The Bridge Partner

Note from the author: Hi again everyone! Thank you for keeping up with my longer stories of late. Here is something a little more straightforward and circumspect. Yes, it is still quite corny... and it has my very favorite card game in it. I hope you all have an enjoyable and exciting read!

1. Too much, the magic bus

"And a good morning to you!"

"Good morning, sir..."

Gabriel Jensen always started his morning commute with such a cheerful exchange of greetings with his bus driver. For one thing, he figured it cannot hurt to be agreeable to someone trusted to drive you safely and, hopefully, on time. For another, he was one of that breed, unfortunately still too rare, that was an integral part of the mass transit ecosystem. For him, the bus trip was more than a back-and-forth way to work: Gabriel had planned and crafted his entire weekly routine along Flamingo Road and thus he was a constant, and very grateful, user of the frequent and 24 hours service of RTC line 202.

As usual, after greeting the driver, Gabriel walked up the stairs to find a place to sit on the top floor of the double-decker and soak up the Las Vegas sun, which is easy in the morning since he boards at one of the first westbound stops. From there, he can observe and reflect on the other commuters that form the lifeblood of his beloved city, the one that almost nobody knows or hear about and has nothing to do with the Strip or CSI episodes.

Gabriel had been living this way for more than ten years, including his entire college years at UNLV, all along that same bus route. He now recognized all the regular faces and exchanged the silent greetings that link frequent co-commuters. He also knew which neighbors to avoid - usually blabber mouths or heavy smokers with pungent tobacco auras - to fully enjoy his trip, for he was part of the silent niche: the one that rides the bus reading a book, a tablet or a mobile phone... or catching up on sleep if need be.

Once seated, he opened his tablet for his usual 22 minutes perusal of current events with his equally usual interruption, at the 10 minutes mark and the Sandhill stop. There, the romantic and slightly voyeur in him takes over and Gabriel discreetly takes a census of the boarding passengers. And today, along with a hopeful sigh and a runaway heart rate, he quickly set aside his tablet: she was going to be on the bus.

If they are honest about it, many transit users would admit having a sight of inspiration, an unknown passenger to be discreetly admired or gawked at from afar. For Gabriel, the object of that admiration has remained the same throughout the last year: a tall, graceful, very dark ebony woman with eyes that beamed benevolence and a timid smile that seemed to hoard untold mysteries for the lucky few who get to see it. With her nappy hair cut short, Gabriel first thought he was meeting Lupita Nyong'o before noticing differences up close: she was taller, a little broader at the shoulders, with a fuller figure and a smile that was dimmer, as if she was wearier in life.

From his past discreet glances, Gabriel had noticed that she wore no wedding ring and very little, if any, jewelry on her person. That detail, coupled with the fact that she was not a regular user of his daily route and that she left the bus at the stop in front of Desert Springs Hospital, led him to believe she was a nurse or a doctor at that institution.

Gabriel recognized the sound of her footsteps on the staircase: she was coming to sit on the top floor today! He quickly made sure that neither his bag nor his person invaded the neighboring seat and tried to meet her gaze to greet her without appearing too excited or creepy. Alas, she walked by him, with her ears plugged and eyes glued on her phone... as usual.

Today, however, would not be transit business as usual, so Gabriel stored his tablet and prepared himself to disembark early. That preparation included steadying his nerves without any form of liquid courage. He rang for the Hospital stop and walked to the aft door. He was the first to leave the bus. He stepped aside to let all others disembark, including his idol passenger, and waited for an opportune moment to approach her without making a public scene. That moment came while they were both walking towards the Hospital entrance.

"Excuse me, miss?" She was startled and slowly turned around to face him. To his relief, she did not seem anxious or perturbed.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you and I'll be quick. My name is Gabriel and I... huh... have been noticing you for some time, now... during our common bus commute. I just wanted to say... huh... two things. First, you are extremely beautiful, maybe the most beautiful person I will ever cross path with. Second, well... I am a member of the Nuclear Test Site Historical Foundation and our annual dinner is upcoming. So... huh... I was... huh... wondering if I could invite you to that dinner... to accompany me... so we could... you know... try to get to know each other. No worries! It's a very public thing and my own mother will be present! So... huh..."

"Gabriel?" She had the mercy to cut what was promising to be a very embarrassing rambling episode. Now, her smile was full and untarnished... it was warm, bright and had nothing to envy all the Lupitas of the world.

