I play duplicate bridge and fronted up at the club without a partner. But there was a gentlemen there who also needed a partner, so we paired up. He was in my age group, dressed in an impressive polo shirt and told me about his past accomplisihments as a winning tennis player.
The bridge game was about to start and I asked him if he would write down the scores. “I have a wife for that,” he said. “She’s not here,” I answered, shoving the pencil and paper in front of him. He reluctantly picked up the pencil.
The cards arrived and we started to play. He leaned back in his chair, studying his hand. When we played, he lightly tossed the card on the table, carelessly and dare I say, appeared smug and aloof.
His play of the cards was very basic, but I kept smiling and being positive. Somewhere along the way, after the opponents gave him quizzical looks, he lost his smugness. He offered a weak explanation for his bad play. We all just smiled and said nothing. He was beginning to realize that he was outclassed and arrogance was getting him nowhere.
He lost the superior attitude , sat up straight, and leaned over the cards in his hand, studying them intensely. I just smiled.
One faux pas after another from him, and I continued smiling. The expression on his face was utter confusion.
Finally, he looked at me and said, “We’re not doing very well.” I agreed and picked up my cards.
“During the play of a hand, he said to me, “Partner, I made a mistake.” The opponent who was playing the hand, smiled broadly and said, “You sure did.” And whopped us, big time, for a very high score for his side.
Then my partner said, “I really am a rubber player.” I just smiled and watched him the rest of the afternoon.
Then it hit me. He was a SUIT. His wife took care of the house, his clothes, his food, and he went to the office, to probably hang around the water cooler a lot. At work his secretary handled the routine stuff and details. I wonder what he did for a living, but whatever it was, he was a SUIT.
Now he’s retired, his wife is traveling overseas, and he came into the club with the Suit Attitude. And without his accustomed backdrop of support, he laid bare his lack of knowledge. He revealed his ineptness and was helpless. He couldn”t even pretend to know how to play the game at a standard level.
How do I know he was a SUIT? I don’t know, but he is. And on a level playing field, he was exposed. I felt sorry for him because his lack of intelligence and prowess was visible to everyonoe, including hiimself.
We all have to face reality sometime and I witnessed him go from superior and cocky to no more pretense. All over a deck of cards and a duplicate bridge game.