Chapter 2: A Game of Cards

Rick knocked on the apartment door and was admitted by Roger. "Ricky mon ami, come in. We have ze snacks already out. Come and sit." Roger led him toward the sofa where a woman with curly, black hair sat. She wore a short, lavender dress cut low to display her ample cleavage.

"Zis is Miriam," Roger said. "Miriam, zis is ze Rick I told you about. Miriam is administrative assistant to ze dean of ze Economics department. Ricky I know you have ze perks from your ass occupying ze coveted tenured chair. Ze dean's ass occupies ze even more coveted department head chair and Miriam is one of ze perks. Now let's sit and chat while Brenda wages battle with ze pork chops in ze kitchen."

"Roger!" Brenda called. "Can you give me a hand?"

"Uh-oh ... she calls for reinforcements. Excuse-moi..."

Rick regarded Miriam. "Have you been with the university for long?" he asked.

"A couple years. You?"

"This is my eighth."

"Roger told me you have tenure..."

"That's right."

"It must be nice."

"It does offer a level of security," Rick replied, "but it's by no means a guarantee."

She sipped from a soda. "Do you like sports?"

"No," Rick replied. "I'm not a big sports fan."

"Oh..."

"Do you like to read?" he asked.

She shook her head. "If I try to read a book I end up falling asleep. I can't keep my concentration." She sipped more from her soda. "I like going to the movies. I can't wait 'til Angels and Demons comes out next spring. I just loved Da Vinci Code. Did you see it?"

"No," Rick replied. "I read Brown's novel ... at least I read as much of it as I could tolerate."

"You didn't like it?" she asked.

"I thought it was preposterous hogwash," Rick replied. "I teach a course on life and technology during the time of Da Vinci. I wrote a textbook on the topic. And I know something about biblical scholarship. Brown's book contains much material that isn't supported by scholarship."

"But," Miriam protested, "it's such a good story."

"The shoddy scholarship spoiled for me, I'm afraid. It is possible to write historic fiction without trampling on established facts. For example, the novels by Umberto Ecco -- The Name of the Rose comes to mind. Yes -- it is preposterous in its own way but at least the setting is supported by scholarship. And Sawyer's Neanderthal series ... They feature a timeframe that's a bit earlier than my expertise, but you can tell the scholarship is there."

"Well, I thought Da Vinci Code was a good movie," Miriam pouted.

"As for the sequel -- the destruction of the Vatican by antimatter? Now we've gone from preposterous hogwash to ... to risible science fiction!"

Roger returned to the sofa. "Ricky ... don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel."

"I'm sorry," Rick replied. "That's one of my hot buttons."

"I have never seen ze passion from Rick like zis," Roger remarked. "Come -- Brenda has vanquished ze pork chops. You can see zem waving ze little white flags. Let's enjoy ze fruits of her victory."

Roger seated Rick at the foot of the table and himself at the head, and with the women flanking. Rick took a bite. "This is very good, Brenda."

"Thank you," she replied demurely.

"You missed ze heated discussion about ze DaVinci Code," Roger remarked. "It appears that Ricky here is not ze fan of Dan Brown."

"I didn't really care for it, either," Brenda remarked.

"What sort of stories do you like?" Rick asked her.

"Mmm..." She glanced at Roger. "I'm fond of Greek Mythology."

Roger threw his hands into the air. "Zere she goes again with ze Greek myths. I cannot tolerate ze Greek myths for the same reason I cannot tolerate ze Russian novels. I cannot keep ze names straight. With ze Russian novels I can't even keep ze authors' names straight ... Dostoyevsky ... Dostokiov ... Dosto-who-cares? If I can't keep ze names straight zen I can't keep ze characters strait and zat spoils it for me ... just as ze shoddy scholarship spoils it for Ricky here."

"I think the names are romantic," Brenda replied. "I just love names like Tyndareus and Clytemnestra and Bellerophon ... I love the sounds of their names."

"And if she can keep zem straight..." Roger made a Gallic shrug. "Pfft ... let her keep her Greek myths."

"I like Greek myths," Miriam interjected, "like the one about the goose that laid the golden egg..."

Rick looked up at her. "I believe that is one of Aesop's Fables," he remarked, "not a myth."

"Aesop was a Greek -- wasn't he?"