"Yes?" Gabriel raised his head to dare look at her in the eyes; he sized her up a solid 6 ft. tall, on flat walking shoes, and she towered over his thin frame. For a mere instant, he wondered if he could kiss her if she was wearing high-heels and he stood on his toes.

"Thank you very much for your compliment, and I am flattered by your request. In fact, I am pretty sure you have just made my day! But I really don't think I could make it." The excuse was polite and obvious but, behind the smile, Gabriel heard her true intent as "... I don't think it would be a good idea." He was not surprised, not even a little bit... he was inwardly pulverized all the same.

"Yeahhh, I thought so. All right then, I'll head back to work and leave you be. I was a pleasure meeting you. Have a happy life!" He was about to double back to the bus stop.

"Wh... Gabriel, you are not working here?"

"No... I do volunteer here, though, two evenings a week. But my workplace is adjacent to the UNLV campus."

"You got out just to ask me out? Why?"

"In the spirit of full disclosure: so you would not feel trapped in the bus and I would not come across as a stalker. At worst, If I freaked you out, you could always run!"

"Ah... well, I appreciate the sentiment." She was neither convinced nor convincing. But Gabriel was now noticing, for the first time, her British accent.

"Right... have a nice day, now!" Now Gabriel turned around and briskly walked past the bus stop and towards work. There, he would be able to focus on something else than his wounded heart.

2. The rubber

For Gabriel, the John Cougar Mellencamp lyrics came true to life. "Life goes on, long after the thrill of livin is gone." And it did go on, for about two months, with a soothing status-quo that was vastly improved by the simple pleasure of her smile and silent greeting when they now met in the bus. The only time she rode the bus next to him, for lack of other available seating, he had chosen to respect her polite rejection and feigned sleeping.

That status-quo abruptly, and quite unexpectedly, ended one April morning. "Excuse me, Gabriel?" She was sitting behind him.

Every time he replayed that moment in his head, Gabriel always figured he must have looked like someone left for dead that woke up in a morgue. His heart certainly felt like the one of the mortician witnessing such a scene! "Yeeees?"

She swiftly changed seat and snuggled beside him, all the while whispering mischievously. "I couldn't help but notice that you are reading Frank Stewart's bridge column... do you play, by any chance?"

"I have played the game, for a solid ten years, first with my mother and later with my girlfriend... but now I just keep current with daily readings, owing to a lack of partner."

"Splendid! Are you any good?" So much for wondering about the fate of the mother and girlfriend... and for the famed British tact, for that matter!

"Well... I never played duplicate bridge in an ACBL club or event, so I can't really gauge my talent. But I play all the standard basic conventions: Stayman, Jacoby, Blackwood, Gerber, takeout double and the like; I know pretty much all the one-level opening dialog, I use the two-club strong opening and weak three-level barrages. What else can I say... in all the rubber bridge games I played, I was the scorekeeper and the rules arbiter, if needed. I have read a couple of books and Mom once bought me a bridge encyclopedia for Christmas. I honestly believe I am decent, but certainly not an expert. And you, miss, do you play?"

"Annitah; call me Anni... all my friends do. And yes, I do... well, I did, before we moved here, my parents and I. And they are dreadfully bored! Please, please, Gabriel... I remember very well how we met and I know I am imposing, but could I convince you to spend a bridge afternoon at our place? Maybe even diner? We are short a player and it would cheer them up to no end! Pleaaaaase?"

This was ridiculous... Gabriel saw the Hospital at the horizon and knew he had maybe two seconds to make up his mind. He felt as doomed as Wile E. Coyote under the usual falling boulder and just as powerless as his miniature parasol to prevent his slapstick demise.

"Sure Anni, just let me get out of the bus with you, so we can exchange coordinates and contact info."

She was getting up herself, completely effervescent. It was a happy public scene that played out all the way down along the stairs, through the bus exit and then outside. "Oh! Thank you! Thank you very much! You are a kind man to agree to this! I will be forever in your debt, Gabriel..."

"Gabe... you can call me Gabe if you wish... and this is a privilege reserved to you." He just blurted it out, clueless as to where that impulse came from.

"Well... very good then, I will! Gabe... it sounds playful! I hope I will be worthy of the distinction!"

"Trust me on this, Anni, you already are."

---

"Hello, you have reached the voicemail of Dr. Annitah Kamau, cardiology, please leave a message after the tone."

