Four Play

Euchre's my game. I grew up with it. My parents and three other couples used to get together every so often for an evening of euchre. I just adored those card parties. My brother and I would get sent to bed just as the guests were arriving, but I'd invariably creep back down the stairs to listen to their banter and, on occasion, sneak a peek into the room. They were younger then than I am now, but at the time they seemed so ancient. I learned a lot about life by eavesdropping on their games. Above all, I began to recognize the sexiness in people of all ages.

I remember how shocked I was the first time I overheard them all flirting with one another as they played. I was probably ten years old and had just learned the meaning of the word horny. I knew the word applied to me because I couldn't keep my hands out of my pants, but it certainly wasn't a word that applied to "old" people – especially my parents!

They would set up two card tables in the living room and a smorgasbord of finger food on the coffee table. Spouses never played as partners which, although I wasn't cognizant of it at the time, was undoubtedly part of the reason I typically woke in the wee hours to the sounds of my parents fucking. Those weren't the only times I overheard them having sex, but euchre nights were always the loudest.