Jack
It's lunchtime by the time 'Goldfinger has finished, but neither of us are really hungry.
"Monopoly?" I suggest – and Nikki's face brightens up.
"You know where it is." I chuckle, placing a light kiss on the top of her head. "Why don't you go and set it up while I go and make you a lovely cup of tea!"
Nikki
"Eight!" I move my piece. I have the dog and Jack has the car – as usual. Boys and their toys – but enough said! Jack rolls a nine.
Of course, first time around the board is no buying, so we carry on rolling. It's a rule that should be thrown out if you ask me, but Jack insists we keep it. He likes that rule for some reason – unless he lands on 'Mayfair' on his first trip around the board! The only rule we never follow is the one where you have to have a full set of properties before you're allowed to buy houses. The main reason for not following that rule comes from the fact that Jack always used to forget about it – and then he'd look extremely disappointed when he was reminded of it. I don't mind – our way is better. Though the next time we play with Thomas, I can see him insisting that we follow all the rules!
I roll seven – Jack rolls eight, then I get a double on my next turn. It's a four and a three – and the three gets me a crossword prize from 'chance' – so I'm buzzing! On my next go, 'community chest' sends me to jail though – which Jack finds hilarious! So much for the head-start I was hoping to get when we start buying.
Jack gets past 'go' and lands on 'Kings Cross Station' – using his newly received 'go' money to buy it. I'm still in jail after my third roll and have to pay £50 to get out – but at least I'm out now,- and to my delight, I land on 'Marylebone station' once I'm allowed to buy. I'm more cautious with money than he is, so I've been biding my time, until I landed on a property I really wanted – and I'm certainly not going to let Jack buy all the stations.
'community chest' sends Jack back to 'Old Kent Road' and 'chance' gives me £50 from the bank.
"Gotta have 'The Strand'!" Jack exclaims as he lands on one of his favourite squares.
I'm delighted to buy the 'Water Works'. It will earn me good money if Jack lands on it. And later in the game – land on it he does!
His roll was seven – so, four times seven...
"£28 please!" I grin.
He sighs and hands it over. He's spending money like water at the moment and has bought 'Old Kent Road', 'The Angel Islington' and 'Bow Street' as well as 'The Strand' in recent turns, so unsurprisingly, he's feeling the pressure.
I, on the other hand, have had a tight grip on my purse strings and still only have three properties – though one of them is 'Park Lane'.
I land on 'Income Tax' after passing 'Go' again, but as I didn't have the extra £200 before I passed 'Go' on this turn – I'm really no worse off. Jack rolls a double – and its twelve, which takes him from 'Oxford Street' to the 'Income Tax' spot I'm on. He's in the same position of not getting his £200 from 'Go' as I am – but feels the dent in his pocket more than I do. However, on his second roll of the doubles, he earns a 'Get out of Jail free' card which softens the blow and puts a smile on his face.
To my utter delight, I land on the 'Electric Company'. One of those cards is a good buy – but having both is great! £150 well spent, I think to myself – and then Jack lands on my station!
I kind of feel from him as he hands me £25 – especially when he receives a £15 speeding fine on his following turn. I land on 'The Strand' and he gets £18 out of me – so its not all bad, but when he lands on 'Super Tax', he looks distraught.
I buy 'Liverpool Street Station'. It's always one of my aims in Monopoly, to buy at least two stations – because Jack's very fond of the stations as well – and like I said, I'm not going to let him get them all! Anyway, I've got two of them now, so I'm happy.
I get the other 'Get out of Jail free' card' and Jack receives £200 from a bank error. Since we both recently past 'Go' he's now £400 up – and a lot happier, so I decide to put a house on 'Park Lane' – to keep him on his toes. He responds by buying 'Leicester Square' and putting four houses on 'Old Kent Road'.
Only time will tell whether it's a good move or not.