"Good evening Anni, it's Gabe. I hadn't realized you were on duty this evening. Just confirming my arrival tomorrow at 1h00 PM. Barring a bus accident or myself getting lost while walking up to Woodcrest road, I will be on time. Please thank your parents for welcoming me in their home and tell them I can't wait to meet them. As for you, well, I hope you will have time to rest properly; I can't wait to spend time with you, and thank you in person for this. Have a good night."

---

"I'll get it!" Annitah was sauntering forward towards the door, all the while putting on the finishing touches on her appearance. She surprised herself by how anxious she was to meet Gabriel socially and hoped he wouldn't notice she woke up just 40 minutes ago. "Well hello there! And right on time as promis... Gabe, what's all this!?!"

Gabriel stood at the doorway, oblivious to the heat and murderous sun, and he just whimpered. "Wooow! Anni... you look like an angel cast out of Heaven... no wonder you guys moved to Sin City!"

"Oh hush and stop that nonsense! And do come in before you burn to a crisp! Mummy! Daddy! Our guest comes in bearing gifts!" He walked in, to two very welcoming kisses on his cheeks, and he had to order his brain to continue the breathing process. She was wearing a simple shoulder-less white dress with colorful flower motifs, very discreet makeup and indoors soft slippers. When she looked in the mirror, she saw a Sunday sleepwalker; he was looking at a movie star yanked away from her red carpet event.

So they all met in the house atrium and Gabriel, at 5ft. 10in., was taller than the family bulldog only. "Gabriel, this is my daddy Joseph Kamau."

"Pleasure meeting you, sir." Gabriel extended a strong handshake that was returned, after some hesitation.

"Likewise, lad... tell me now, your mother surely had more than Gabriel to say when she held you in her arms for the first time." It took Gabriel a second to figure the intent of that quip.

"Oh! of course... Jensen, Gabriel Jensen."

"I do say... the last fellow Annitah brought over from the Hospital, a while ago, was also a Jensen. Would that be a coincidence or is my daughter determined to introduce us to the same family, one member at a time?" Gabriel chuckled but he saw Annitah's smile was already strained.

"I am an only child to my mother, Sir, so I would rule in favor of a coincidence. But I did read on the Internet, once, that Jensen was the most common family name in Nevada."

"I see... and what is this?"

"Well... huh... you should know that my first intent was to bring some wine, for diner, but I have no knowledge of the meal, so I went for a Porto instead... hopefully you toast the Queen!" Gabriel had the nervous and guilty smile of someone who had maybe just committed a social gaffe.

"By God, what a thoughtful gesture!" Joseph Kamau instantly struck Gabriel as a tall and African version of Sir Michael Caine; such was his expression of serenity that you always knew he was the wisest man in the room as soon as you saw him.

"Gabriel, this is my mummy, Belinda." Annitah had now taken Gabriel by the arm and was managing his entrance as a diplomatic protocol or a troop inspection.

"I am delighted, Madam." He then chose to do a baize-main instead of a hug-and-kisses. "And these chocolate mints are for you. I was told they are fabulous with tea!" Annitah's mother was the epitome of ageless charm. And yet, Gabriel could now discern that she was not the sole source of Annitah's mesmerizing good looks; in fact, she had a sophisticated blend of both their traits. Not that he cared; he was just happy and relieved to have walked the gauntlet and have a second with her all to himself.

"Good afternoon, Anni... thank you again for having me here today. These are for you." He handed her a large bouquet of yellow roses.

"Thank you for being here, Gabe, and these are lovely! I'll go put them in water right away..." she walked away with her nose stuck to the bouquet, obviously enjoying its fragrance.

"Well, come on in, Jensen... take off those cow-boy boots and move over to the living room. I believe the cards await." Gabriel could not know if there was an intent, but he did suddenly feel self-conscious about his dress apparel.

"Oh! I apologize if I give out a cow-boy impression, Sir. I am only a meek urban scientist... but I was once a rebel and this is Nevada, after all."

"A rebel? And what evil empire did you seek to overthrow?" It was banter... was it? Gabriel was now realizing Mr. Kamau was the very cliche of the eccentric British aristocrat, seeking to trip or trap in wit.

"The Rebels are the namesake of the sport teams at University of Nevada in Las Vegas, Sir. For my part, I was a swimmer."

"Put a sock in it, Joseph, and let the poor man escape to the table." That was Belinda to the rescue... or maybe not. As she led him to the table where the cards and a score pad were waiting, she took over. "So, Gabriel, how long have you known our Annitah?"

