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Barry and Harry (23) Philémon goes out for the count |
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Granddad is tidying his study. He finds an old notebook in a drawer. It contains a number of thematically-sorted bridge deals. He smiles and sits down in his easy chair. These are deals he used when he taught Barry and Harry how to play bridge. He leafs through the notebook and every deal brings back memories. Even when he hardly knew how to play bridge, Barry knew exactly how the game should be played. |
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Barry & Harry (22) Gaston shoots over the cross-bar |
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'No, Harry, I will not do it. I refuse. No way. Not.'
'Come on, Barry, it's not that bad. Your cousins have to adept to all kinds of things, so it wouldn't hurt if you made a gesture.'
'I will not shoot the ball over the cross-bar on purpose. I just can't do it. My body refuses. It hurts. It ought to be illegal. It's obscene.'
Harry sighs and gives up.
Having a discussion with Barry is even more difficult than stopping safely in a part score. |
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Barry & Harry (21) Gaston hits the bull's-eye |
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By now Gaston en Philémon have figured out that they have to kick the ball in the goal, meaning under the cross-bar instead of over it. Their amazement about the absence in the twins' village of both a McDonald's and a Burger King, has abated somewhat as well. One is inclined to think that their integration is going smoothly.
'Damn, Harry, if these palookas keep on screwing up like they do, we won't score a point.'
'Calm down, brother, we've only played one round of the tournament and what's more, we won it!'
'I know that, I'm only saying that if these palookas keep on screwing up, we can forget about winning this thing.' |
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Barry & Harry (20) Philémon is defeated |
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Gaston and Philémon still have a lot to learn. Harry, who has been quick to realise that, without skilful guidance, things might turn out very badly between Barry and his cousins, approaches Granddad, requesting him to become the trainer/coach of the four-cousin team.
'Barry cannot accept Gaston and Philémon making mistakes, Granddad', Harry says. 'Yesterday he told them that if they didn't improve their game quickly, they could forget about becoming national youth champions before they reach the age of eighty. A strange way of putting it, but I guess that everyone realised what he meant.' |
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Barry & Harry (19) Bad luck or... |
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Barry is complaining to his brother about their French cousins.
‘We don't have a choice, Harry, we just have to teach them to play decent bridge. After all, their soccer play is non-existent. They are rugby-freaks; they keep on picking up the ball with their hands and throwing it over the goal. And all their whining about the ball being too round. We're not getting anywhere.'
Barry and Harry have decided for an extra twin-meeting. The first bridge evening with their cousins Gaston and Philémon has disappointed Barry somewhat — to put it mildly. To Harry, who tends to listen to Granddad a bit better than his brother, the French boys' achievements did not come as a surprise.
'Come on, Barry, those boys had hardly left the plane, when you dragged them towards the bridge table. What then did you expect?'
'Drag me out of a plane in the midst of the African jungle, at 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, put me at a bridge table in the blistering sun and still I easily and hugely outclass those two palook...', Barry begins indignantly.
'And furthermore', Harry interrupts his brother firmly (after having decided against dwelling on Barry's two strange concepts: that of a plane under the trees in the dense jungle and that of the sun blistering, where it will be hardly visible under the trees), 'those boys have only had a few lessons from aunt Mary. Viewed in that light, I think that they didn't play that badly. Take for instance that last deal from yesterday night: |
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