Do You Bunco?

BUNCO is a completely mindless
dice game that just happens to be 
loads of fun.  That's because it 
requires 12 women to play -- add 
some great appetizers and frozen 
cocktails, and you have yourself a 
party.

 Each month we gather. We take turns hosting the event. We gather in our homes, be they large or small, new or old, fancy or delicately simple, neat and not so neat . But it really doesn't matter.We do it for the fun of it. It is an addiction that feeds our fancy for feminine companionship and constant laughter. It recharges our hormone banks back to the days where laughter came easy, and everyone was your friend.  

   Tonight was a Valentine's Day theme. There were red paper hearts on each table, pink and red napkins, and even heart shaped chocolates at each table. The tables were colorful shades of red, pink or white and had the necessary items: pens, sheets of paper for keeping score, and three little dice on each table. The hostess provided an antipasto salad "snack" that was really dinner for most of us, having come from a long work day. There were sweet treats, candies, and munchies at each turn, and at each table. And the beverages flowed freely: soda, juice, wine, and the ultimate concoction of a frozen something or other. 

   I was the hostess in October and had a Fall Theme. The tablecloths, napkins, dishes, even the front door, were all decorated in rich browns, oranges and burgundy's. Even the prize gifts were decorative dishes, or rich tablecloths one could use for Thanksgiving holiday. 

    Each month these perfectly normal women, all who have normal children, normal families, normal homes, and normal jobs, get together and act crazy. And I love it! These are women who wouldn't dream of visiting a gambling casino, a black jack table, or even a slot machine. Yet they hoop and holler as if no one was watching when the roll of the dice becomes a challenge to someone else at a table. And the duck.....get the right combination on your roll, and grown women will play tug of war over who gets to hold the rubber duckie for the next 10 minutes. "DUCK"  "DUCK"  "It's my turn to have the duck!"

    I teach Special Education. 'Normal' in my routine is anything but normal. But Bunco is my outlet, my recreational salvation. It is the chance to develop female friendships, in brief snippet conversations that rotate when the bell rings, and players rotate tables. Like a thrilling cliff hanger, I learn the details of someone's life, in segments. "They got engaged?" (bell rings- tables change). (Next month) "What did he say when he proposed?" Or "Hi! I haven't sat at the same table as you in two months, how is your mother doing? We need to catch up!"

    And of course, every month there are "prizes". There are prizes for the biggest loser, biggest winner, and of course, whoever is holding that darn Duck! It is all in fun, and when I sometimes feel I am too tired to go, because of a hard day at work, my children remind me that I ALWAYS come home smiling. My estrogen batteries are somehow recharged. Sometimes I come home with half a story, a prize for being the biggest loser, and the acute awareness that I belong. And sometimes, every once in awhile, I even bring home the duck.