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 Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:42 pm
After the encounter with Emerwyn Richard had resolved to try to meet as many people as possible. He still had no clue what to do about situation but he learned more about it every islander he met and that couldn't be a bad thing in his mind.
So he found himself sitting in the entertainment room in the early morning playing solitare, waiting for somebody to show up. He was down to his last clean suit and didn't want to ruin it so the air conditioned room was a better local than the river anyway.
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:50 pm
Tommy had a rough day and he needed to unwind. The first and only thing that came to his mind, as it normally does when concerning recreation, is to watch a movie. He shoulders open the doors to the Entertainment room and walks inside. It doesn't take more than a glance to see that it's occupied...quietly...and solitarily...
"Oh...sorry...umm...Richard, right?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:56 pm
Richard recognizes the voice before he looked up and then he did his face wore a friendly, if slightly tired smile. "Ah Tommy right? Come on in. Take a seat, I've been getting board of solitare anyway." Richard motioned to the seat across from him.
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 8:00 pm
Tommy gives a grin of his own. It's sad too, Tommy has always prided himself on having a very amiable grin. Nowadays though...well, razor-like teeth don't help the situation much. He pauses a moment, shifting weight from one hand/foot to another. He eyes the chair longingly, wanting so much to ease the pressure off of his feet...even if it did mean spending time with Richard. Don't get me wrong, the guy seemed fine when I met him...it's just that...well the guy seemed much too business-like for my tastes, is all.
"Um...yeah, sure...I've got nothing else to do," he shuffles over and takes a seat with a groan.
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 8:15 pm
Tommy was still as ugly as ever but Richard could deal with it as long as he didn't look hungry. He peered at Tommy's feet as he shuffled over. They were twice as wide as the boots he was wearing when Richard had seen him last. "Must have felt good to get those boots off."
As Tommy sat down Richard gathered up the cards infront of him with a single smooth motion. He shuffled the deck with an easy flourish. "Got a preferance? I know them all, Gin, Curanta and I think I saw a cribbage board in the back." Richard gestured with his thumb toward the pile of board games.
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 8:24 pm
"Heh...yeah...you've got no idea. Thanks for that, by the way," Tommy says, already warming up to the older man. He leans back with a sigh, threading his enormous hands behind his head as he thinks
"Hehe...you know, my mom tried to teach me Gin about...s**t...six or seven times over the years. Never really did stick," he grins and chuckles at the memory...but ultimately sighs, "...anyway, let's see...I know...thirteen, Mao, I used to know Burat...although, I think all of those involve four people..." he says with a shrug, "I dunno, you pick. If I don't know it, I'm willing to learn."
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 8:35 pm
"Cuarenta then, its simple and you only have ten card in you hand at once. Ever heard of it? Its Ecuadorian but it was taught to me be a couple soldiers after they had played a couple hands of poker with me." Richard chuckled at the memory. While he takes the eigths, nines and tens from the deck in front of him, he explains the game to Tommy. (http://www.pagat.com/fishing/cuarenta.html)
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 8:44 pm
"Nah, never even heard of it," he says with a chuckle, "But..." he trails off as he listens to the explanation. "Wow...that seems a bit complicated..." he says, laughing again, "a man of the world, eh?"
He shakes his head with a grin and motions toward Richard, "Mind if you shuffle and deal for me? I'm uh...well...yeah..." he trails off again and looks down at his hands.
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 8:53 pm
"Not a problem." Richard shuffles and deals the cards without paying attention the motions of his hands. "You know," he says conversationally, "I had an uncle who lost his arms in the second world war. The man used his feet for hands." The man was going to lose his hands entire someday right? He might as well be aware of such things. Look like his feet had thumbs anyway.
There is a pile of ten cards, face down in front of Tommy.
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 8:58 pm
"My...feet...Oh uh..." he suddenly looks a bit nervous/embarrassed as he looks down at them. He wiggles the 'thumb' experimentally. "I mean...heh...I dunno. It's just..." he trails off again. He stubbornly tries to pick up the ten cards with his right hand...and fails miserably. "I haven't really uh...I never really tried to do anything with them before."
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 9:07 pm
Richard watched Tommy and then smiled encouragingly. He had nothing to do today, perhaps nothing to do for the rest of his life. Helping Tommy out or anyone else for that matter help pass the time and made Richard feel useful.
"Go ahead, trust me, we've got the time."
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 9:13 pm
Tommy looks at Richard uncertainly for a moment and then just breaks out into a grin. "You're a b*****d for making me do this," he says jokingly, "I uh...heh, sorry...b*****d's a term of endearment in my family." He chuckles, "My parents were weird." He shakes his head and looks down at his legs. Bracing his hands on the chair, he experimentally lifts up his skinny left leg and makes a grab for the cards. At first he tries futily to manipulate the 'fingers and thumb' but soon he seems to have a grabbing motion down. He tries to pick up one card...slowly and carefully. He frowns in concentration...almost...almost...got it! The card seems to be barely holding on in his weak grip, but it's holding on nevertheless.
He blinks in surprise. "Huh..."
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 9:22 pm
Richard grins back, he's not offended at all. He'd be around more than a few soldiers in his time both at home and abroad.
"Alright, thats one. Nine more to go. Looks like your toes can probably move independently too. Wiggle the other foot, pick up a card and add it to your hand." Richard's voice is firm and encouraging."
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 9:33 pm
"You know...you sure you weren't a physical therapist or something back home?" he says with a grin. He seems to be almost excited by this turn of events...the real impact of what he's doing not yet hitting him. He pushes himself away from the table a bit in order to have more room...and tries the same thing with with his other foot. Again, he frowns in concentration...almost gets it...and it slips out of his 'grip.' He sighs in frustration. Never would'a guessed I'd be right handed but left footed... He starts to move his actual hand down to pick it up, but then stops and goes about trying to pick it up with his clumsy foot. It takes him a moment of concentration, but he finally gets it. "Hah! Gotcha ya little sumbitch," he says triumphantly. Transfering the card is a bit difficult as he tries to open up a few toes but not all of them. He gets it eventually though.
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 9:49 pm
"Good." Tommy was doing really well. It had taken Uncle Gary two years to learn how manipulate cards with his toes but then Uncle Gary never had thumbs on his feet.
"Thats two. There's your proof of concept. Now pick up the other eight and fan them out." Richard's smile was kind and sadistic at the same time.
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