Sometime in the late 1970’s I was doing what I did every Friday evening. I was going to my poker game at my friend Dr. Arnold’s house. He lived about 25 miles from me on Cape Cod. He had 4 kids and a wife. The kids were younger than the rest of us. My first husband, Tim was there with his best friend, Jim B., one of Arnold’s kids played, Arnold played and me, the only female allowed in the game. I loved it and looked forward to it every week. It was nickel, dime, quarter so we didn’t win or lose all that much money.

One night as I was running a little late I drove in their driveway and I saw another car there – great we had another player. I walked in and was introduced to a beautiful red haired woman and little boy and a curly bearded man named Roy. I sat down next to Roy and I started talking and talking about the traffic and why I was late blah, blah, blah.

The cards were dealt. Good night for me when the cards start off well. I was winning even as the cards’ deal was traveling around the table. I dealt my set and handed the cards to Roy. He took the deck and my heart sunk to my stomach. I said “What did you say your name is?” Looking straight in my eyes he said, “You know my name, Mary.”

Oh, my God, I had to run to the other room and I dragged Jim B. with me. In the living room I went through the story and then I said that Roy used to be Roger and Roger and I were engaged to be married, but then I went to the Cape and fell in love with another man. Roger had come to visit me during that break-up thing, which was painful for both of us but I hadn’t talked of him at all except to Tim who I had already married and divorced. We remained good friends.

Jim and I returned to the table and I said to Tim, “Honey, this is my old friend, Roger.” Tim knew about the affair and break-up. My heart was pounding right out of my chest. I looked at Roger and said, “It was your hands.” (Also he’d grown a beard and changed his name, my own justification)so I wasn’t completely obtuse. He said that when Arnold had mentioned that Mary would be late, he knew right away that it would be me. How?