A look across the street

Angie was upset. She'd been in the auto repair shop for two hours now. She bumped into the car in front of her and now she was forced to wait till her car was ready. She had a terrible morning. The driver of the other car yelled at her and suggested something about a law against women behind the wheel. Then, her husband yelled at her when he found out she had an accident. The police officer yelled at her, and her boss yelled at her: "Why are you not at work yet?".

Her nerves were shattered after losing a day of work, and absorbing quietly all the (well-deserved) yelling around her. She arrived at the bridge club in the evening in a bad mood.

"How did it all happen?" asked her partner after she heard about the accident.

"Well... I saw a very handsome man across the street, wearing elegant clothes, with gray hair and a fancy wise look. He looked at me and I... turned around to look at him, instead of looking at the road, and I bumped into the car in front of me," said Angie and blushed.

"What are you, a highschool girl? – You are a married woman, with children and grandchildren. How come you are looking at strangers across the street?" asked her partner with a shaming look.

"What's that got to do with me looking at nice looking people?! And I got enough yelling today" said Angie frustrated.

On this hand, her partner went down, because she also... got distracted by a handsome stranger across the street:

Dealer East, none vulnerable:


West lead the ♦10. East Won the ♦A and continued with the J♦ to declarer's ♦K.

After some thoughts, South continued with a 3rd diamond and tried to ruff it with dummy's ♠J but East overruffed with the ♠Q and continued with low heart. West took the trick with the ♥Q and continued with a 4th club and East ruffed it with the ♠8 to set the contract: 2 aces and 2 ruffs for the defense.

"I tried to ruff a diamond for 3 reasons: to get a ruff in dummy, to try to promote the long diamonds and to enter dummy to get the ♣A so that I can discard my heart loser on it.

Angie burst: "That ♣A is just like my handsome guy across the road. Now you know how I felt when I looked at that man – just like you looked at the ♣A. It seemed handsome to you, but you don't really need it and if it was not there – you wouldn't have had an accident. Instead, you would have played a heart at trick 3. West could win that trick and let East ruff a diamond, but there are no more entries between opponents for a second ruff. Defense will get 2 aces and 1 trump trick and the rest is yours, without the ♣A, as the diamonds are high. Also, if West gets the heart trick and continues with a spade – You win the ♠A, ruff diamond with the ♠J and East overruffs with his ♠Q, but that is opponents' last trick because your diamonds are high.

Well? What do have to say in your defense?" summed up Angie with a smile.

"You know what, you are right! That ace across the street was indeed my handsome guy," said her partner, and they both burst into laughter.