Thick Skin

You have to have the impervious hide of a rhino to play successful bridge.  The opponents will do anything to get under your skin and throw off your game.  Little do they know that I can throw off my own game without their help. 

My partner, today, friend Rebecca bid 2 diamonds.  I left her there and she made four.  At the end of play, I said, "making four" and heard 3 agreements from the others.  We folded up the hand, returned it to the board and I was sorting the next hand when left hand opponent said, "Wait a minute, making four?  She only made three."  Her partner said, "I had four".  I said, "I was certain I was correct in my call that she made four".  The director was called.  Left hand opponent then tried to explain to the director what tricks she had taken during the play.  I disputed that she had taken a second club trick.  At that point she said to the director, "Well, if they are going to be dishonest about it!"

Now, you can question my bridge playing ability (I often do), you can question why I continue to play the game, and you can question my choice of partners/friends or personality but you can NOT question my honesty.  I told left hand opponent that I was offended by her remark.  The director mostly unsuccessfully tried to quiet me down and ruled in our favor since the hand had been returned to the board and even left hand opponent's own partner told her it was too late to challenge.

I was still steamed and later told her that she owed me an apology, explaining that we can get things wrong and disagree but that in no way means that we are trying to be dishonest about what happened.  I told her that I would never think she was being dishonest if we disagreed about tricks taken.  She turned her back without speaking and left my detested presence.

This may be the end.  I said my piece.  I let my feelings be known to the offender.  If she is such a small person that she can not see how she offended nor that she owes the partnership an apology, then it is probably futile to try to make her understand normal social mores much less appropriate table behavior.  I have a fairly thick skin but she found the one microscopic pore which set me off.  Congratulations.