We played a card game at home called 120. Some called it auction, but we knew it as 120. The object of the game was to bid and get your points up to 120. The highest card was the five of trumps, then the jack, ace of hearts, ace of trump, king, and queen.
We’d play this game for hours and mamma would say watch to see who has the 5. Hell, I never knew who had the five and therefore rarely got my bid.
Years later I realized that mamma was cheating. When I finally caught her red handed, she said” I told you to watch who had the 5!” If somebody had the five too many times you were supposed to have your ears up! A great life lesson. Even the people you love the most can cheat you. Once she was caught she didn’t cheat, unless she thought you weren’t paying attention to the game. I always tried to pay attention.
I have never been one to catch a cheater! I am niave like that. I have a tendency to trust people. I remember teaching my son and his friend to play this game. Unbeknownst to me the other child knew the game. I stood by for a while and let this kid cheat my son. Finally I came out and told him that it wasn’t nice to cheat somebody who was just learning the game. Redfacedly he looked at me and said”Iwasn’t cheating.” I told him I knew and I told him how I knew. He blushed and didn’t cheat anymore.
I don’t like cheaters ,but I can’t always spot them. I’m niave like that. I believe in people and I always trust that people are telling the truth.
Yes I have been hurt and lied to, but guess what, I’d rather believe that people are basically good and the reason that they would cheat is their own insecurity.
We are all insecure .It is the big “I” in everybody’s life.
Yes , mamma , I watch for who has the five, but one has to remember that there are still a jack, two aces, and a king and a queen to believe in. There is always hope for a better day! So if you want to cheat me, be my guest. It’s not hard. But just remember my mamma taught me to watch, and see who has the five! So I probably know what you are doing!
I’d also like to point out that your mamma had another ace up her sleeve, so to speak, when playing cards: a toddler granddaughter who would gleefully sit on the lap of her Nanny’s opponent and watch for ‘babies’. Better known as face cards.
She knew the angles! And she thought that was the funniest thing going . My sister on the other hand didn’t!
I forgot about that trick