Gamers

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Mahjong, mahjong, mahjong… when is enough enough? For now, I’ll ride the wave, play, teach, and enjoy the game and all the new friends I’m making along the way.

Although Tim has begun to get a bit jealous of my game time, especially when it has me out of the house a couple nights a week and he’s left alone to fend for himself. It’s funny to hear him complain. He’s always had his card night and has never thought twice about heading out without apologies… so he’s not getting any from me. It is too bad our game nights don’t overlap, but that’s on him. I originally scheduled my classes on his card night, and then he switched nights. So now, when I arrive home for a quick turnaround before heading out for mahjong, he’s at the door like a puppy, sad to see me go.

Having separate social activities is good for us. That’s why I’ve intentionally never learned his card game, he needs his solo social time, and I need mine too. We spend so much time together that these moments apart just give us more to talk about later.

I will say, my game definitely has more fun accoutrements: beautiful tiles, table pads, bags, and so many different color combinations and creative ways to set up a table. It’s hard to resist going a little wild collecting new sets. As I set up a banner for my mahjong night, with cutouts of tiles, carefully hung for this week’s gathering, Tim admitted how jealous he was. He never likes it when he doesn’t have all my attention… but he still joined in and helped me hang everything all the same.

We’ll have to plan a fun date night that doesn’t interfere with either of our nights out. After all, we’re just a couple of gamers, one of these days, we might even play the same one. Until then, I’m embracing this season: the tiles, the decor, and the balance of time together and apart. 

“The best relationships are the ones where you can grow separately without growing apart.” ~ Unknown