Page 109 of Rules Of Engagement: St. Louis
“Sorry. Wild card, color is blue.”
By the fifth round, Christian had won three games in a row.
“How are you doing this?” Ebony demanded, shuffling the deck aggressively.
“I’m lucky, I guess.”
“That’s not luck,” Patrice said, eyeing him suspiciously. “You’re counting cards, aren’t you?”
“It’s UNO, not blackjack.”
“Don’t matter. You’re doing something.”
Christian just smiled and dealt the next hand.
He won that round, too.
“Okay, that’s enough UNO,” I said, laughing at my family’s shocked faces. “You’re making them question everything they know about card games.”
“Family Feud next!” Uncle Charles announced from across the yard. “Teams of four!”
“Christian, you’re with us,” Patrice said immediately.
“Actually,” I said, standing up, “Christian’s with me.”
“That’s not fair,” Devon complained. “You two probably think alike.”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
We divided into two teams—me, Christian, Ebony, and my cousin Jerome against Patrice, Devon, Uncle Charles, and myAunt Serena. My mother acted as host, reading questions from the game cards.
“Survey says, name something people do when they’re nervous,” she announced.
“Bite their nails,” Patrice called out.
“Number four answer! Twenty points!”
The game went back and forth, with both teams answering questions about everything from items found in a kitchen to reasons people call in sick to work. But every time it was our turn, Christian and I fell into this rhythm where we seemed to know what the other was thinking.
“Name something people lose,” my mother read.
Christian looked at me, eyebrows raised. I nodded.
“Their keys,” he said.
“Number one answer! Thirty-eight points!”
“How did you know I was thinking of keys?” I asked.
“You do this thing with your hands when you can’t find something. You pat your pockets in this specific order—back pocket, front pocket, purse.”
I stared at him. “You’ve been watching me look for my keys?”
“I’ve been watching you, period.”
My heart did a little jig.
“Name something people do at the beach.”
