I?m so going to kick your butt! I smile up at my future husband.
No, you?re so not. He smirks back. Only twenty years old he is tan, confident, in his element.
It?s my first time visiting Jason?s family in the Midwest, where we will eventually settle down. We?re disputing a game of Clue.
Today his younger brothers are handsome adults. Back then they were all arms and legs, skin and bones, braces and glasses. They watched our exchange somewhat bewildered, moderately amused.
Don?t worry guys, I?ve got this. She didn?t actually play games when she was little! His teasing envelops the bits and pieces that new relationships are made of.
Intimate details; what no one else knows.
Claiming heart spaces; subtly, confidently.
Our families differ in many ways. Some, more poignant than others.
Accent and palate.
Location and experience.
Staying and relocating.
But size is the most visible example. He is the oldest of four, I am an only child.
By necessity and priority, my childhood toys could never stand a chance next to Jason?s; single shelves compared to never ending plastic tubs. In this way, he?s right.
But where he?s wrong, is board games.
My parents and I moved regularly. Israel, West Virginia, New Jersey, California. In each new home we?d spend evenings bellied up to a coffee table, with games between us.?Parcheesi. Chinese Checkers. Backgamon. And our favorite, Clue.
Our game playing provided a familiar anchor. Turns. Rules. Quiet. Routine.
My father sat in the largest chair in the room, methodically explaining the firsts, seconds, and thirds. The directions, the how-tos.
My mother settled into the closest couch with a mug of steaming tea, no matter the season.
And I was on the floor. My knees curled beneath me, my elbows rested on the coffee table. I was the line enclosing the triangle of our family. Tightly.
Our routine was so practiced, so ingrained, that we could pick that triangle up, place it in our pockets and move it home to home, living room to living room.
When I visit Jason?s childhood home this first time, I search for his family?s rhythm. Their routine. Their triangle.
And it?s there. Sprawled out, pajamaed, treat-filled. Unfamiliar to me, but definitely there.
We watch home movies when we first wake and Star Wars until we fall asleep. Somewhere in between, we play games. Clue is one of their family?s favorites as well.
Loud laughter.
Endless snacks.
Disputed wins.
Jason?s memories quickly become my own. We meld and mix our childhood traditions.
Pajamas, laughter, and snacks from his side. Rules, routines, and the tight shape of a family from mine.
Eleven years later we have game nights with our own three children. Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Sorry. We?re not quite a triangle, but we?ve cobbled together our very own shape.
I?m excited to play Clue within this fold. When we do, I will teach the rules and Jason will teach how to break them.
And as for who actually won that first round of Clue? Well that all depends on who you ask, doesn?t it?
RemembeRED is a memoir meme. This week?s assignment is to recall the games you played when you were young. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Source: http://theselittlewaves.com/blog/the-red-dress-club-lets-play/
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