The Games People Play..And Play..And Play
Tuesday night in Pikesville. In a big, brick house in a new development off Reisterstown Road, four women sit around a kitchen table, passing small plastic tiles, and speaking briefly in what outsiders would swear was code.
"Four dot."
"Two bam."
"West."
"I have to change my hand. The tile I need just went out."
"One bam."
"Nine crack."
It's the regular mahjongg game for Harriet Charkatz and her friends. For nineteen years, they've met every Tuesday night to toss tiles. Their game is not unique. In fact, as long-term games go, nineteen years is about average.
If the longevity isn't impressive enough, consider the lengths to which players go to avoid missing a week. With a dedication usually seen only in soap opera addicts, they'll brave bad weather, ignore labor pains, and leave spouses in hospitals rather than stand up their friends.
Mah jongg is the game of choice for most long-term players. The gambling game originated in China and was imported to the United States in the 1800s by Chinese railroad workers. Similar to gin rummy, mah jongg is played with tiles instead of cards. Four players use tiles representing different suits and symbols to build hands. A fifth player sits out each hand, either just watching or wagering who she thinks will make a winning hand first. Tiles are discarded and collected as players gather those they need. The rules require players to state what they are discarding, which creates the mysterious and puzzling conversation.
CONTINUES......
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© Fran Severn