Jack lands on 'Piccadilly', which is my favourite – but chooses not to buy it, due to his recent splurge. Next turn, I'm in Jail again -after a double twelve lands me on the policeman. I could use my card – and Jack would, but I decide to bide my time and try three goes of rolling a double first – the first try being this turn and to no avail. Jack just avoids landing on my housed 'Park Lane' – but lands on 'Super Tax' again instead. He's initially pleased – until he realises that he still has to lose £100 - and promptly loses another £200 to 'Income Tax' straight after on his next turn.
"Yes!" I exclaim when I roll a double on my third turn in Jail. It means I still keep my 'Get out of Jail' card for future use. Patience is rewarded!– and I'm further chuffed to inherit £100 after being sent back three spaces from 'chance' to 'community chest'.
'chance' advances Jack to 'Mayfair' and I watch him in interest as he fights with the urge to buy it – and loses! He smugly adds it to his growing collection of properties – despite now being a further £400 down.
I knew he wouldn't be able to resist. Every time we play Monopoly, If he lands on 'Mayfair', he has to have it – no matter what! He has been known to mortgage some of his other properties in order to buy it – and he's even more smug later in the game, because I land on it. I burst into uncontrollable giggles as he almost goes into orbit with delight and beams at me as I hand him £50.
I giggle even more at his look of shock when he lands on the 'Go to Jail' square on his very next turn.
"Shall we have a short break?" I suggest tactfully– giving him a sympathetic hug and ruffling his hair fondly.
"Yeah," He answers. "Want another cup of tea? You can see how we're doing while I make it!"
Jack
"So, how are we doing?" I ask casually, as I push a steaming cup of tea into her hands. "Oh!" I add, surprised. "I didn't expect your hands to be that cold!...Why didn't you tell me you were cold?" I almost scold her.
"Sorry" She answers vaguely. "I hadn't really noticed!" Of course she hadn't – she tends to be very competitive when playing Monopoly with me and is totally immersed in her game - to the detriment of anything else that's currently happening around her!
I sigh. "Well get that down you and you'll warm up!"
"Whatever you say!" Nikki giggles. "You've got £376 in cash. I've got £581" She grins. Clearly she's not summing up the properties at the halfway stage. "Don't worry – you're not too far behind! There's plenty of time to pull it back." She beams at me encouragingly.
I've been enjoying the bits where I'm doing well far too much.
I can't deny that a small part of me is disappointed to be losing – because I'm naturally very competitive too, but Nikki had a really tough time at the funeral this morning and this is meant to be my master plan to cheer her up. I'm not as far behind her as I thought I was – clearly my competitive streak keeps rearing it's ugly head too often, so I need to do really badly in the next part of the game. I've got to make some careless decisions and play the worst I've ever done.
It's time to throw caution to the wind.
Nikki
"So whose go is it?" Jack asks.
"Mine." I answer and promptly roll a six.
Jack
"Yes!" I grin, as she lands on my station – before suddenly remembering that I'm supposed to be losing – and this is entirely counter-productive.
Nikki
"It's £25!" Jack exclaims as I hand him £50.
"Yes, dearest!" I explain patiently. "I need some change."
"Oh." He answers and goes to give me it – but then reconsiders the matter. "Are you going to ask me nicely?" He comments in the bossiest voice I've ever heard him use. He puts his head on one side and holds the paper money just out of my reach – which is quite easy for him, given that his arms are much longer than mine.
I snigger, before clearing my throat. "Jack," I say loudly, fluttering my eyelashes. "May I have some change, please?
"Yes, Nikki – you may!" He chuckles, handing it to me.
Jack doesn't have the patience I do – a fact which is emphasised on his first turn in the second part of the game, when he opts to use his 'Get out of Jail free' card immediately – and then looks appalled when he rolls the die and gets a double six. He looks even more horrified to then land on 'chance' and receive a 'drunk in charge' fine of £20 as a result of the double six.
I collapse against him giggling again – much to his indignation. "It's only £20" I tell him sympathetically, when I recover from my latest bout of hysteria. "Might have to mention that one to Thomas though – honestly, drinking on the job!" I snigger. "Take your second roll."
His second roll is eleven. He lands on 'community chest', gets a doctor's fee of £50 – and is literally speechless!
