and lamer was her nameo
I went to a Bingo game last night with my friend Carla. We’ve gone a couple times over the years, to small-change games in the main rooms of various service clubs around town. Last night we went to a major game, located in a huge room at the horse betting club at the fairgrounds. I was unprepared for … pretty much everything.
The buy-in was a little high, but if one brought one’s “sweetheart” you could get the second admission half-off. Of course, Carla and I took advantage of this, building a false background (been together 12 years, 13 on March 3!) I don’t feel bad about this, since at least one of us is a lesbian and Carla’s mate gave her okay. When we told the money-taking lady that we were a couple, she made us kiss, as proof of our togethered-ness! Then we were handed a giant stack of Bingo sheets, pull-tab cards, receipts, disc markers, raffle tickets, and candy. (4.5 hours of play, oy veh)
Things are different since I played last. It seems like the things that used to be called “daubers” are now “dabbers” and they come in all sorts of fancy glitter inks and shapes and stamps. I played on a little computer that kept track of everything for me (“stand up and call ‘bingo’ now”), but I also had to dab cards that had different nubers. It was fast-paced, confusing, and intimidating. However, we happened to sit in an LGBT-friendly section, directly next to two lesbians who were awesome and helped us out lots; and behind Carla’s great-aunt who was there with her lady of 31 years!
And I won the second game.
$250, baby. The regulars were not happy. I couldn’t believe it, and couldn’t believe that they just march up to you and count out the cold hard cash, right on the spot. It’s a beautiful thing. I won one of the side games, too, another $25. At that point, our table mates and I joked that it must have been that lucky kiss we had to share before the game. Carla’s girlfriend Jeanie thinks it’s the lucky Jell-o dessert we ate at dinner.
USA! USA! Whatever it was, it was pretty great, and if I were more cynical I would think that it was rigged, that they let me win, so that I will be chasing that first-time winner feeling (and failing) the rest of my little Bingo life.
That’s hilarious! You always make me smile.
you’re always an honorary lesbian to us