Last night I played Bingo with 6 other ladies. To begin this post I have to say a couple of things about me...if you know me at all...you know this...
1) Sometimes I don't follow the rules.
2) I have a distinctive laugh recently compared to etching glass....
3) I believe that there are times and activities should be enjoyed to the fullest. Throughout high school this belief got me into a great deal of trouble in gym class!
4) Not so good with numbers in any form!
That said, the group had 3 distinct rule breakers...including me; 2 rule followers; and one that I am not sure of because we only really met last night; and one who is a closet rule breaker who comes out of the closet frequently.
On Sunday morning, you should also know that one of the rule breakers, Heidi, came up to me at church and said, "you know we almost got kicked out last time and adding YOU to the equation...well, I'm just saying...." I think she was implying that I would be the one to tip the scales.
To begin the night...I walked into the Elks club and had my $10.00 and found out that I had to buy anther card for the first game...so $11.00. I said it was my first time and saw the dobbers and said...oh can I pick one? They said "Yes," and I picked up a very pretty "pumpkin" dobber and off I went to find my friends. I got to my table and the first thing (after the initial greeting) that happened...Pam asked me if I brought my own dobber. When I told them what had transpired...I found out I had STOLEN the dobber...it also cost $1.00. Pam saved me and rushed to the table to pay for it.
Now, when we played Bingo as a child it was in a row or blackout. Not the case at the Elks We Play For Serious Cash. There is the K, F, kite with a tail, diamond, frame, 9 square formations....and each game switches. See #4 above.
We were having a very good time but we weren't as loud as this group could be because of previous experiences and I was REALLY trying to control myself. So it wasn't long before Russ, I think he was like the Bingo bouncer, started coming to our table. Now Heidi, she thought he had a crush on her...I'm not sure that was true. He brought tape one time to put over Heidi's mouth...and came over to Bonnie, who was sitting next to me, and shushed her...she wasn't making the noise...I confess...I was...but I didn't confess that to Russ.
Pretty soon, a lady at the table next to us turned around and asked us if we had to talk all through the night (My mom always said it's not what you say...it's how you say it...this was NOT a polite request). Now, here is where it is pretty important to mention, that there were 2 boards that had the numbers in lights AND the person who was calling the numbers used a microphone. Deaf and blind, she wasn't. I didn't think that we were in the library so I thought that was the idea...come for a fun night and donate money to charity....NOPE! I found out that is not what Bingo is all about. Our neighbor's comment pretty much struck a match under Heidi who then began explaining different scenarios to us as to why we could be at Bingo. Each one was funnier and funnier.
I knew that my etched glass laugh could become a problem so I clapped my had over my mouth and only made noise when I inhaled...And that's when Russ figured out that Bonnie was not the problem, it was ME. After that he came by our table and "hit" me 2 times. (Okay, it was just a tap but that seems less dramatic!)
It didn't take long to realize that no one clapped for the winner so our table took that on for all of the winners. When Pam and Jenny won at our table....we cheered...no one else cheered when they won. We certainly had a good time and we laughed with one another. However, toward the end of the evening, I mentally saw the headlines in today's Bellingham Herald....Woman at Elks Bingo goes on a raging rampage and takes out 7 Bingo players who disrupted her game....So, the 7 of us, cleaned up the tables, talked to Russ, and found out where we should sit next time we come...
You see, on the back of the instructions, was RULE #6
Limit your noise and if you can't please go to the glassed in area.
We will be in the glassed in area next time...I think that will only be worse because you see, what they didn't know...we WERE controlling ourselves...behind the glass...
I'm not sure we can be held responsible for trying to keep quiet. There may be an exception to
Rule #6
Again, my idea of fun and serious was a conflict. If you look up pictures on the Internet it seems like everyone has fun...don't be fooled. Unless you play with us...you won't have fun...in fact, Rule #6 pretty much guarantees that you won't.
*This is a whole different post!
As a PS for Bingo. On the very last game, the caller said, "All the O's have been called." I looked at my card and realized...not all MY O's were covered. So, did I win? Who knows? Did I have fun? Yep. And as you can see...the headlines in the Bellingham Herald...won't report a raging gunman taking out this group of friends that I really love.
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