WE Exercise Week 4: Sandy and Sabrina Play Old Maid

Aunt Diane went from almost a kid like me to too cool for words when she added my name to Mom’s invitation and made me the only child invited to her wedding shower. Mom said I earned that honor by sitting still, not interrupting, using my manners, and proving I could behave at adult functions. That made her proud and she looked forward to taking me with her. However, when my outraged cousin heard the news and demanded to know why I got to go and she didn’t, I considered her rowdy disposition and kept that explanation to myself.

“There’s only room for one kid and I don’t have sisters,” felt kinder to me. If that’s what caused her to hate her sisters for the next decade, it was not my intention.

I continued to hone my adult-impressing skills and won a second recognition from Aunt Diane when she and Uncle Dave planned a sleepover for one niece and nephew from each of their families. Things went well through dinner, when I was allowed to set the table because Aunt Diane knew I was careful with things, and through the get to know your new cousins by marriage conversation. My world didn’t crash until popcorn and Old Maid.

We children sat in a circle on the floor. Aunt Diane and Uncle Dave watched the game from the couch. I impressed myself by knowing where the Old Maid was at all times; my brother stared at his cards and blinked if he had it, the new girl cousin chewed her cheek when burdened with the bad girl, and her brother raised the Old Maid higher than his other cards when it was in his hand. My keen observation skills did not impress the adults.

New girl cousin stopped gnawing her cheek and grinned when I touched a card in her hand, so I drew the card beside it. Uncle Dave leaned over to whisper to Aunt Diane, and she delivered the heartbreaking, “Sandy, you looked at her card. That’s cheating.”

Certain that my adult-behavior honor would suffer if I argued my defense—I looked at her face, not her card—I remained silent and took the Old Maid. I took the Old Maid every time after that, buried it so no one would take it from me, and lost every game. Later, my parents agreed that I did not cheat - I took advantage - and reminded me that I cheat myself when I lose on purpose.

* * * * *

Sabrina’s mother showed her the shower invitation with her name on it. “Aunt Diane asked you because she knows you won’t tear the place apart. Don’t go in there running your mouth or you won’t get invited to nothing else.”

Bursting with the news, Sabrina skipped down the street and around the corner to share the excitement with her cousin, whose name was, unfortunately, not included on her mother’s invitation.

“Why do you get to go and I don’t?” the cousin asked. “That ain’t fair.”

“Mom said because I won’t tear the place apart.” There she went, running her mouth again. Sabrina knew her cousin couldn’t help being clumsy and wished she could take back the words as soon as they left her mouth. “Don’t feel bad. I sit still but I run my mouth so we’re even.”

With the help of a few pinches from Mom, Sabrina managed to control her mouth at the shower. Later, Sabrina decided that was the reason Aunt Diane included her on the guest list for the first sleepover at her new house. Heeding her mother’s warning, she volunteered to set the table while her aunt and uncle chatted with their other guests so she wouldn’t talk their ears off. She managed to swallow most of her words until half way through the third game of Old Maid.

Uncle Dave’s niece had more trouble with her nerves than Sabrina had with her mouth. The new cousin bit her cheek and made faces, giving away her game. Focusing on the girl’s face was the only thing that kept Sabrina from running her mouth about the girl’s problem. Not running her mouth led to disaster.

Sabrina reached to draw a card from the girl’s hand but changed her mind when she saw, in the girl’s twitching face, that it was the Old Maid. With that realization, she drew a different card. The grownups accused her of cheating and Sabrina’s mouth ran off on her.

“I ain’t cheating. She tells what she has without anybody having to cheat.”

Aunt Diane looked disappointed. “You looked at her card, Sabrina.”

“I swear I didn’t.” Sabrina threw her cards on the floor. “I quit. I’m tired of everybody accusing me of stuff I ain’t done.”

Uncle Dave decided it was time to put the cards away and get ready for bed.

“Please don’t,” Sabrina begged. “I’ll shut up. I won’t cheat. Don’t punish everybody because I ran off at the mouth.”

Aunt Diane stuck up for her new husband and sent everyone to bed. Sabrina decided her words came out all wrong because she kept them inside too long.