DAD'S ROOK DECK
“He was an elementary school teacher, so instruction was in his blood.”
When my dad was growing up in Depauw, Indiana, Donnie's mechanic shop was the hangout for men. Depauw didn't have a bar, so it was either Donnie's or the filling station. My mom says women didn't go to either of those places because "women didn't loaf."
The thing to do at Donnie’s was play Rook. That’s where my dad learned, and when I was a kid and we’d go back to Depauw to visit, he’d take my four brothers to play there, too. Even in the 1980s it was still no girls.
I learned anyway. Dad spent hours teaching me. He was an elementary school teacher, so instruction was in his blood. Rook was our family game—all of us seven kids and my mom played. For some reason, though, we could only play in winter, LOL. Dad would not play Rook any other time of year.
Here’s a sample of what Dad taught me about his favorite game: You don't need the Rooker to make a bet. Don't be afraid to bid 95. Lean on your partner for a couple tricks. Count trumps as they're played. Snap the card down dramatically when you've got the 14 to take their 13 late in a tight game. And of course “Yellow, yellow, mild and mellow" and "Green, green, hard to be seen."
Dad died in 2009, age 79. My older brothers may have gotten to learn from the masters. But I walked away with Dad’s cards.
—Megan Fernandez
Megan Fernandez is a magazine and marketing writer in Indianapolis.