Ha Ha!

After a disasterous Wednesday, I had decent games on Thursday and Friday. At this stage in my bridge career that means our percentages were in the mid-forties and we placed (fifties are "excellent" and sixties are cause for major celebration). Anyway, Friday evening I was back with my regular partner, Julie, and we were sitting north-south.

After a few rounds, two Flight A players sat down at our table. On the first board, Julie was the declarer and we went down one. That would have been okay except that they had doubled us. On the second board East was the declarer in a 4 spades contract. I led a heart, won, and followed with another heart. A heart was played from dummy, Julie played the queen, and declarer followed suit. I then led a low heart, a heart followed from dummy, and of course Julie ruffed with a spade. East then played an even higher spade, accompanied with a dramatic "HA HA!"

"Ha Ha?" Julie and I echoed. We were taken aback by this uncharacteristic exclamation.

"You snapped that queen, telling your partner to play another heart, but I was out too!"

"I didn't snap," Julie said. "Ha ha?" I said. West was silent.

No cause for alarm, this is not another blog about rude players. We had been joking earlier and East was just having fun with us. He went on to make his contract and we started the third board. Now the bidding went like this: West opened a minor and Julie doubled. East bid 1 spade; I had nice clubs with 10 HCP and so bid 2 clubs. West bid 2 spades, Julie went to 3 clubs and all passed.

I ended up down one. Julie asked West if I could have made it and he said no.

"Could you have made 2 spades?"

"Yes." West looked grim.

"That means this is a top board." Julie and I looked at each other and turned to East.

"HA HA!" We said in unison. Everyone laughed.

The moral of today's story comes from Julie: What goes around comes around.