The Game of What?

A Friday night dinner with dear friends.

We fed our kids and theirs early and sent them upstairs to play board games. An adult evening – Ah.  Lee put on music, I lit candles and our friends uncorked a bottle of wine.

The wine was passed and stories were shared. Candle wax dripped onto the table.  Nora Jones crooned and forks were set down between succulent bites.  Cabernet was flowing into my glass when the call came from upstairs.  “Mom!  We need help!”  I sipped my wine and chose not to answer.  Then the call came again. “What is it?”  I called back.

“We need help.  We don’t know how to play The Game of Life.  Will you teach us?”

Setting the bottle back on the table, I called back up the stairs,  “Choose another game.  The Game of Life is too confusing.”

I lifted my glass to my lips and started to sip when I noticed the silence.  Looking up, I found my husband and dinner guests staring back at me.  “What?” I asked.

“The Game of Life is too confusing?” my husband repeated.

Then I heard what I’d said.

And even though I believed what I’d said was true, I called back up the stairs, “Hang on, honey.  I’m coming. I’ll teach you how to play The Game of Life.”

I pushed my chair back from the table and thought, If only I knew how.