Parents struggle to do what’s best for daughter
DEAR ABBY » My 53-year-old daughter is an addict. First it was alcohol, then hard drugs and opioids. This has been going off and on for 40 years.
She hit bottom recently. She became homeless and ended up in a women’s shelter in another state. She says she’s been clean about six months. The shelter helped her find a place to live, and she draws a disability check, so she has everything she needs.
She constantly contacts me and her father saying she wants to come home. We have helped her to the point of mental, physical and financial exhaustion,
Bridge
Strange things happen from time to time at bridge tournaments. Once, during a power cut, we were forced to play by candlelight.
On another occasion, David Bird, who has written more bridge books than anyone else, was the declarer in today’s deal when the hotel fire alarm went off. Everyone vacated the playing room and moved into the cold, dark parking lot. Bird feared that the defense would be perfect when the game resumed, not a thought characteristic of an Englishman. Chatting with one’s partner in such circumstances just wouldn’t be cricket.
North’s responsive double was for takeout, showing a decent hand with length in the unbid suits. and we just can’t go there again. It’s the most difficult thing we’ve ever gone through. We know we shouldn’t continue to enable her, but if we don’t, we feel like terrible parents. Any advice would be much appreciated.
DEAR PARENTS » You already know what will happen if you cave in to your daughter’s begging to “come home.” From now on, when she asks, remind her that she already IS home, in the place the people from the shelter helped her to find. Her troubles have nothing
Bird need not have worried. After leading the diamond ace, West switched to a heart. East won with the ace and returned ... a heart! Bird ruffed, drew trumps and ran his diamonds, discarding all four of dummy’s club losers. to do with you. They are the result of the life she created for herself. You already know that enabling her hasn’t worked. The time has come for you and your husband to take better care of yourselves.
At another table in the event, East correctly worked out that West wouldn’t lead declarer’s primary suit unless he had a singleton ace. So, after winning with the heart ace, he gave West a diamond ruff. However, then West tried to cash the heart king, with fatal consequences for the defense.
Bill Hodgkiss found the best defense. Knowing that he could give his partner only one diamond ruff, at trick three he cashed the club ace. Then he delivered the diamond ruff for down one.
If your partner leads declarer’s main suit at trick one, either he is short or he thinks you are short — or you need a new partner.