A Game of Canasta

THIS is a story about Jesse. JESSE AND his friend Jeanne went to visit Jesse's grandparents--Mid and Charles, Esther and Harry--in Florida. In the day, Jesse and Jeanne went to the beach.

HOW DO YOU like Florida? What were you and Jesse doing today?

WELL, most of the time we stayed at the beach. It was too cold to swim very much. We...collected shells. And we saw a sting ray.

MID, Mid, you've never as long as I've known you, since before we were married, been without friends. The way you talk you'd think you were a lonely person when we came here. Well I'll tell you--within twenty-four hours when we moved in Mid was introducing people who'd lived on the same floor three years and had never met each other. With so many good friends, what more could we ask for? Good health, maybe, which we've got. I don't think there's anything else.

THE GAME went on. After a while, Jeanne excused herself...

AT NIGHT, there was a Canasta game, with Jesse's grandparents and some of their friends.

THAT must have been nice, you know I was just thinking. I tell you when Charles and I first came here we didn't know a soul, before you and Harry moved down. Esther, and now we have so many friends. We know everyone in the building, and all those nice people in the Fiddler Crab, and a lot of those people over in the Senior Club--we know people all over town, really. Isn't that right, Charles, (I wish he wouldn't smoke so much. Charles...he said he'd stop when we came, if he keeps it up, who knows, he might...) and is it your turn, dear?

THAT'S RIGHT, good friends, good health, and our big family; that's as much as anyone can ask for. Maybe more.

...and went away, She sat and thought about her children, the ones she is going to have. Two--Patricia and...maybe Jesse Junior.

BECAUSE SHE was from Philadelphia and had never been to Florida before, because it was Mid and Charles's condominium that everyone had gathered in to play Canasta, because she liked Mid and wanted to be part of the family, and most of all because she liked Jesse, Jeanne sat next to Mid.

AND MAY the family continue to grow (Harry said.)

She said and thought for a long time, until she could no longer hear the noise of the Canasta game, and then Jesse came and found her.

JESSE held the camera.