Made In U.S.A., A.R.C. [reading comprehension books .txt] 📗

The end of another day.


The faint sounds of the close of business as the evening settles in to moonlight the true identity. Beany Beans

was much tolerable at closing time anyway. The hands on Mad Hatter's face let out the round the bend tune that it was now midnight. The boarded floors were swept, the table tops were cleaned, chairs up, every item known to coffee drinkers were stocked, stacked and neatly placed on the shelves. And where the extra treats were placed and the close of every sale by the cha-ching

of the cash register, the marbled counter was polished. Of course it had to be. It brought out the "umph" of it and the mulah out of the customers.


But not tonight.


Beany Beans

would be visible to the eye of the outside public but from the inside, the dainty curtains from the windows were drawn close, revealing through them
the only light in the place. Marna Name slipped her stoutty, petite self in a booth by one of the front windows, careful not to show her face. So she gave a little bit of her eye to the night of Riseset Lane. Her pupils gradually increased as she seen a figure coming from the vauge lighting from the few street lights. "Here it goes..." she said to herself out loud. She walked promptly over to the table that she had set towards the back and checked to see if everything was ready. Coffee and Green Tea brewed and the plate of short bread cookies followed by other tastey pastries.


The wind chimes that was hanging from the front entrance of Beany Beans

making a clash combination of wood clacking and brass pipes knocking in harmony. Marna hurried to the door, straighting out a few strands of hair and brushing off whatever imaginary lent that clung to her. Even thoguh she had heard the chimes, she still had to make sure that it was the right person to ring. So she went to the door and tapped twice rapidly-and so did the person a second after. "Joss. Glad that you made it." Marna said.


"Marna, with the group meeting on Saturday every full moon, twice a quater, why would I not make it?"

"Oh, maybe because you can be a sore loser and swear up and down that you will never come here again."

"Come off it Marna and get with my two sided persoanlity already." Joss unclipped her shawl and handed it to Marna without a word. The boastfulness that was seeping out from Joss's posture required weaklings to bow down and give up already.

Unfortunately, that didn't work on Marna.


She has been calling this nightly secret meeting for the past year ever since she had discovered the hidden game. As simple as it was, it was also too good to be true. Because there's always a catch to something. She had found an old game of Rumikub that had belonged to her mother when she was a younger woman in her time and she can always remember when she would find the game somewhere hidden in the house after her mother repeatdedly hid it. Now that the house was hers, she didn't have to worry about the game being long lost in the house hold since her mother was no longer with her. So it was only natural that her curiousity had kicked in once the box was in her hands.

And now, she had wish she'd never found it. Because of the game rules and technacality of it, it was destroying her friendship among her four friends-now down to three...money and deceit can sure kill off the ones you love. Which is where she was at this moment with them. It had started off as a friemdly game. Fourteen tiles each out of fifty-six in total for four players. Each player has to make a set of different sequences with their number tile on their turn, however and whenever they can. The rules seemed easy for Marna so she decided to make a late game night after she closed up shop. And besides, who can say no to hot cup of coffee or tea, or even sweet danishes? She knew her friends wouldn't.

She created a secret knock to determine if it is her best friends instead of a stranger of the night. They would play a decent round of matching the same numbers and seeing who would win for the night while munching on chocolate crossiants with their coffee and tea. The fun had ended one night all because of five words:

"Lets play for a wager." Beth had said.

"I don't know about that." Emily replied. She was the quiet, sensitive one out of the four.

"Trying to switch things up a bit Beth?" Marna said coming from the back with a plate of assorted cookies and the coffee pot. She placed it on the table as she joined the rest of her friends.

"I don't see anything wrong with a little different for the mix of things." Joss retorted as a grin spreaded across her face. Marna briefly looked at Joss and lowered her eyes as she had thought about the changes that she was starting to see in Joss ever since they had played the game in the first place. Joss was a compietive person. This she always have known. But a simple game as Rumikub was bringing out a snotty and ugly persona out of Joss.

"Yes, well I was watching that poker game that comes on the GSN channel and thought we can do something like that for a change." Beth said smiling with confidence and innocently as she picked up a short bread cookie and munched on it with delight.

Marna dumped the little tiles on the table and started to flip them so the numbers didn't show as she scramble them around. "I agree with Emily. I don't think that's a good idea." When she stopped scrambling, everyone put their hands in the pile to pick their fourteen pieces. "Besides, I brought up this idea to mingle with you all since we haven't been spending time together. And as an escape from reality. Remember Joss? Beth and her chaotic house with the husband and the kids, Emily losing her job, you being-how did you put it, 'bored as hell'?"

"Well, all that is swell but I'm ready for a change. So lets flip one tile from the pile each to see who goes first and if I get the highest number, we'll play for a little wager."

"Oh no, why do you

get to determine that?" Marna had said.

"I'm sorry Marna. I forgot this was your shop, you beverages and snacks, and your game. Do you want to decide? Or maybe you're against playing because you don't want me to beat you again. Like how I beated you in racing and took your Mickey Mouse watch for the win back in grade school."

Marna felt her blood started to boil while Joss sat there egging on her to release that barried feeling. Joss's grin was replaced with a twisted smile as she knew she had pushed the right button on Marna. Emily and Beth looked at their two friends and sighed. They knew what the asnwer will be and that there was no turning back now. It will be "The on again/off again 20th Annual Dual of Frienemies". "Rack them and stack them". Marna sneered.

That was then. They started the wager at $5 for each matching number tile and number order sequence plus and extra $5 for each win in a round. Emily had one one game. And that also count for one win for Beth and Marna. Joss on the other hand, had won ten. By then she upped the stakes $10 for each matching number tile and number order sequence and an extra $10 for each round. And now, it's $20/$20.

Emily was the first to go since Joss had cheated her out and her ego wouldn't even think to cut Emily some slack and Beth was getting tired of chipping in for Emily. Not to mention her and Joss had gotten into it as well. So now it was down to her and Marna. The friendly game that was small and simple turned out to be more than just a cat fight. And it was also tearing Marna apart. It was now or never.

So Joss came with her game face on and that silly grin plastered. There wasn't even tea and coffee anymore. No more Miss Sweet 'n Nice Marna. They had dumped the tiles on the table and started picking. Nice hand

Marna had thought to herself. But what was Jos's hand looked like? She always had a poker face. So? Marna can have one too. Joss picked the highest number tile (as usual) so she went first. And just like that, Joss had three matching numbers and one solid color number seqeunce. But through out the game, Marna had had numbers to match with each set. The little things does count. On the last part it was down to one tile each.

"You're ready Joss?"

"Whatever. You're just bluffing." She had said, trying to hide her defeat. Marna wasn't showing any mercy.

"Well then. In that case..." Marna put down a 7. The number that had won it all.

Publication Date: 11-20-2011

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