Short Story

Capadoste

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Denise at GirlieOnThe Edge has challenged us
to write a Six Sentence Story using the word ‘game’.
In six sentences, this is my response to that challenge

If you’re wondering what “capadoste” means, it’s Italian slang for thickheaded” and all will be revealed as I continue with my store which goes like this: A while back …. and by “a while” I’m guessing close to 56 years now …. my husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) and I would get together most Friday nights with our friends at somebody or other’s house where we’d do a whole bunch of nothing, like sitting around watching TV, playing cards, shooting the breeze, listening to music, smoking and drinking.

Now, before we go any further, I need to emphasize the fact that I’m a lousy drinker and it doesn’t take more than one drink to get me tipsy, something I was well aware of but joined in the fun anyway because I didn’t want to be a ‘party pooper’; it was guaranteed that any night out that involved drinking always ended with me puking my guts out on the way home, Bill walking me to the front door where my father would be waiting up for me, saying goodnight then collapsing in my bed while my room whirled around like a spinning wheel.

Well, as you can imaging, these get-togethers with friends started getting old pretty fast until somebody mentioned a new game he played recently and asked if we wanted to hear about it, which, of course, we did; some of you out there in “Reader Land” may already be familiar with this pastime with playing pieces consisting of nothing more than a glass, paper napkins, a rubber band and a dime …. “The Dime Game”!

The game was really easy, anyone could play it, we all did and the rules went like this: drape a paper napkin over an empty glass, securing it in place with a rubber band, then place the dime in the very center of the napkin (couldn’t be simpler, really, but that’s just the set up) …. playing the game was significantly more difficult.

Since everyone smoked something or other back then, the idea was to take your lit whatever, burn a hole on the top surface of the napkin (praying it would stay small and not ignite the entire napkin), then the next player does the same thing; the goal of the game was to keep the napkin as intact as possible without the dime falling into the glass which resulted in the person who made the dime fall having to chug a shot glass of whatever libation was being served that night (and it wasn’t alcohol-free) so you know what that meant for me!

As a lover of board games, card games and party games, I was a total sucker for “The Dime Game” and like the idiot I was, I played every time, got sloshed after two shots and was done for while everyone else was having fun; you’d think a lesson like that would have been learned rather quickly and to that I have only one thing to say …. “Capadoste!”

NAR©2024

Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt!

This is Toby Keith with “I Love This Bar”. RIP, Toby 2/5/24

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23 thoughts on “Capadoste”

  5. Damn!

    How did I miss this game?!

    Has, from your description, <em>everything </em>!

    Drinking, smoking and interaction with all genders!

    …still gots the tissue paper, dime and glasses

    might even have enough equity in the house to afford a pack of cigarettes.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. No, I’m good. I’ve played “Beer Pong” and “Bus Driver” with my son and his friends; and, even if I can keep up, I just don’t enjoy drinking games any longer 🙂

        Oh that’s right! I had forgotten he just passed away, way too young.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. Many of us have traveled that road of mis-spent youth! The last time I got even close to getting drunk was at a Mardii Gras party about 30 years ago. I like a good Bloody Mary, an ice cold Stella or a glass of wine now and then but that’s about it. Now my daughters-in-law like these hard seltzers called High Noon. I had a tequila flavored one at Christmas and it knocked me for a loop. 😵‍💫 🤤

          Yes, Toby passed away on Feb 5. Much too young. Damn cancer.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

          1. Ah yes. I admit I can usually hold my drink and then some 😉 These new hard seltzers are the in thing for today’s “yutes”. Give me the real thing, thank you very much. I do prefer to keep it at a reasonable quantity. The repercussions are just not enjoyable to risk them!

            Yes. I remember, now. Damn cancer, indeed.

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