I snigger again – but give him another hug too. He's not speechless very often.
"I think I need to lie down." He mutters eventually.
I decide to spend a bit of money, to make him feel better and purchase 'Pentonville Road' when I land on it on my next turn.
Jack passes 'Go' which earns him the usual £200, but he looks positively terrified when he realises that he's landed on 'community chest'.
"Come on, sweetie – how bad can it be?" I say soothingly so he picks the card up.
His face breaks out into a grin. "Advance to 'Go'!" he reads.
As competitive as I am, I'm pleased for him after his run of bad luck – bearing in mind, he had literally just past go when he got that card – so he's now £400 richer than he was five minutes ago!
Jack
Of course, £400 richer is not where I want to be – so I decide I had better spend some cash. I land on 'Pall Mall' and put my plan into action.
I need to spend lots of money – which means buying lots of properties. On the other hand, I can't buy too many, because the more properties I have – the more likely she is to land on them and have to pay me money.
Basically, I have to make bad choices – but only if they're bad for me.
Nikki
Jack is happy again, and buys 'Pall Mall' to celebrate – at least that's how he puts it! On his next turn – after I've lost £100 to 'Super Tax', he rolls just three, lands on 'Northumberland Avenue' and shows no hesitation in buying that to.
"So what are you celebrating this time?" I remark.
"I like that one." He shrugs. Well, I knew he liked 'The Strand', 'Mayfair' and the stations, but that's a new one on me!
I have to admit, I'm a bit suspicious when, on his next turn, he gets a 'chance' and reads:
"You are assessed for street repairs. £40 per house. £115 per hotel."
He has four houses on 'Old Kent Road' – which means he gets £160. Surely, that's a good thing? It should be, but he doesn't look particularly happy about it. Before I get the chance to quiz him though, his phone rings, and it's Thomas wanting to know how we are.
"Yes, I'm fine now, thank you." Jack tells him. "Yes, she's fine too – she's thrashing me at Monopoly!" He adds, causing me to giggle. He glances at me. "Thomas wants to know if you're happy to be on-call tonight – or if you'd like to swap with him."
"I'll do it." I answer.
"She's happy to do it." Jack repeats to Thomas. "Ok – see you tomorrow." He hangs up. "Ok, your turn then."
I land on 'Northumberland Avenue' – and again my suspicions are raised by his reaction when I give him £12 for it, but I decide not to pull him up on it. I suspect he's trying to let me win after our difficult morning – and if he wants to be chivalrous, then I'm not going to complain.
He certainly brightens up on his next turn. He lands on one of my properties – 'Water Works' and as I have both of them, landing on one now means I get ten times the number on the die. He happily hands me £60 – and my suspicions are confirmed.
Jack has indeed decided to be chivalrous.
Jack
She's starting to get suspicious, I think – but it's not going to stop me. Nikki has to win.
Nikki
I buy 'Trafalgar Square'. Jack buys 'Bond Street' and 'Whitechapel' – which I think puts rather a dent in his pocket. He's so determined to do badly and is being very careless with his money – but given his underlying reasons, it's quite sweet really.
I land on 'community chest', so Jack picks up the top one – and he looks absolutely appalled when he reads it.
"What's the matter?" I ask. "What does it say?"
"You have won second prize in a beauty contest." He states in genuine disgust.
"Well, that's good, isn't it?" I comment – not understanding the problem. But he continues to look disgusted.
"Second prize!" He repeats indignantly – and I nearly burst into tears.
Bless him – he genuinely thought it should of said 'first prize'.
I can't help but give him a massive hug. "You're so sweet, Jack!" I whisper tearfully as he gives me £10 out of the bank. "And it's what you think that counts."
I get a double on my next go and the second roll gets me another 'community chest'. Jack looks delighted as he reads it out this time because I receive interest on preference shares. £25.
Next turn, I land on 'chance' – which puts me in Jail again – and he looks mortified as he reads it out. Even more so, when his next roll is a double.
I giggle. "Never mind, sweetie – I'll live!"
However, the roll lands him on one of my stations, so he cheers up.
