The Game of Life

This week’s Theme Thursday, oh shut up I know it’s Tuesday, is GAME. Now several years ago Michael Douglas and Sean Penn came out with a movie called The Game. Have you seen it? It was a very interesting movie that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It has a lot of twist and turns. I love movies like that and I love Michael Douglas, bless his heart. Isn’t it horrible that he has cancer? He seems to be attacking it with gusto and lots of positive energy. I hope everything works out for the best for him. Sorry, I got a little side-tracked. Nope this week’s post isn’t about Michael Douglas or his 1997 movie The Game. It is however about a game I used to play. So without further blathering here is my post on Game. When you have finished you can then go on over to Themed Thursday and read what the rest of the group has to say.

Gladys reached for the telephone as it rang for the third time. “Are you ready? I have a thermos of hot chocolate and the others are ready” she said to the voice on the other end of the line. “Yep, let me get my coat, when will you be here?” Gladys grabbed her gloves and her hat and headed for the driveway. She climbed into her little orange Vega and turned on the radio. It wasn’t just a radio it was a C.B. radio. It crackled and popped and voices started breaking through here and there. Lights appeared in her rearview mirror and flashed twice. Gladys picked up the microphone “breaker one nine, breaker one nine this is Heebeegeebee, how bout you Horsecandy you out there?” The radio squealed and squalled and a voice replied “that’s a big ten-four Heebeegeebee. You ready to head to the starting gate?” Gladys felt a little bit of a thrill and replied “that’s a big ten-four. I gotta stop and pick up Flygirl first. I’ll see ya there.” The radio crackled and the lights flashed again in her mirror as the car pulled away from the curb and headed down the street “ten four lil’ buddy.”

Gladys pushed the eight tract tape into the player and Barbara Mandrel started telling her about sleeping single in a double bed. She cruised the winter night looking at the beginnings of Christmas lights and loving the crispness of the evening. She pulled up in front of the house and honked the horn. A petite curly headed blond bounced out of the house and jumped into the shotgun seat. “Hey, where we meeting” she asked. Gladys turned down the radio and said “at Fair Park, by the monkey house.” Flygirl nodded and settled in taking the microphone in her hand and keying in “breaker one-nine, breaker one-nine Horsecandy you got a copy?” The radio clicked and replied “I gotcha Flygirl, what’s your 20?” Flygirl cleared her throat and replied “we are on our way we’ll see you in a few.” The two girls chatted and laughed as they cruised through the lit streets.

Gladys pulled into the parking lot and flashed her lights. She was met with a dozen pair of headlights flashing in reply. She eased her little hatchback into a slot next to the little maroon Subaru. There were a few people milling about drinking coffee and hot chocolate from thermoses and paper cups. Gladys and Flygirl joined them in anticipation. There were murmurings and speculations of what the night’s mission would be.

There was a crackling and a squeal at the front of the pack over the P.A. system attached to the leader’s radio. The crowd froze as out from the night came the instructions. “Everyone get a piece of paper from the table. On it will be your mission. You must follow it to the letter or you will be disqualified. You will either be a Hunter the Game. It will be stated at the top of the page. If you are the Game you will have exactly thirty minutes to get into position. Hunters, you will call in every 5 minutes and give your 20. Should you find the Game you must first give your call name and then the name of the GAME. You must then beat the Game back to base or your find will be null and the game will start over with a new Target. Now everyone get into place and let the GAME begin.” There was a crackle and a pop signaling the crowd to attack the table and get their assignments.

Flygirl grabbed the paper and whistled low. Gladys looked in question as Flygirl entered the car. “Looks like we are gonna be hunted.” Gladys blew out a long breath “okay, I scouted out some good hiding spots this afternoon. Let’s pull out and we will just act like we are gonna be huntin.” The cars began fanning out in different directions, one by one clicking on the radio and giving call name. “Possum headin out”, “Sweet Pea on the road”, “Horsecandy is making like a tree and leafing”, “Catfish saying see ya round like a doughnut” and on and on until each team had reported in.

Gladys and Flygirl sped in the direction of the M-system store constantly looking in their mirrors for followers. They circled the shopping center then crept down the side streets until they had doubled back around town to the backside of Fair Park. Flygirl constantly watching the clock and reporting in “Flygirl and Heebeegeebee checking in” she would repeat after keying the mic. Gladys turned her headlights off as she crept behind the stadium and past the bleachers. She eased the little car into a spot just under the home-teams bleachers next and turned off the motor. “I don’t think they will find us here” Gladys said as she poured herself a cup of cocoa. Flygirl looked around “Can they see us from Barrow Street?” Gladys took a sip “I don’t think so. I couldn’t see anything when I drove by this afternoon. There was a cop sitting here and I didn’t see him until the sun hit his bumper.”

Gladys and Flygirl sat and waited calling in and listening for others to do the same. They sat for an hour and listened to the chatter on the radio laughing to themselves about what a great hiding spot they had found. They sat while the chatter got thinner and thinner and the two girls fell asleep. “Gladys, it’s midnight! I’m gonna be grounded! We gotta go home!” Flygirl cried as she jerked awake. Gladys started the engine and put the gas pedal to the metal. They flew past the high school and sped up the deserted streets. They skidded around corners and barely stopped at stop signs. “Hurry Gladys! My dad will KILL ME!”

Gladys was worried about Flygirl but she was more worried about Nurse Meme beating her home from work. Flygirl might get grounded for a week, but Nurse Meme was known for grounding you for life! They skidded to a stop in front of Flygirl’s house as she launched herself from the vehicle and ran up the sidewalk; Gladys didn’t wait for her to get in the house. She hit the intersection at break-neck speed as her tires spun around the corner. She slowed and turned off her lights and coasted into her driveway. She shucked her coat and gloves and deposited them in the passenger seat. She looked in the garage for signs of Nurse Meme’s car and was relieved to see it empty. She ran in the house and headed straight for the bathroom. She changed into her pajamas and ran and jumped into bed just as she heard the backdoor open then close and the smell of White Shoulders, Aqua-net and Virginia Slims wafted into her room. She had beat Nurse Meme home and had once again avoided prosecution.

“GLADYS! GLADYS! What in the hell have you been doing all evening? The floors haven’t been vacuumed and there are dirty dishes in the dishwasher” Nurse Meme exclaimed as she stood silhouetted in the doorway. Gladys innocently sat up and sleepily said “sorry Momma, we got to playing games and I forgot.” That is when it hit her. She was still playing the game. They had not checked out or been found. She was still being hunted. She was still the target.

To this day, Gladys is still part of the game. She has not been found. Well at least not by the C.B. Hide and Seek Club.