Joe’s sitting at a green table under a sign that says ‘Spanish 21’. He’s smoking a cigarette, drinking a cocktail. His hair is slicked back and he’s wearing a very stylish shirt. Jason and I stand behind him and watch him play four hands against the dealer.

Brett approaches, seats himself, and places a chip in the little circle on the felt.

Joe’s hand ends, and he says to Don, “I don’t mind if you take a moment to give him,” and he tilts his head the tiniest amount to his right, “the spiel on how to play.”

People sitting at tables in casinos begin to comunicate in tiny little movements. Sometimes all that moves of them are their hands. They utterly cease to point. Dealers don’t need anything more than a token movement; Don turns to Brett. “Have you ever played this game before?” Brett shakes his head.

Joe organizes his chips, sips his drink. He moves his ashtray a few millimeters.

The dealer says, “Well, there are no tens.”

And Jason – quiet, reticent Jason – explodes. Into a single syllable he could not have held back if he’d wanted to:

“Ah!” he says.

In it was such relief, such understanding. I think I actually heard tumblers snick into place in his head! “Ah!” he says, but what he means is “I see! The missing detail! The game becomes clear!”

It was hysterical. Perhaps you had to be there. It was the funniest “Ah!” ever uttered, in the history of “Ah!”s. I think I laughed for five minutes.

“Ah!” I quoted, giggling, pleased with being witness to that moment, that ineffable sensation of suddenly getting it, of collecting a satisfying little piece of information from the world.

I adore that feeling.

“That was so funny!” I told him.

“One takes these small victories,” he said, grinning sideways at me, but but actually watching the table with that easy concentration of his, “whenever they come.”

An autumnal toast to us all: may it always be so fun to learn something new!
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