That’s when the only pirate at the table leaned forward and
said, “I have a pair of hens, so I’ll take three.”
Well, of course nobody knew what hens were. Did he mean
queens? The dealer dealt him three more cards and the pirate sat back in his chair,
slowly peaking at his new cards.
Todd Wilson, who sold lamps, sofas and occasional tables
over at the Sears outlet during the week, had been holding Jacks and
sevens. He knew full well that two pair
of anything beat one pair of hens, whatever those were, but it was the way the
pirate had leaned forward, looking everyone in the eye, almost daring them to
challenge him, that had set Todd on edge.
Was the pirate bluffing?
Lois, who had been paying more attention to the refreshments
she had set out, glanced at her cards and then tossed them onto the discard
pile. “Is anyone ready for a snack?” she
asked.
Bill Reynolds, had laid his hand face down in front of him and said, “I’ll play these.” He then looked
over at Todd and asked, “So just what is an occasional table, Todd?”
Meanwhile, Mr. Rogers, of TV fame, seemed to have a
tell. Whenever he had a good hand, he
would hum. It’s a wonderful day in the
neighborhood… a wonderful day for a
neighbor. Then he looked over at Lois
and thanked her for making such good-looking refreshments. “It is so wonderful of you to make those
delightful looking sandwiches and cookies.”
The pirate grunted and tossed six dollars into the pot. That was a tad steep for Todd, but he again
looked at his two pair and called, lying a five and a one on the pile.
to be continued
