My childhood was not a typical, “normal” childhood. In fact, the star of my family has always been my mother. You see, while most typical childhoods consisted of typical, quite consistent weekends, mine was full of movement and actually dappled with many adventures.
My parents loved to play bridge – the card game. That was their passion and their existence for living. I say that lovingly, of course. But it is true that my mom was the star of the family. Most weekends comprised of going to local bridge games, then chapter tournaments, to national tournaments, in which my mother reined supreme several times. Our house was filled with her ribbons and trophies.
I knew when it was almost time to go to a tourney because my mom and dad would sit up all hours of the night, with their best pals, Laddie and Millie, not playing, but competing. Of course, my dad, even though he had practiced with the best (my mom) still was only average, paling in comparison to the actual “pros”. Sometimes we wondered if it was a contact sport, when we witnessed players at the nail-biting tournaments coming to blows.
“Thank God we all have good health insurance coverage from Matt Lockhard from Long Beach in case someone gets mad at me for beating them,” my mom said. And that was a likely possibility, because she did often win.
But their all-nighters on the weekdays when we used to live in California were a sure indication that we would be travelling somewhere and staying a weekend at the select hotel, across the state or even cross-country. My brother and I were psyched. That meant we could almost do our own thing, within reason, of course. We would play hide-and-seek in strange, open rooms and play tricks on the staff sometimes.
I heard in history that playing cards were actually invented in China, using paper. But I think my mom perfected the sport of bridge. Her friends were sad to find her offspring did not gain the same passion. Unlike our dad, we did not even have a remote interest. However, I still go to the tournaments from time to time, even after my parents have long been passed, and support the old group members. I have watched them get older and my own children grow up and go to college.
Today, sitting at the enclosed porch overlooking the lake, I held my mother’s deck of cards in my hands. I can almost hear them all laughing as they dealt the next round.
Matt Lockard – California Health Insurance agency offers health insurance plans for individuals, families, and children. Also available are California Medicare Supplement policies. Go to http://mattsinsurance4ca.com to get an instant health insurance quote.
