The Older Man

Opening his hall closet, the older man retrieved his cribbage board and deck of cards. Placing the board and cards on the kitchen table the older man remembered when he played with his father. His father had taught him the game, and was brutal when teaching it. Smiling, the older man recalled when he beat his father for the first time. It was a glorious day.

Cribbage is a board game that is played using cards. The object is to move pegs along the board till you get two hundred points. You score points each hand according to how you play the hand. There is a kitty which gives you extra points and alternates from player to player. The game takes a long time to learn due to its complexity. It is a game of intellect however, a little luck helps.

Throughout the years, the older man had played with a number of different people. Today, he was waiting to play with Judowolf – who was very good. Taking the cards out, he began to shuffle them.  His mind went back to his days as a social worker for hospice. He had a patient named John who was a widowed retired newspaper man. He had been in World War II and after discharge had taken a job with the local newspaper. During the next thirty-five years he held numerous positions including; printer, reporter, editor, and finally the big boss. He had dealt with all the old politicos of the time and knew everybody in town.

The lung cancer that affected him had spread to his brain and liver. In order to enjoy his remaining time he had stopped all treatment. John had no delusions and was fully aware that he was dying. His daughter and her family were very attentive to John’s needs and visited daily. The older man would visit John once a week to see how he was doing. It was the older man’s responsibility to make sure the patient was able to live alone. This issue was never a problem as he was going to stay with his daughter when he could no longer care for himself. During one of the older man’s visits John asked if he knew how to play cribbage. When the older man replied in the affirmative, John was elated. Thus, began the weekly cribbage game. At first they were evenly matched. John would win one and the older man would win one. Playing cards was an excellent way to monitor John’s mental activity. They played cards for over eight months. Then one day the older man noticed John was having trouble counting his points. Soon, the older man had to not only count his points but play his cards for him. One day just before the older man was about to leave John stated, “I know I am getting worse. I sometimes cannot remember what cards I put in the kitty. Next week will be the last game. Will that be okay with you?” Grinning, the older man replied, “Sure. I’ll see you next week.” The older man walked toward his car and knew John’s time was getting close.

The next week the older man walked into the house and John was sitting at the kitchen table. The cards and cribbage board were waiting. John picked up the cards, shuffled, dealt and the final game began. It was sad for the older man as he watched John struggle with the count and what card to play. Often, he had to ask the older man if it was his turn. They had to stop half way through the game. Looking over at the older man John said, “Funny isn’t it what a simple game cribbage is on one hand, and so complicated on the other. Playing you have to know what you are doing. Sometimes you get all the cards and other times nothing. Luck plays a role. The main thing is how you play the game. Winning and losing is just a byproduct. We passed a lot of time together playing and I would like to thank you. It was time well spent. Tomorrow, I’m going to go live with my daughter. Will you be able to visit?” “Yes.” The older man replied knowing there might only be a few visits left.

The door bell rang and as he walked toward the door his last thought of John was not how he played, but the time they spent together. Opening the door he ushered Judowolf in, looking forward to the time they would spend together.

With kindest regards, Judowolf