Like a pack of cards!

Back then, traditional homes had parental locks installed when it came to playing cards. The game was considered inappropriate for children. But you learnt to bend the rule by convincing everyone that cards were actually “educational”! Questions on Probability in Mathematics could be answered only with a good understanding of Kings and Queens, Jacks and Jokers!

During summer vacation, the rules were relaxed. That’s when friends in the neighborhood huddled together in one home. The afternoons were a riot with several rounds of card-games. Decision making was tough, with each member floating his favorite game- ranging from “Donkey” to “Bluff”. The artwork on the cards was attractive, and the feel was silken. No wonder people got addicted, leave alone the urge to gamble!

Neighborhood kids came in all flavors- the novice who had to be tutored right through the game and the consummate expert who won every time. You were wary of the player who wore a mischievous smile.  He was just too jolly and that aroused suspicion. His eyes were shifty, as he slyly peeked into his neighbor’s cards! An element of deceit was an integral part of the game!

It was never easy for the loser. He was stuck with too many cards to hold. “You can use it as a hand-fan!” friends joked, leaving him teary-eyed! The loser felt the entire world conspired against him. He argued that he was deliberately doled “bad” cards and walked off in a huff! It took quite an effort to cajole him back into the game.

Sometimes, an adult who was adept at the game joined these sessions. When he shuffled cards, there was an extra finesse. Dividing the cards into 2 bundles, his fingers moved like a currency-counting machine as he shuffled one bundle into the other. When we tried the same, it was a fiasco and the protests were widespread with shouts of, “Don’t bend and spoil the cards! They will be unusable!”

Cards and magic tricks went together. The neighborhood magician began with- “Think of any card”. At the end of it, he had an uncanny knack to zero-down on the precise card! You pleaded with him to unravel the trick. That day, you were over the moon and did nothing else, except repeat the trick to all you knew, often bungling in the act and spilling the beans!

And then, there were afternoons, when you didn’t play but stacked the cards to build an enormous Eiffel Tower. It stood 4-ft high and you beamed with pride. But you learnt a sobering lesson. It required just a moment of carelessness, and the entire edifice, built over hours with inordinate care, collapsed like a pack of cards! That’s life!