Isabel & Leo - Short Stories

A Game Of Trust

"I'm the horseman!" Jay shouts as Lia pulls out the Monopoly box. "I can't wait to play. Dad, are you playing with us?"

Leo passes us and heads straight for the coffee pot. "I can't, Jay. I still have work to do. I just came over for some coffee."

"When have you played Monopoly?" Lia asks Jay as she lays out the boardgame on the kitchen table.

"Mrs. Pinzone let us play board games every day during the last week of school. Louis showed me how to play Monopoly."

Lia rolls her eyes. "Louis is only 6; what does he know?"

"Louis is 7. He's the oldest in first grade. He knows a lot!"

"He told you about how to collect rent and buy property?" Lia's eyebrows rise in suspicion.

"What's property?"

Lia giggles. "Forget about Louis. I'm the car." She places the tiny silver car at the GO block, right at the tip of the red arrow. Jay squeezes his horseman in front of Lia's car. My little Scottish Terrier brings up the rear.

"Can I be the banker?" I ask, already gathering the colorful bills into my hand.

Both Lia and Jay shrug their shoulders and nod.

"Yes! I love being the banker." I arrange the paper money into meticulous piles in order of denomination, and the property cards into color groups. Leo rolls his eyes at me and chuckles as he takes a sip of his coffee. I ignore his reaction – I consider it a critical responsibility as the banker to get everything in order before starting the game.

"Oh man, this is going to be fun!" Jay throws the dice to start the game. He lands on St. Charles Place, and we hand over the property card and explain the details. We take some time to compare St. Charles Place to Pacific Avenue, a more expensive property, and give him the choice to buy or pass.

Jay chooses to pass.

"Wait a minute," Leo says from the kitchen counter. "You're not buying that property, Jay?"

Jay shakes his head. "I don't want it."

"Why not? The whole point of the game is to buy property."

"Yeah," I interrupt, "but we're just learning here."

"The best way for him to learn is for you to show him what you would do."

"But he has to decide what to do, based on the information we give him. I'm not just going to say, 'Jay, buy this!' or 'Jay, buy that!' It's important for him to make the decisions."

Leo shakes his head, places his coffee down on the table, and pulls back a chair. "I'll show you how to play, Jay. I'll show you all how to play."

Lia passes him the bag with the silver pieces. "Pick a token, Daddy."

I sigh, wishing he had a coffee pot in his office. "I thought you had a ton of work."

"I do. I'll only play for a little bit—just to show Jay how to win."

"Yeah!" Jay shouts with delight. "Daddy never plays with us!"

"Great." I widen my eyes and sigh. "But you'll have to stay to the end. No getting up and leaving halfway through the game. You have to commit." I gather up paper bills and hand him his allotted $200.

"Don't worry, this won't take long."

~ * ~

Ten minutes and six speedy rounds later, it's now Lia's turn. She rolls the dice.