This short story is from <Heartwarming Collection of Short Stories for Seniors: 2 Books in 1> by Bradley Windrow. It is perfect for seniors, even for dementia patients. Be sure to read until the end, as there’s a special gift waiting for you! hope you enjoy it!
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. –E.E. Cummings
Friday nights meant one thing: card games at the senior center, and tonight, the stakes were higher than ever. Doris, Hank, Margaret, and Lou gathered around the table, each more determined than the last. The reigning queen of the cards, Doris, was on a six-week winning streak, and the others were tired of her gloating.
“I hope you’re ready to lose,” Doris quipped, shuffling the deck with a smirk. “I’ve got dessert picked out already.”
“Not this time. Your streak ends tonight.” Hank leaned in, eyebrows raised.
“Why don’t we make it interesting? Loser buys dessert next week.” Lou, always the joker, grinned. The others agreed, and the showdown began. In the first round, Doris won effortlessly, causing a collective groan.
“Lucky number seven,” she said, gathering her cards with the air of someone who knew she’d win. Again. Margaret, the group’s master Bluffer, decided it was her time to shine. She played her cards close to her chest, leaning into her best poker face.
“I’ve got this one,” she said confidently.
“Bluffing again, Margaret?” Hank, always cautious, wasn’t buying it.
“Maybe,” she said, raising the stakes. When Doris called her bluff, Margaret was forced to reveal her disaster of a hand. Laughter erupted, and Margaret slumped in her chair.
“It worked better in my head.”
By round three, Lou was up to his old tricks. He “accidentally” dropped a card under the table and used the opportunity to sneak a peek at Doris’s hand. Hank spotted him immediately.
“Caught you, Lou! Are you playing cards or playing spy?”
“Just checking my odds.” Lou shrugged, grinning.
With everyone watching for more tricks, the game intensified. It all came down to the final hand—Hank versus Doris. The table fell silent as they faced off. Hank, sweating slightly, eyed his cards.
“I’ve got this,” he said confidently. Hank confidently laid down his hand, declaring victory. But when the others leaned in to see, the room erupted in laughter. He had placed down a mismatched set: two sevens, a king, a three, and a joker he had accidentally picked up from a different deck.
“Hank, you do realize this isn’t poker, right?” Margaret doubled over laughing. Lou slapped the table, grinning. “And where’d the Joker come from? We’re playing with a standard deck!”
Hank’s face flushed. “I thought I had a straight.” Doris, grinning ear to ear, calmly placed her winning hand on the table—a perfect full house—and gave Hank a sympathetic pat on the back.
“Better luck next time, Hank.”
“Alright, alright. Dessert’s on me next week.”
As the night wrapped up, Doris left the table again victorious—while Hank and the others vowed revenge next week.
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