LINDA: June was the perfect time for a card game with Mr. Rose.
RAE: On the longest day of the year Mr. Rose invited five friends to a gaming party.
LINDA: This year, his five friends included Dr. Janet, Dr. Petra, Countess Lee, Dutchess Greta, and Heather.
RAE: Heather had made a fortune trading blowfish futures.
LINDA: She was especially good at the card games because she cheated.
RAE: Because of the rampant cheating everyone wore tank tops and shorts so that there were fewer places to hide cards.
LINDA: Mr. Rose didn’t mind the cheating and enjoyed their long discussions about the weather, cozy mysteries, and dog names for their new canines.
RAE: Dr. Petra studied tornadoes and had a bulldog named Peaches.
LINDA: This was a contentious topic of conversation because Countess Lee wanted to name her bloodhound Peaches as well.
RAE: Countess Lee wanted to have Dr. Petra and her Peaches banished but she couldn’t because Dr. Petra didn’t live in her domain.
LINDA: Dr. Janet, the wise judge and philosopher, suggested that they could start a new trend by naming both their dogs Peaches.
RAE: Dutchess Greta said she would name her bichon frise Peaches as well.
LINDA: Heather didn’t have any dogs and kept quiet so she could continue cheating.
RAE: “GIN!” shouted Heather, slamming her cards down.
LINDA: “We have a winner!” Mr. Rose declared.
RAE: “Would you like a lifetime supply of turtle wax or two bottles of Malort?”
LINDA: “What? You said that the prize was a million dollars!” Heather fumed.
RAE: “Clearly, you could tell I was joking,” Mr. Rose scoffed.
LINDA: “I don’t like jokes,” Heather scowled, “Don’t expect me to help you with your taxes ever again.”
RAE: Heather grabbed the two bottles of Malort and swept out the front door.
LINDA: Mr. Rose ran after Heather as she rode off on her motorcycle, yelling, “Wait! I hid my sapphire collection in those bottles!”
RAE: The ladies looked at each other and Countess Lee asked, “What do you think about the name Kiwi?”
Photo Credit: Adina Voicu, “Playing Cards,” 2016