"Yes!" I squeal, when I get a double on my first roll in Jail. Some people just have lucky fingers – and my 'Get out of Jail free' card lives to see another turn.
Poor Jack looks utterly distraught, though, when I later roll a double and have to pay 'community chest' £50 – followed by a roll which lands me on his 'Mayfair' property – the one he couldn't resist!
Hilariously, he mutters to himself, "I should have mortgaged it!"
I give him a peck on the cheek. "You're very sweet, Jack – but you don't have to let me win just to make me feel better , ok?" I say softly, handing him £50. "I'm quite happy just playing the game with you – no matter who wins."
He tries – he really does. But once Jack Hodgson has made his mind up to act chivalrously towards me, he finds it nigh on impossible to change his mind.
Jack
Ok, so she knows, but I'm pretty sure she's still ahead of me, so if we don't play for too much longer, my plan should still work.
Nikki
"Should we say...three more circuits of the board?" Jack suggests.
I can see what he's doing. He's trying to be subtle – but he's hoping that three more trips around the board won't be enough for him to catch up. "Ok." I agree. "But why don't you buy a hotel for 'Old Kent Road'?" Because he won't – unless I suggest it.
I pick up 'Euston Road', 'Whitehall' and 'Fenchurch Street station' during the remainder of the game. I land on Jack's hotel property and pay him £250 – then I land on his station, but as I have three of them and he only has one, it's just £25.
I'm pretty sure at this point that Jack is now beating me. He's absolutely brilliant at Monopoly, so it didn't take him long to overtake me –actually, I imagine it's been rather an effort for him to try and play badly. I think he's noticed that he's overtaken me though, because he quickly spends £220 when he lands 'Fleet Street' – despite agreeing to stop 'trying to lose'.
"I'll give you it in return for your 'Get out of Jail free' card." He offers, when Iand on his property – 'The Strand' and hold out £18.
"Jack!" I exclaim with a giggle. He's trying everything!
"Right – sorry!" He sighs, taking the money.
I burst into giggles again as he immediately lands on the policeman on his next turn.
"I'll give you £100." He asks hopefully.
"I'll take £50." I answer sensibly. "That's the fine you'd be paying the bank to get out."
"£100 – or it goes up to £200!" He replies stubbornly.
I'm not sure that this is how bantering is supposed to work – but that's Jack for you! He makes it quite clear that he has no intention of backing down – so in the interest of harmony, I accept £100 and give him the card.
"Thank you." Now free from the confines of prison, he gives me a peck on the cheek and rolls the die.
I'm now on my final circuit – but Jack manages to get himself banged up again on his penultimate round of the board – and sadly, I can't help him this time. Instead, he chooses to pay the £50 straight away – as I said, he doesn't have the patience.
He lands on one of my stations – and beams as he gives me £100.
Jack
It's almost my last turn and I'm worried in case I haven't done enough, but then I have a mega 'light-bulb' moment.
I'm a bloody genius!
Nikki
On his penultimate turn, fearing that he might win after all – Jack goes into 'drastic measures' mode and buys two houses for his 'Leicester Square' property – at the cost of £150 each. Of course, he deliberately waits until then because I'm also on my final circuit and as I've past 'Leicester Square', so I can't possibly land on it. By rights, its should probably be a banned move – but he's ever so pleased with himself for thinking of it and I don't have the heart to point that out.
"Oh Jack, you are naughty!" I scold him in amusement as I roll for the last time.
Jack then takes his final turn - and to his obvious delight, lands on my 'Park Lane' property and has to pay me £175 – and on account of the fact that I past 'Go' oncer again on my previous turn – there ends the game.
It occurs to me as we total the game up, that Jack didn't take into consideration that the properties are added to the final score – and he owns a lot of properties. I can almost see the devastation on his face if he finds that he's still won after his 'grand gesture'.
Jack
It suddenly occurs to me, when we're adding up, that the properties are part of the final total – and although I made damn sure she has more cash, I clearly have more properties. My 'gentlemanly act' might have been for nothing.
Maybe I'm not the genius I thought I was.
