My other, older woman

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 10:08:00 +0000

For more than two years, I have been seeing another woman. Her name is Tina. I'm thirty; she's in her eighties. We meet once or twice a week in Manhattan for strenuous assignations that last anywhere from three to four hours. Our evenings together are heated affairs, marathons of passion, deceit, nuance, aggression, joy, sorrow, laughter, shame, and -- above all else -- snacks. We're very serious. We meet at the bridge club: Tina is my partner.

I am a young player in what has become -- despite a few high-profile examples to the contrary (see the guys from Radiohead) -- an older person's card game. I began as a clueless bridge neophyte and learned to play when I decided I wanted to write a book about it: a first-person look at a former national pastime that has been eclipsed by poker, but still thrives (to the tune of 25 million U.S. players) in some highly unusual pockets, kept alive by small town social games, million-dollar Las Vegas tournaments, and billionaire hobbyists. (Into the last category fall the world's two richest men, Warren Buffett -- who calculates he spends 10 percent of his productive time playing bridge -- and Bill Gates, who together share a bridge coach and play online under the pseudonyms "T-Bone" and "Chalengr," respectively.)

Salon.com > Edward McPherson

My other, older woman