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London. It was my sister Sylvia's idea, and she brought it up over our monthly mah jong game. You know, that game the four women in The Joy Luck Club play? The one with the cool looking tiles? Over the course of several months we had taught ourselves to play, and had become proficient enough to start wagering money. Penny ante gambling was the carrot we had used to lure Sylvia's husband Steve into being our fourth. Now Sylvia had come up with a novel idea for the kitty. The four of us: me, my partner Greg, Sylvia, and Steve would rent a flat in London for a month, and use the mah jong winnings we had saved over the next couple of years for incidentals while we vacationed there. It seemed like a brilliant idea.
That was nearly five years ago. As sometimes happens with these things, life got in the way. Greg and I started a hair salon, and a year and a half later had the opportunity to buy a storefront. Steve retired early due to a nasty injury at work. It was one thing or another. The whole idea seemed like it was becoming one of those things you always planned to do, but just never got around to. Then last year, Sylvia informed us she and Steve were booking their flights. Of course they would still love to rent a flat with us if we were interested, but they were going with or without us.
Thanks Sylvia and Steve, that was just the push we needed. We are now sitting in the living room with our packed bags by the front door. In a few hours we will be soaring through the skies on our first vacation to Europe. No work-related distractions to deal with. No mundane household chores to complete. Just the four of us, and twenty-one days in London.
