Filling in the Blank

Last night we had a bunch of friends over the house, and after dessert we got a big game of Apples to Apples going.

In case you've never played Apples to Apples, here's how it works. There are hundreds of red apple cards, each with a noun or phrase (e.g. Eleanor Roosevelt, Top of the Roller Coaster, My Family, Skinning Your Knee, Green Beans) or a blank apple which gives you an opportunity to make up your own answer. There are maybe one quarter as many green apple cards, each containing an adjective (e.g. slimy, tempestuous, unforgettable, arrogant, fantastic). Each player receives five red cards. During each round, one player gets to be the judge. The judge reads the adjective on the green card. The other players each choose the red card that matches the green card the best, and put them in the middle of the table. The judge turns all the red cards face up, reads them, and decides which fits the best (completely subjective so no fair arguing the point later). The person whose card was chosen gets to keep the green card. All who played during the round get a replacement red card. First player to collect ten green cards wins. The judging rotates around the table.

This game can be a real load of laughs. There are always rounds where the adjectives are hard to match (such as feathery, terrifying, or appetizing) and then it can turn into "which red card is the most outrageous." It also helps if you know something about your fellow players. For instance, most people love peanut butter, but I know that I can win in the category "disgusting" with one of my boys if I submit a red card that says "peanut butter and jelly sandwich." One round last night was the green card Industrious. The red cards in the middle of the table included Marie Curie, Joan of Arc, Eyes, and Stephen King. The twelve year old judge selected Eyes as the winner. Remember I said no fair arguing? Well, two of the players got a little peeved at that and asked the judge 1) whether he knew who all of those people really were and 2) to explain his rationale. After a short quiz we determined that yes he did understand the choices. He chose Eyes because they are constantly on the job from the moment a person wakes up in the morning until bedtime, from birth until death. Not bad for a preteen analysis, eh?

The game had one poignant moment. In order to understand, you'll need a bit of background info. My cousin's daughter, Mia, lost her battle with a rare and incurable childhood cancer (rhabdomyosarcoma) three years ago, just after her ninth birthday. My family is not a large one, and my children have cherished the few second cousins they have (no first cousins on that side). They obviously continue to hold Mia in their hearts, as evidenced by what happened here. It was my turn to be the judge. The green card said Magical. As I was reading all the red cards in the middle of the table, the last one was blank. Son #1 had put in that one. I asked him what his answer was. He said, "Mia." Through the mix of happy and sad tears that started streaming down my face, I lost sight and memory of all the other red apples, and silently pushed the green card towards my son. Because our friends knew the story, no explanation was necessary. We continued the game as I took a few minutes to regain my composure.

For all the difficulties we have had with Son #1 embracing his brothers as more than mere thorns in his side, he does have his endearing moments such as this one. His apple really didn't fall that far from my tree after all.