Clueless

In 2014, we weren’t always successful with Sunday Games Night. Sometimes we succumbed to the lure of shiny video games. Sometimes we were off traveling or didn’t have the boys until late that night. Sometimes, hey, you know, we were just too damn tired.

But the worst barrier had to be getting consensus of what to play.

It’s hard to get 4 people to agree on anything. But when you have one boy, age 7-8, one age 11-12, one super old nerd and one girl, aka the Prettiest-girl-in-the-world, that consensus is nearly impossible. Imagine the Hulk, Wonder Woman, Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory and Wil Wheaton all agreeing on something to play at 6pm.

Yeah, that was us.

But in 2015, we’d recommitted to playing a family game every other week. Tonight, it was Clue.

But not just any Clue. We’d bought the Big Bang Clue.

Big Bang Clue everyone could agree on.

Why?

For the boys, they frankly didn’t give a graveyard fart if someone was murdered and we had to find the murderer. Sort of like most of society in real life.

BUT, finding out who meddled with Sheldon’s belongings, well, that was something with which the boys could identify. Did Penny dog-ear the comic book in the laundry room? Who defiled his toothbrush and where? What dastardly villain erased his equation board?

Death, smeath. This was a crime that needed to be solved.

Someone loves me? How could they not?

As I mentioned in another blog long ago and far, far away, the boys love Big Bang. Ok, let me correct that. They love Sheldon. They want to be him. So playing a game where they can help him, well, that’s all kinds of ok.

For the Prettiest-girl-in-the-world and I, we’re mostly ok with anything as long as it gets them away from all the electronic stimulation they usually prefer. I loved playing Smash-up, but it was a tough game on the 7-8 year old. The Prettiest-girl-in-the-world loved Monopoly and Game of Life, but that can bore the Oldest. The Youngest loves anything where he wins and then gleefully gloat that he beat his older brother, but it needs to be a game he can understand.

So this could be the game for us.

Now, let me set the stage.

We have the round, kitchen table cleared. Supper has been eaten. Plates have been put away. The dishwasher is gurgling in the background. We have the board spread out underneath the glow of the fan lamp over the table.

I’m busy reading the rules. I have a HUGE glass of wine ready to go. I’m wishing I remembered how to play this game. Something about how to ask questions and bluff…. (I take a gulp of wine.)

The Youngest is sitting beside me. He has a vengeful look about him, like someone who’s had all his money taken in Monopoly, like someone who’s been eaten by zombies in Smash-up, like someone who’s seen all his armies of destruction killed off in Risk, like someone who means to win this game.

The Oldest sits across from me, confident in his many wins playing Smash-up. He doubts we have the brainpower to overcome his epicness. He looks on with disdain as his brother vows revenge on us all. He snorts as I drain my glass of wine and shout, “Leth begin, bit-thes, whoohoo!”

The Prettiest-girl-in-the-world remains silent, sitting on my other side, no glass of wine in her hand, no vows of revenge on her lips. But look closely and you’ll see a burning desire to win in her bright blue eyes. She tries to hide it, but she means to make us all leave in tears. She’s defeated all the CSI games. She’s mastered all the crime scene apps. She’s solved every Elementary episode before Sherlock Holmes.

Yeah, she means to win this.

So we pick up the dice.

The game is about to begin.

It should be an epic game.

Stay tuned for Thursday’s conclusion!