Old Man

When we were kids, we used to love to play "Old Maid" with my youngest sister Annie. Whoever had the old maid would stick that card up two inches higher than the rest of their cards, and she would eagerly grab it. We would giggle at our cleverness, thinking that it was a good thing that this kind of deceitfulness was unknown to the rest of the world. When it dawned on Annie she was being duped by her not-so-good-Samaritan-siblings, we had to change our methods. It was simple, really. We took the old maid card and stuck it two inches lower in the deck, so she thought we were trying to hide it.

Worked like a charm. For about one game. I wonder if Annie has any lingering trust issues.

Anna just bought a game at the church bookstore in D.C. It is called "Old Man." It is filled with pairs of Bible characters, with only one Methuselah, the old man. I have, of course, ingeniously used the same "Old Maid" strategies on my children. They worked like a charm. Unfortunately Anna is already catching on, and poor Elizabeth is saddled with the old man until I have pity on her and "accidentally" draw him. Anna is so cutthroat in this game that she even tried to have Jane draw the old man (Jane just smiled a gummy smile and tried to eat the card). I can't help but worry that I'm raising card sharks or, even worse, politicians.