"If you count bus sharing, almost a year, I would say. But this is, in fact, our very first social meeting. She roped me in for some bridge and..."

"Mummy! Will you please stop prying, lest he runs away and never returns!" She finally was the true cavalry, softly grabbing him by the shoulder and leading him to his seat at the table. Poor Gabriel was ridiculously smitten and seriously considering never washing his shirt again.

Once they were seated and refreshments were served, however, a metamorphosis occurred. It was not as formal as a bridge club, which Gabriel abhorred, but the Kamau family took its bridge seriously... any chatter that went beyond a confirmation of bidding convention or card leading technique was frowned upon by all three of them! Trivial discussion was reserved for interludes between deals, and mostly between rubbers.

"So Gabe, I heard you say you were a swimmer in college... what was your specialty?"

"I was a long distance competitor, which essentially means I swam the 1650 yards freestyle."

"Did you ever meet Phelps or Thorpe?"

"Unfortunately, Sir, I never competed beyond our conference championship... I never went to Nationals, much less the Olympics of course."

"And what is it that you do, Gabriel?"

"I currently work for the EPA National Exposure Research Laboratory, Madam. I have a three years assignment to work on my post-doctoral research in PPCP mitigation... that's Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products... I try to remove them or neutralize them from our wastewater."

"That sounds fascinating... and very complex."

"You are right on both counts, Anni... but it is also a little like preaching in the desert. Not to wallow in self-pity, but very few people care about what we throw back in our rivers, and very few officials understand the importance of investing in it. And yet, it's not as if beauty products, medication, birth control pills and hormone therapy are going to just be discontinued."

"No... we wouldn't want that to happen now, would we?" That was weird: Mr. Kamau obviously thought that last barb very clever but it was Annitah who winced and Belinda who frowned. Gabriel just resumed concentrating on his card play and surviving this verbal equivalent of being lost in Amazonian rainforest.

Speaking of card play, the highlight of the day occurred after a deal where all four of them passed without an opening bid. Gabriel was perplexed to see Belinda pick up the cards and deal them right away. "You do not shuffle them?"

"Oh... you've never played a mayonnaise before, Gabe? It's what we do when we have a lost deal."

"But the cards are going to be..."

"That's what makes it fun... the distributions tend to be wild!"

"Oh..." and Gabriel noticed indeed that he had a very weird hand: a six-long suit in spades with no honor but the ace, a singleton king of hearts, four nice diamonds and two clubs. At thirteen points, he was ready to open one spade.

Belinda passed and Annitah, after what was an obvious long time at counting points, opened one club, to which Joseph answered by doubling.

"Was this bid a takeout double?"

"Yes."

"Thank you... one spade."

Belinda passed, to Mr. Kamau's obvious displeasure.

(Good grief... don't blame her for having nothing... and your takeout double is not forcing once I overcall...)

It was when Annitah made a second bid of three no trump that both Gabriel's and Joseph's eyes opened wide. Mr. Kamau passed, forlorn, and Gabriel overcalled four clubs. Now it was the ladies who opened their eyes wide.

"Is that a Gerber call, Gabe?"

"Yes, Anni."

"And what type of Gerber do you play, Jensen?"

"The kind where four diamonds represent four aces or none, with an increase at every step... I believe it's the very basic convention, Sir."

Belinda settled her cards on the table, disgusted, and passed. Annitah answered four spades. To which Gabriel overcalled five clubs and Annitah answered again five hearts. By now, Mr. Kamau was smiling faintly and Gabriel was thinking furiously. To the Kamaus' credit, nobody rushed him.

(Crap! We're missing two kings! But no, don't panic Gabe, you knew this... he made a takeout double, that means he has strength and squat in her clubs. And we have all announced a minimum of 45 points in a 40 points deck... so length points are all over the place. And poor Belinda has probably a hand of zero. Okay... think about this. To have 13 points minimum with two kings and no ace, Mr. Kamau probably has an absence in clubs... no... if he had, that would have given him a five-long suit to overcall instead. So he has one club and the singleton king would be useless. Let's take for granted he has kings in spade and diamond. Those are my aces. What about Annitah? She doesn't like my spades but she has at least two. Could we have a fit in diamond? No... she opened in clubs, so either she has 5-3-3-2 or 4-3-3-3, so never four diamonds. All right, let's try for some ruffing in spade and see how he reacts.)