There is room for one more.
I'm Faye. Once the dinner plates are cleared, our family table becomes a place for dominoes, a few cards, or a homemade game on the back of an envelope. This is a small journal of those evenings in Chester.
table companions.
Start with the game everyone knows
I used to think a proper games evening needed something new to learn. In practice, the best start is usually the old domino set with one chipped corner. Nobody has to read a long explanation, and the first few moves give us time to settle into our seats. By the time someone asks whether we are keeping score, the evening has already begun.
There is a low shelf by the dining-room door where the games live. The paper ones sit in a folder, the cards have a loose elastic band around them, and the pencil is supposed to go back in the same tin every time. It rarely does. Finding it has become an unofficial first round.
Keep a little of the evening
I write down the things a score sheet misses: a surprisingly patient explanation, a new name for a familiar move, or the snack that should never have been served near a pack of cards. The entries are not reviews or recommendations. They are reminders of how much can happen around a small table without anyone making a great production of it.