A Tragedy from A to Z

This story is sad from the beginning to the end... So get your kleenex handy.

Karla was crying on her best friend's shoulder: "I really don't know who is dumber: Him, or me, for marrying him! I just can't stand him anymore..."

"What happened?" asked her friend.

A week ago, my husband got a phone call and came home crying.

"What happen?" I asked.

"My father died", he said, sobbing.

I tried to comfort him, but then the phone rang again, and he started sobbing even harder: "My brother just called. His father died too..."

Karla was crying, and her friend put a caring arm around her: "It can happen, don't be harsh on him over this. Obviously he was upset, and not thinking straight. How is he in normal life situations?"

"Not much brighter... He heard somewhere that 1NT is the toughest contract to make at bridge. So last time we played, when I opened 1NT, he raised me to 3NT so that I will have an 'easier life'. And then, on the way home I saw a dead bird and told him, 'look, the poor bird died...'. But he raised his head up looking at the sky: 'where, where?'"

"Do you see to what kind of Olympic level of stupidity I have to put up with?", sighed Karla.

Her best friend had an idea: "Why don't you take a lover? That will make you feel better".

"I already have two of them. But he doesn’t care... He said he would only feel cheated if I played Bridge with another partner”, said Karla wiping away some more tears.

"So...? Cheat on him at bridge then, with another partner“, suggested her best friend.

Karla decided to listen to her best friend's advice and started to play bridge, hiddenly, with another partner. It was a pleasant feeling of freedom and mutual understanding.

Here is an example of their great partnership co-operation:


Dealer South, all vulnerable:



Karla lead the ♣A and her partner followed with the ♣10. Although they agreed before that on an Ace lead a high card is an encouraging signal, she realized, after seeing dummy, that partner can't possibly encourage her to continue the suit. So her first instinct was to continue with a Diamond, the suit her partner overcalled. However, after pausing to think for a bit, and looking at the club suit in dummy, she realized that the ♣10 must be suit preference, telling her to play the higher remaining suit – Spade. And so she played the ♠9. Her partner won the ♠K, lead back a Club, which she ruffed.

Another Spade came to partner's ♠A, another Club got ruffed and the cherry on the cake was a Spade ruff by partner. 3 DOWN!.

All other declarers made 4♥ + 1, as the other tables played a Diamond at trick 2, allowing declarer to win, pull trumps, and get 5 Hearts, 4 clubs and 2 Diamonds.

Unfortunately, soon enough, her husband started to suspect something was amiss. He hired a private detective, who confirmed his suspicions:

"Your wife is cheating on you by playing Bridge with another partner".

The husband got very upset. He bought a gun and came to catch her in the act next time she had a bridge session scheduled (he got the place and hour from the private detective). And so he barged in like a terrorist, scaring everyone with his new gun - and aimed it at Karla.

He stood like that for a few long seconds, his hand shaking, then he seemed to change his mind and put the gun to his own head.

"Don't do it!”, shouted Karla.

"Shut up, you cheater! And don't think I will spare you! You are next!”, he said, and pulled the trigger.

And so this sad story had a very tragic end.

However, it has not ended the way you might think...

Luckily for him, the jealous husband didn't realize he needed to put bullets into the gun... and so he survived. But the marriage, which was once (long, long ago) purely based on love, has ended.

Karla got remarried to her Bridge partner and lived a happy life. Her ex-husband found out that there are other Bridge partners but Karla (he didn’t know it would possible...).

So maybe happy ending after all?...