A Word of Explanation...

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Dear Readers,

Reading the blog below, How Jim Met Ken; A Tale of Old Araby may leave some of you shaking your head before wondering what exactly in blue-blazes is going on.

Here's the deal:

Reading my friends' Facebook walls, I came by chance upon a post by my cousin in Oklahoma which read:

I would like my Facebook friends to comment on this post, sharing how you met me. But I want you to LIE. That's right, just make it up.

After you comment, copy this post to your Facebook wall, so I can do the same. I bet half won't read the instructions right! LOL!

Seeing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I immediately posted the bizarre "story" of how she and I met to her Facebook wall. It reads:

We met at Ike's Chili Parlor in Tulsa where you were dealing them off the arm. Making a bit of small talk, when inquiring about the local weather for the rest of the week, I was enamored by your sparkling wit when you answered "Chili today, hot tamale".

Through subsequent conversation, to my great surprise I found that unbeknownst to both of us, we were long lost cousins.

Imagine that!  Isn't it a small world though.  Glad to meet you Cuz.

As requested, I copied her post to my Facebook wall, settled back, and waited for a bite.

My long-time bridge acquaintance Ken Parker was the first (and sofar the only) one to reply. Playing the game out, I returned his favor and the How Jim Met Ken; A Story of Old Araby blog in The Editor Sez was duly born.  After it was published, I posted a link to the blog on his Facebook wall so that the world would not be deprived of Ken's and my fascinating stories.

As a side note, I started to name MY story How Jim Met Ken: or You Bet Your Ace, but prudence got the best of me in the long run.

Sigh... what a weenie...

Anyway, now you know.

Aren't you simply thrilled to the core?

Signed: The Editor



Note:
The comment for this post shows Ken's account of how we met.
Read it 1st as it's a setup for How Jim Met Ken: A Tale of Old Araby.

How Jim Met Ken; A Tale of Old Araby

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As Ken has stated, I met him while we were both working as mercenaries in the Kalahari Desert.

Shortly after my arrival in-country, I had fortunately developed the case of severe gastric dyspepsia that he mentioned; I say fortunately because if I had not been deathly ill at the time we traveled together, Ken might never have approached me in the first place, I would probably have given up bridge as a lost cause, and our intriguing stories would never have existed to be shared with the world.

Now we did indeed play a bit of rubber-bridge in our tent that first night, but my recollection of the most interesting hand
of the evening is quite different than his.

I had opened 2 No-Trump holding 20 high card points and flat distribution, with the auction ending at 3 No-Trump after my partner Abdullah transferred to hearts.

After a bit of thought, Ken led the diamond 7 against my contract.

When the dummy came down, holding the stiff Ace-King of hearts myself, I saw no entry whatsoever to Abdullah's 6-card suit.

Frankly I could see no hope at all for 3 No Trump to make. It looked like down 1 at the very best.

WHY oh WHY hadn't I remembered that we were playing rubber-bridge, not match-point?

Four hearts was the obvious contract.  The extra 10 points for making 4 No-Trump rather than 4 hearts meant virtually nothing at all in rubber bridge, and NOW it looked like I was going down to boot!! Oh well... live and learn.

Holding the A-Q-x of diamonds opposite dummy's J-x-, I played low from dummy while Ken's partner Fatima, Abdullah's number one concubine, played the 10.

For some odd reason, it suddenly occurred to me that a bizarre play was in order and remembering a hand I saw in an ancient 1964 ACBL Bridge Bulletin, I took Fatima's 10 of diamonds with the ACE!

Now, it looked as if she had the Queen as the King was held by Ken  ...I hoped!

I played the Ace and King of hearts, then led a low diamond toward dummy's bare Jack. Ken played low as he must have been convinced in his steel-trap mind that Fatima was marked with the Queen.

Voila; the Jack held! The lovely Fatima slowly shook her head as if to say "Sorry partner, but I don't have the Queen", and I ran dummy's hearts not only making the contract, but 2 overtricks in the process as I was able to execute a double squeeze against my opponents.

I'll never forget Ken sitting there discarding as I ran dummy's hearts, muttering to himself; That was a $5 play. Yes Sir that was a $5 play.

It was a huge compliment for me as I was only holding about 100 master points at the time. Even if I'd been more experienced it still would have been enormous praise as Ken has always been a top player.

When I returned to Georgia, he graciously took me under his wing and while we didn't sit opposite each other that much except at the dinner table, he patiently answered my every question at length.

Due in large part to Ken's guidance, I have advanced to the level of  Silver Life Master, a rank which I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd ever achieve.

In gratitude to Ken, and to the delight of all I might add, I forswore all consumption of both dates and couscous thus eliminating my odoriferous, socially embarrassing intestinal maladies forever.

To be honest, that was a pre-condition of Ken's instruction, but being back in Georgia, I had absolutely no trouble substituting pinto beans and cabbage for my former (and favorite) Arabic culinary delights.