Rick let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes ... but not a god or a hero ... More like a commentator like ... like I dunno, Pliny."

"Pliny was a Roman," Brenda added. "I think Aesop is more like Sophocles ... but lighter."

"Yes, Sophocles -- thank you, Brenda. Or maybe Homer."

"Except," Brenda added, "that Aesop and Sophocles were historic figures and Homer is a legendary one."

"Sophocles?" Miriam asked.

"He wrote Oedipus Rex," Brenda replied.

"I like stories featuring Greek gods and heroes, too," Brenda remarked. "I think it would be wonderful if someone wrote a novel or made a movie with them as the main characters. I'd buy it."

"Like The 300?" Rick asked.

"No -- that's a battle movie I'd like to see a romance ... maybe one featuring forbidden love between a god and a mortal..."

Roger threw his hands in the air. "Where does she get all zis Greek shit?"

"I wouldn't know how to start writing fiction," Rick said. "That is an art that's totally opaque to me."

"Is everyone finished?" Brenda asked. "Rick -- wait 'til you see what's for dessert."

"Why -- what is it?"

Brenda brought a plate to the table. "I took your advice and made the cake in a bundt pan. Look..."

"It's beautiful."

"I even made a glaze for it."

"It is gorgeous, Brenda," Rick said.

"Indeed," Roger added. "If tonight's campaign in ze kitchen had been ze campaign on ze battlefield we would have ze parade under l'Arc de Triomphe.

Brenda set cups of coffee before each of them.

"You see, Ricky for your benefit I am dispensing with ze cigarette with ze coffee."

"Most appreciated," Rick replied.

"I was thinking," Roger continued, "zat after ze coffee we could play some cards."

"Cards?" Rick replied.

"Brenda and I often play ze card games but with just ze two of us it gets boring.

"What kinds of games do you play?" Rick asked.

"Brenda is terribly stupid when it comes to card rules," Roger replied. "I have tried to teach her ze rules for Gin Rummy and it's impossible. We end up playing Switch mostly because it's simple."

Rick regarded Brenda. "I don't believe that for a minute. If you're as bad at cards as you are as a chef then I'd have you as my partner any time. What is Switch?"

"It's like Uno, but played with ze standard deck," Roger replied. "Tonight, I thought we could play ze game requiring a foursome ... I know -- we play a variant of whist."

"Whist -- sounds like Jane Austen," Rick remarked.

"It's ze easy game played by partners. Rick and Miriam against Brenda et moi. Let's clear ze table and I will get ze deck of cards. Brenda and Rick trade chairs so we have ze right partners." Roger dealt the cards. "Okay ... Dealer names ze trump from ze last card dealt..." He regarded it. " ... which is hearts. Rick, you are on ze dealer's left so you play first. High card in ze same suit takes ze trick. If you have none of ze suit zen you trash another suit or play trump which wins ze trick ... unless someone plays higher trump. Partners with ze most tricks wins ze hand, and first to win nine hands wins ze rubber. Got it?"

"It's like Bridge without the bidding..." Rick remarked.

"Oui, like ze Bridge without ze bidding."

" ... and the complicated scoring."

"Do you play Bridge?" Brenda asked.

"I used to, in college ... I played tournament Bridge..." Rick reviewed his hand. It contained six spades, topped with the ace- king. He decided to lead a lesser spade and played the seven. Brenda played a ten and Miriam played the queen, winning the trick as Roger played another low spade. He nodded in approval. "Now, you lead, Miriam."

She played another low spade and Rick took the trick with his king. He led next with the ace of spades. Brenda trashed a low diamond and then Miriam played the deuce of hearts.

Rick's jaw dropped. "Miriam -- you just trumped my ace."

"I wanted us to win the trick and I was out of spades."

"But ... but my ace was good! There's only one spade left..."

"And I have it," Roger added, flipping the six onto the table. "Zis is ze friendly game, Rick -- let her take back her heart and trash a diamond or a club."

"No ... no -- a card laid is a card played," he said, "especially since Roger covered it. But it is a waste of trump. I mean -- if Brenda had trumped my ace it would've been different ... Miriam -- if you're in the third position and considering playing trump -- don't play the deuce. At least, play a big enough one so your opponent thinks twice before over- trumping."