CHAPTER 43 – FUN AND GAMES
Hippo convinced Tina the dispatcher that Briggs was on scene, everything appeared to be under control, and he'd call back if anything looked untoward. He put his phone in his pocket and stepped back from the window to rest his eyes and roll his neck. "If anyone wants an update, everyone over there has gone inside. Emma's still in the garage I assume," he told the room at large.
"What was everyone's manner going in?" Dennis asked.
Hippo looked at the chief. The chief looked at Dennis.
"Just professional curiosity, sir," Dennis said. "To ascertain the likelihood of trouble, if you will."
"Thanks but no thanks. Hugh's done well enough without us looking over his shoulder before this," the chief said. "Let's head back to the kitchen and play draughts, or Noughts and Crosses, or something. Westmoreland, I'm naming you a free agent. Do what you think best, and modify it as you go. The rest of you, back to the back part of the house, and let's stay off from the windows."
"Help yourself to any of the games, and anything in the food department. Ice cream, whatever," Hippo said. "By the way, is it my imagination, or have these young gentleman from across the water acquired some understanding of English somewhere along the line?"
Three of the boys maintained a look of avid but mostly-clueless curiosity, but Conan looked almost angelic in his assumed look of innocence. The chief, Dennis, and Hippo exchanged glances. Conan sidled closer to Mauger, still looking like a prince of goodness and light, with just the occasional flicker of fear.
Hippo decided not to press the point. "Here, then, let me come get you set up with food and games," he said in French, drawing the company to the back of the house.
The boys were disbelieving when he drew out a board for checkers (draughts, in Brit-speak). Draughts were for old men who had nothing better to do. On the other hand, they grinned when he pulled out two decks of cards.
"Here, I've got it," Mauger said. He scooped up checkers and proclaimed them fat betting chips. He winked at Hippo.
"What's jeton, or don't I want to know?" Janice asked, uncomfortably.
"Betting chips, tokens, slugs, that sort of thing," Dennis replied.
She looked at him like she wasn't sure he should know that sort of thing.
"That's a clever idea, Mauger, but how about learning something new?" Hippo said. "Unless you don't like learning something new in front of your friends?"
"I'm not scared of nothing," Mauger said.
"Point to Westmoreland," Stolemaker said, quietly.
Hippo ignored the praise, and set his mind to finding games that would hold the boys' attention, and leave them feeling smart and victorious, or at least the loser in a worthy match.
After seeing Janice and Dennis contemplating the situation, and deciding that he didn't want to be quite that analytical after all, he dug out everything in his games chest, including jigsaw puzzles, wooden and metal mind-teasers (puzzles to dismantle and reassemble, if you could figure out how), an ancient but little-worn Rubik's cube, modeling clay, a Battleships board game (a gift from Emma Hugh), and an Etch-a-Sketch (also from Emma, who could spend hours at drawing and erasing pictures). There were also books explaining how to play paper and pencil games like Noughts and Crosses (Tic Tac Toe in American-speak), or word games, or outdoor games, or card games.
Janice picked up one of the card game books. She soon huffily put it back in Hippo's game chest, and shut the lid.
Conan drew her attention while Lancelot dashed around her and retrieved the offending book. Dennis put his hand out. Lancelot capitulated. Dennis looked inside the book, and then at Janice.
"Read the names of the games," she prompted.
"A bit pre-PC, I'll admit," he began, cautiously.
"A bit?! Give me that." She grabbed the book. "Go Fish – let's just promote killing fellow beings, shall we? Old Maid – sexist and age-discriminatory… Blackjack… Racing Demon… War – that's a good thing to teach… I Doubt It… Go Boom… Stealing Bundles… Spit? Knaves? Knockout Whist? Beggar Your Neighbor? Oh, wait. That's an American spelling…" She leafed to the copyright page. "Oh, so this is an American book. No wonder it's so horrible. But really, everything in it sounds counter to- What are you doing?"
Having seized Janice by the arm, Hippo led her to the table, and sat her down. He set her up with the Etch-a-Sketch. "I've had it with your infernal, spoilsport, busybody nonsense. Stay out of our way for fifteen minutes. Not a word out of you, young lady," he said, through gritted teeth. "Not a word, not a whimper, not a whinge of any sort. Not a move from this chair."
"That's an order," Stolemaker said, when she opened her mouth to protest. "I get Conan for starters. Uppington, you and Westmoreland deal with the other three."
Dennis set up to help Vincent smash and roll modeling clay. He hadn't the discipline, if you wanted to call it that, to keep from looking over at Janice from time to time to make sure she was all right. Vincent had to grab his forearm a time or two and give it a tug to get his share of attention.
Hippo and Stolemaker taught their boys horrible-sounding card games (the more horrible-sounding the better, given the circumstances), but tossed in English and math lessons where they fit in naturally. Dennis picked up on the lessons idea, and gave Vincent a few easy words to play with, by way of an age-appropriate introduction to English.
Dennis had nearly forgotten how to use modeling clay, having not dealt with it since graduate school, and then only in carefully lined up experiments, but soon enough he had Vincent rolling out long, thin, sadly-uneven ropes – which Vincent happily named snakes. From there, they moved on to dogs. Dennis's dogs barked friendly greetings and wagged their tails (with assistance). Vincent's dogs growled and bit.
Janice was fascinated by the psychological implications, and watched intently. When Vincent made rats for his dogs to fight, she lost her detachment, and fought back tears.
Not Exactly Allies Page 43