Back to Bridge

Go on, zoom in on that picture. It shows that I came in third with my mentor Deanna at my first foray back into the serious world of duplicate bridge. I was worried about going back to play bridge after a decade off, but despite a few serious underbids my card play and partner saved the day.
Seventeen years ago my wonderful friends Jan and Helen taught a bridge class. I think there were eight of us in the class. I knew many of them from the neighborhood, but Deanna was new to me. It was clear after the first class that she was the one I wanted to play with.  
After taking three rounds eight classes we knew enough to play bridge the old fashioned way. Deanna and I asked two other people in our class if they wanted to have a weekly game, which we did for a number of years. Sadly one of our group developed early onset Alzheimer’s, which we were quick to realize when she asked us how many points an ace was worth.
We stopped playing as a group and did not replace her because we did not want to hurt her feelings. It was the end of my playing regularly. Deanna went on to start playing competitively and studying.  
When Carter was leaving for college Deanna suggested I should start playing with her again, but this time with her as my teacher. It is much harder for this old brain to learn all the changes to bridge since I have left. I never learned two over one, or Jacoby two no trump, but I have to now.
Today at my first live game an opponent asked me what signaling I played. “I have no idea,” I responded. He laughed and said I should just say “standard” when I don’t know. So for now I am playing standard bridge. It’s all good, I was able to come in third.