game around. Picking up my tiny ship, I move eight spaces to Chance.
Chance and Community Chest are tricky, because you’re as likely to get bad news as good. I pick up the orange card. Libby twists her head, trying to see underneath. Putting my hand across the bottom, I lift up one corner to peek myself. The bald Monopoly man is smiling. Whew. “Bank pays me fifty dollars!”
Libby frowns, giving me a blue fifty from the bank. She rolls the dice and makes her little dog stomp down the board so hard the small green plastic buildings slide off their colored bars.
“Hey, cut it out. You’re making all my houses shake.”
“It’s an earthquake!” Libby slides her token around the Just Visiting corner at the jail and lands firmly on States Avenue.
“Ding-dong! It’s the landlord calling!” I tell her. “That’s mine. You owe me ten dollars.”
I hold out my hand for it, but Libby is looking over my shoulder toward the kitchen door. “Wanna play?”
“No,” Aaron says. “That’s okay. You’ve already been playing awhile.”
But his voice has a little twist of “maybe” in it. I pick up the stack of properties. “That doesn’t matter. We’ll start you with some property and some money so you can catch up.”
“Don’t give him the last red one,” Libby says. “I’m saving up for when I land on that one.”
“That’s the first one I’m giving him.” I lay some piles of money and the rest of the property cards, including Kentucky Avenue and Park Place, across the board from me. “Aaron, you have to play. Otherwise, I’m sunk.”
He sways a little in the doorway. His chest seems to be saying yes, but his feet are saying no.
Libby picks up the extra tokens. “Do you want to be the hat? Or the boot?”
Aaron wrinkles his forehead. “What boot?”
From the surprised look on his face, I don’t think he’s ever played Monopoly before.
“Yeah, they’re kind of weird. But you pick one of these tokens,” I explain. “Libby’s always the dog and I’m always the ship, but the rest are up for grabs. Usually, you go around the board and buy any property you can or you want. You have to land on it to buyit. Then when another player lands on that property, they have to pay you rent. We’re just giving you some property to catch you up, though.”
“And if you land on a railroad, you pay me two hundred dollars!” Libby says. “That’s because I own all of them.”
From the corner of my eye, I watch Aaron step toward us. “Why’s the dog bigger than the ship?” he asks.
“It’s a toy ship,” Libby says.
“It is not,” I say. “It’s a real battleship and I’m the captain. You have a giant dog.”
“Who would want to be an iron?” Aaron asks, turning the tokens over.
“If you don’t like these, we have other games that have people tokens!” Libby offers. “You could be one of the gingerbread boys from Candy Land!”
“I’ll be the race car,” Aaron says, grabbing up that token.
“Start here on Go. Then you roll when it’s your turn.” I hand the two dice to Libby so Aaron can watch us go first.
Libby counts up the dots on her roll. “Five!” She stomps her dog down the board to Tennessee Avenue.
“Aaron has that.” I show him where the rent is located. “You owe him fourteen dollars, Lib.”
I roll and owe him twelve more for landing on Virginia Avenue.
Aaron rolls a five.
“It’s my railroad!” Libby sings. “Pay, pay, pay!”
“Is she always like this?” Aaron asks me as he picks up two hundreds.
“Sometimes I’m worse!” Libby grins.
As we play, I’m afraid to let myself be happy — like if I smile or think too much about this moment, I’ll ruin it. We’re doing something all together, all three of us kids. And it’s fun.
When it’s my turn, I land on Chance again. I pick up the orange card and shield it from Libby’s eyes.
“‘Go directly to jail.’” I plop my ship on the corner space. “Good. I’m staying in jail as
Chance and Community Chest are tricky, because you’re as likely to get bad news as good. I pick up the orange card. Libby twists her head, trying to see underneath. Putting my hand across the bottom, I lift up one corner to peek myself. The bald Monopoly man is smiling. Whew. “Bank pays me fifty dollars!”
Libby frowns, giving me a blue fifty from the bank. She rolls the dice and makes her little dog stomp down the board so hard the small green plastic buildings slide off their colored bars.
“Hey, cut it out. You’re making all my houses shake.”
“It’s an earthquake!” Libby slides her token around the Just Visiting corner at the jail and lands firmly on States Avenue.
“Ding-dong! It’s the landlord calling!” I tell her. “That’s mine. You owe me ten dollars.”
I hold out my hand for it, but Libby is looking over my shoulder toward the kitchen door. “Wanna play?”
“No,” Aaron says. “That’s okay. You’ve already been playing awhile.”
But his voice has a little twist of “maybe” in it. I pick up the stack of properties. “That doesn’t matter. We’ll start you with some property and some money so you can catch up.”
“Don’t give him the last red one,” Libby says. “I’m saving up for when I land on that one.”
“That’s the first one I’m giving him.” I lay some piles of money and the rest of the property cards, including Kentucky Avenue and Park Place, across the board from me. “Aaron, you have to play. Otherwise, I’m sunk.”
He sways a little in the doorway. His chest seems to be saying yes, but his feet are saying no.
Libby picks up the extra tokens. “Do you want to be the hat? Or the boot?”
Aaron wrinkles his forehead. “What boot?”
From the surprised look on his face, I don’t think he’s ever played Monopoly before.
“Yeah, they’re kind of weird. But you pick one of these tokens,” I explain. “Libby’s always the dog and I’m always the ship, but the rest are up for grabs. Usually, you go around the board and buy any property you can or you want. You have to land on it to buyit. Then when another player lands on that property, they have to pay you rent. We’re just giving you some property to catch you up, though.”
“And if you land on a railroad, you pay me two hundred dollars!” Libby says. “That’s because I own all of them.”
From the corner of my eye, I watch Aaron step toward us. “Why’s the dog bigger than the ship?” he asks.
“It’s a toy ship,” Libby says.
“It is not,” I say. “It’s a real battleship and I’m the captain. You have a giant dog.”
“Who would want to be an iron?” Aaron asks, turning the tokens over.
“If you don’t like these, we have other games that have people tokens!” Libby offers. “You could be one of the gingerbread boys from Candy Land!”
“I’ll be the race car,” Aaron says, grabbing up that token.
“Start here on Go. Then you roll when it’s your turn.” I hand the two dice to Libby so Aaron can watch us go first.
Libby counts up the dots on her roll. “Five!” She stomps her dog down the board to Tennessee Avenue.
“Aaron has that.” I show him where the rent is located. “You owe him fourteen dollars, Lib.”
I roll and owe him twelve more for landing on Virginia Avenue.
Aaron rolls a five.
“It’s my railroad!” Libby sings. “Pay, pay, pay!”
“Is she always like this?” Aaron asks me as he picks up two hundreds.
“Sometimes I’m worse!” Libby grins.
As we play, I’m afraid to let myself be happy — like if I smile or think too much about this moment, I’ll ruin it. We’re doing something all together, all three of us kids. And it’s fun.
When it’s my turn, I land on Chance again. I pick up the orange card and shield it from Libby’s eyes.
“‘Go directly to jail.’” I plop my ship on the corner space. “Good. I’m staying in jail as
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