As it happened, we didn’t actually fuck when we got to Kristen’s house. Instead, we ended up playing gin in Kristen’s playroom.
Kristen’s playroom was actually an apartment that was over the garage at her parents’ house. It had a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom and was probably big enough for a married couple to live in comfortably. Actually, the only part of the building that was being used by the Swifts was the actual garage, which housed two of Kristen’s father’s cars and Kristen’s Camaro, and Kristen’s playroom. There were other apartments unused in the building.
The walls and furniture of the playroom were beige and brown, and the motif followed with slight variations throughout the entire apartment. For example, the kitchen had more yellow accents, and the bathroom was brighter, like an ivory color.
Kristen’s playroom was a place where she could get away from it all. Before I came into Kristen’s life, she told me she mostly played board games and cards there with her older brother before he left for college. Alone in the playroom, she would play solitaire or curl up on one of the overstuffed chairs and read a book. Kristen also had a Pong game console for her television that she played with occasionally.
Since the two of us started going together, we found ourselves referring to the place as our own, as opposed to just being Kristen’s playroom. Each of us had long ago decided on our favorite chairs or pillows in the living room and the kitchen, and we even had our own sides of the bed when we would sleep together. I never for once actually considered this place as mine, actually, but Kristen took to calling it “our” playroom, and the idea stuck.
When we got into the playroom, we both saw a deck of cards on the cocktail table, and we instantly decided to play cards. From playing against Kristen, I was starting to learn more strategy in the card games we played. Due to the fact that card games still had an element of luck in them, I occasionally found myself winning, although pretty infrequently. Kristen was really an ace at every card game we’ve ever played.
We found out early on in our relationship that playing cards allowed us to talk, and we found out lots of things about each other during those games.
As we played gin, I asked Kristen about her parents. “Kris, can you tell me why your parents don’t seem to mind you dating me? After all, I’m younger than you, and they know that we’re sleeping together.”
Kristen started dealing a new hand and said, “Well, Mom is a bit older than Dad, so it’s not that strange to them.”
“Sherry said something about me only being interested in your money. Surely your folks might suspect the same thing.”
Kristen actually laughed. “Jim, with those tickets, you could probably get me to give you all the money I have and I’d probably be happy doing that for you, even without any tickets. You haven’t done anything like that.”
“But I let you pay when we go out,” I said.
“That’s only because I have money. Who pays isn’t really important.”
“But others…”
“Fuck the others,” Kristen said. “I have the money, so I pay. It’s simple as that. I don’t tell you how to run your jazz band rehearsals and you have never asked me to buy you jewelry or anything else that I can recall. You don’t have much money, and you should be saving up for college. You are lucky that you don’t have to work at Jack in the Box or at some pizza joint to earn spare cash.”
I wasn’t too convinced, but Kristen continued.
“Look, at the mall, when you got that bracelet for Merry, I didn’t insist on paying. You paid for it, and because you did so, it meant more as a gift to Merry. Right?”
“Well, of course!”
“It works the other way as well. Dinner isn’t a big fucking deal!”
“I was just worried that your parents might think I was after their money.”
That got a big laugh. “Their money? They have their will set up so that if anything happens to them, all their money goes to Will!”
“Will? Do you mean your brother?”
“Yeah. I don’t need their money. They know it.”
I looked at Kristen as if she had two heads.
Kristen looked confused for a few moments, and then said, softly. “Oh. I never told you.”
“Told me what?”
“Wait a second…” Kristen said, looking at the cards in her hand and picking up my last discard. “Gin!”
“Fuck! Stop changing the subject!”
I didn’t bother counting my points. I was way over the point total.
Kristen pushed the deck away and smiled. “Look, Jim. We’ve established that you aren’t after my parents’ money. Isn’t that correct?”
“Yeah.”
“How do you feel now that I’ve told you that I won’t be inheriting anything from my parents? Maybe the house—I think that Will and I will split that, but he’s not going to be moving back here. I get Mom’s jewelry. Most everything else goes to Will.”
“It doesn’t sound fair, but you don’t seem to want it. Is that what you’re saying?”
Kristen nodded. “Yes, honey. Does that upset you?”
“No. I guess not. I guess I better go to college and land a good job so I can support us.”
That elicited a smile from Kristen. She opened up the cocktail table and deposited the cards inside. “Ever play Uno?”
“Uno? Is that French?”
“The word is Spanish, silly! It’s basically Crazy Eights with a special deck.”
“I’m game.”
“With two people, it’s a quick game. It’s killer with four. I should think of it when Patty and the others come over. I have about eight decks. I even have special rules when we have lots of people.”
“How about the normal game?” I asked, leery about Kristen’s “special rules.”
Kristen explained the basic concept of the game to me. I caught on quickly, and we started playing. Since strategy didn’t help much with only two players in this game, I figured that for once, I might even have a small chance of beating Kristen at cards.
“Jim?” Kristen asked after I won a round.
“Yes?”
“You’re really willing to support me?”
“I’d sail to the moon for you, my Goddess!”
Kristen swooned. “You are pretty romantic. You should write stories.”
“I have enough trouble writing music arrangements. Why would you ask if I’d really support you? Of course I would.”
“I have expensive tastes. I’ve grown up with all this,” Kristen added.
“I’d have to be a pretty serious composer. How much does Leonard Bernstein make, anyway?”
Kristen giggled. “Jim Crittenhouse, ace composer.”
“Yup. West Chicago Story, starring Kristen Swift as the Goddess. And Jim Crittenhouse as Tony.”
“Most musicians don’t earn much. You know that.”
I nodded my head. “Is that why you’re suggesting that I write stories?”
With a shake of her head, Kristen disagreed. “No. You are very sweet and romantic. What would you do?”
“I’d love you with all my heart, my fair lady. We’d live on love and happiness.”
“No idea, huh?”
“Nope. We’re young. We have our whole lives in front of us.”
“What if I told you money wouldn’t matter?”
I sighed. “I’ve been trying to tell you that.”
“No. You were trying to say that we’d learn to live and love without it. I’m saying we wouldn’t have to live without it.”