On Christmas Day, my family went to the home of some very dear friends of ours... we have no family in this area, and it did not so happen that we had extended family visiting for the holiday this year, so our friends asked us to spend the afternoon with them. After an delicious and voluminous meal, we settled down to play a game called 42.
For those of you who are in the seriously deprived state of not knowing what '42' is... it is a trump-based game played with dominos, which has origins here in the south (particularly Texas), and it is a slowly dying pastime. Our friends are some of the very few people I know who play the game, or have even heard of it. It's a wonderful game, simple to learn but difficult to master. Legend has it that it was invented by the son of a old-time Baptist preacher-- he was not allowed to play cards, but he was allowed to play dominos, so he figured out how to play games similar to Spades or Bridge, but using "dem bones" in place of playing cards.
Like many such games, when you discover someone who knows the game, you will also discover inevitable differences in how the rules go, or terminology used around the game table. These differences are slight, and when we first began to play with our friends, I had to adjust to their terms and variations. The other day, as we played, one of these terms sparked a flood of memories for me, and now they flood into this blog....
First the necessary-but-hopefully-succinct explanation of the phrase... as you play 42, one of the legal bids is to go "nello" (low), which means you are betting that you will not catch any of the tricks in the hand. Your partner does not play, and the two opponents try to make you capture one of the 7 tricks. When you choose this bid, you must designate what the "doubles" do: either they are normal, which means a double-six captures any domino with a six on it; or they are a suit of their own, in which doubles capture other doubles of lower number. This choice is a crucial part of the strategy of going 'nello'.
So, why did this affect me so? I learned the game at the knee of my grandparents in West Texas, and they always used the two phrases "doubles catch doubles" and "doubles catch their suit" to designate these options. My friends do not use these phrases... but each time someone goes nello, when they say whatever might be said to indicate their choice, my brain always echoes the West Texas Translation into my internal ear.
And that inner voice is the voice of my Grandma. Clear as a bell. I can see her face, and hear the tones of her voice as she responds to the "What're your doubles doing?"
It's a very strong and pungent memory. As so much of my memories and recollections of her and my Grandpa fade over time, this has not. I was extremely impressed at how it resonated in my mind and soul. It was as if she sat there at the table, an impossible fifth player in a 42 game. It was always a treat when she bid nello. She would hem and haw and bemoan how she was going to get set and she had no business going low with these dominos... and 9 times out of 10 she would take us all to school.
If she did happen to get set, however, her facial expressions as she played the 'losing' domino were often hilarious beyond measure.
Obviously, the memories I built around that table with my grandparents were forged in titanium, built to last a lifetime. I was struck by the fact that they were built around a table, playing a game we loved. As I write this, there are 3 young ladies across the coffee shop from me are gathered around a table, sharing stories and laughing gayly. They are even having a wealth of fun and enjoyment trying to take a group selfie (which action I would personally consider a living hell), and everything about them and their interaction with each other makes me smile inside, for I know memories are being made this day.
I miss my grandparents. I miss making memories with them, and I miss the way my Grandma would say "doubles catch doubles".
But then I think about... on Christmas Day, we returned to our home with time to spare in the evening, and my sons and I gathered around the table and played a game, one we love.. and as we battled the SuperVillains with our super-heroes, super powers and captured villains, we were making these titanium memories. I already cherish these times with my sons, and I know in my heart that, in the future years as they go off to colleges, adult life, and their own families... I will have moments where I can hear their voices, and see their faces, and feel their love.
As we enter this upcoming year, if you resolve to do anything... make time to be with those you love. Put the devices away and talk, or better yet.. play. Go buy a new tabletop game and learn to play it.. or dust off a game you've not played in years.
You won't regret it. Titanium memories are powerful stuff.
For those of you who are in the seriously deprived state of not knowing what '42' is... it is a trump-based game played with dominos, which has origins here in the south (particularly Texas), and it is a slowly dying pastime. Our friends are some of the very few people I know who play the game, or have even heard of it. It's a wonderful game, simple to learn but difficult to master. Legend has it that it was invented by the son of a old-time Baptist preacher-- he was not allowed to play cards, but he was allowed to play dominos, so he figured out how to play games similar to Spades or Bridge, but using "dem bones" in place of playing cards.
Like many such games, when you discover someone who knows the game, you will also discover inevitable differences in how the rules go, or terminology used around the game table. These differences are slight, and when we first began to play with our friends, I had to adjust to their terms and variations. The other day, as we played, one of these terms sparked a flood of memories for me, and now they flood into this blog....
First the necessary-but-hopefully-succinct explanation of the phrase... as you play 42, one of the legal bids is to go "nello" (low), which means you are betting that you will not catch any of the tricks in the hand. Your partner does not play, and the two opponents try to make you capture one of the 7 tricks. When you choose this bid, you must designate what the "doubles" do: either they are normal, which means a double-six captures any domino with a six on it; or they are a suit of their own, in which doubles capture other doubles of lower number. This choice is a crucial part of the strategy of going 'nello'.
So, why did this affect me so? I learned the game at the knee of my grandparents in West Texas, and they always used the two phrases "doubles catch doubles" and "doubles catch their suit" to designate these options. My friends do not use these phrases... but each time someone goes nello, when they say whatever might be said to indicate their choice, my brain always echoes the West Texas Translation into my internal ear.
And that inner voice is the voice of my Grandma. Clear as a bell. I can see her face, and hear the tones of her voice as she responds to the "What're your doubles doing?"
It's a very strong and pungent memory. As so much of my memories and recollections of her and my Grandpa fade over time, this has not. I was extremely impressed at how it resonated in my mind and soul. It was as if she sat there at the table, an impossible fifth player in a 42 game. It was always a treat when she bid nello. She would hem and haw and bemoan how she was going to get set and she had no business going low with these dominos... and 9 times out of 10 she would take us all to school.
If she did happen to get set, however, her facial expressions as she played the 'losing' domino were often hilarious beyond measure.
Obviously, the memories I built around that table with my grandparents were forged in titanium, built to last a lifetime. I was struck by the fact that they were built around a table, playing a game we loved. As I write this, there are 3 young ladies across the coffee shop from me are gathered around a table, sharing stories and laughing gayly. They are even having a wealth of fun and enjoyment trying to take a group selfie (which action I would personally consider a living hell), and everything about them and their interaction with each other makes me smile inside, for I know memories are being made this day.
I miss my grandparents. I miss making memories with them, and I miss the way my Grandma would say "doubles catch doubles".
But then I think about... on Christmas Day, we returned to our home with time to spare in the evening, and my sons and I gathered around the table and played a game, one we love.. and as we battled the SuperVillains with our super-heroes, super powers and captured villains, we were making these titanium memories. I already cherish these times with my sons, and I know in my heart that, in the future years as they go off to colleges, adult life, and their own families... I will have moments where I can hear their voices, and see their faces, and feel their love.
As we enter this upcoming year, if you resolve to do anything... make time to be with those you love. Put the devices away and talk, or better yet.. play. Go buy a new tabletop game and learn to play it.. or dust off a game you've not played in years.
You won't regret it. Titanium memories are powerful stuff.
