felt when I first came into the game.

"No, no, no," I said, "You have to watch for awhile first."

"But I really just want to jump right in," Sylvie replied.

I laughed again, "I know, but it's for your own good."

"I don't understand," she mumbled, sulking.

And, at that moment, I started to understand. I started to understand why Marie had been so upset and why she had played to lose. I knew why she missed Chester so much after he was gone and I knew why it was so important for me to show Sylvie how to play and how to enjoy it. I realized that everybody there at the table was eventually going to draw the ace of spades and have to leave, and that the rest of us would keep on playing without them, perhaps borrowing from their styles now and again, but being unique at the same time. I started to realize that the objective of the game really was meaningless, that the people around me and each unique way of playing the game were the really important things.

After a few rounds, I let Sylvie play, but, on her first hand, she drew the ace of spades and, almost joyfully, left the room. She hadn't been there long enough to feel bad about leaving, I thought, and it was charming to see her take the ace of spades with a smile.

But, once again, I found myself alone. I looked around the room and noticed that none of the original ten were left but me; I had been there longer than anybody else. I felt useless and uninteresting, and I missed those with whom I had played the game. Tired, I was relieved to finally be handed the ace of spades.

I took it with a smile, trying to be like Sylvie, and I walked out with the realization that I would probably be rejoining her and Mara in the next room. I might even see Chester and Marie again, I thought, and I found myself joyful about that as I opened the door and left the beautifully silly game behind me.