"Everyone, there's BINGO in the main hall in fifteen minutes. BINGO in the main hall in fifteen minutes."

The loudspeaker shut off with a click and collective beeping and buzzing could be heard about the nursing home. Dozens of red lights from the call buttons lit up at the nurse's station and several of the attendants rolled their eyes.

"I wish they'd warn us next time before they do that to us," one of the redheads grumbled before getting up from her chair and stretching.

As she was walking down the hall, she was almost run over by one of the patients. "Mr. Logan, what have we told you about going fast in your wheelchair? You could mow down someone you know."

The wrinkly man with pointed hair and fuzzy sideburns winked at the nurse as she walked by and promised he'd slow down on one condition: "You gotta escort me to the lounge, darlin'."

Amy, the nurse smiled and rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she took hold of his wheelchair handles and pushed the notorious flirt to the end of the hall.

***

A feeble Scott was helping a gray-haired Jean out of her bed a few minutes after she'd told him that BINGO was going to start any minute. It was one of her favorite times of the week and one of his very least. Logan was always there and the old codger had a knack for putting it to him.

"There ya go, sweetheart. Do you want your robe?"

Jean shook her head `no' and placed her hands in her lap as she prepared herself to be rolled down the hall by her husband.

On their way down to the main hall, they spotted Marie, who was making her way slowly along the wall using the handrail.

"Hey there," she waved with a bright smile on her face. "You guys off to the BINGO game?"

"Sure are. You?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna try and win me a couple bucks if they're giving out some quarters too. I hope they're giving out that poly-dent again for some of the prizes - I'm about out."

"Ooooh, yeah, that poly-dent was good. Worked like a charm."

"I liked that baby powder, Scott," Jean said with a wistful smile. "I hope they have some more powder."

"Do you want me to get you some if I win?"

"Oh, would you? I would just love some of that."

***

"BINGO's starting in five minutes everyone. Five minutes till BINGO!"

Logan sat at a table near the back of the room with a plate of cookies and a cup of sugarless punch in his hand. "Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. I must say though, Miss Jeannie, you're lookin' mighty fine today."

"Can it Logan."

"Why? You afraid of a little competition, One-Eye?"

Scott only glared at Logan through his bifocal visor and sat down at a table beside Jean's wheelchair.

The head RN at the front of the room looked out over the crowd of people in the lounge and decided it was time to start the game. She started up the ball machine with a rumble and announced the rules over the microphone.

"Okay, now everyone, you know the rules, but I'm gonna go over again, so we don't have any incidents like we had last time Mr. Allerdyce."

The nurse gave ole Johnny a hard stare and he slunk down in his seat as much as he could and stared at his blank BINGO card in front of him.

"All right, first off, whoever gets a BINGO first, gets fifty cents and their pick from the prize basket. Whoever else after that gets something from the basket as well. After everyone has gotten a BINGO, then we'll move on to a blackout, where, the first one to get a full board gets a dollar and their pick from the prize basket. Make sure you don't clear your cards after you get the BINGO, all right? Everybody got that? Okay, we'll start off with I 19. Anyone got that - I 19?"

Several of the elderly patients placed a card over their designated numbers and looked back up, waiting patiently for the next number.

"O 69, we have an O 69, anybody?"

After about ten more numbers were called, Robert Drake raised his hand and shouted "BINGO!"

One of the nurses acknowledged him and came over to his table to check his card out. Sure enough, he had a BINGO, and she brought the goody basket over to his seat. He chose some Icy Hot.

Several minutes later, all but about three of the patients had had a BINGO and the majority of them were going for a blackout.

"Okay, we're coming down on some of the final numbers, someone should be getting a blackout pretty soon. I have a G 41. G 41, anybody?"

"Blackout!"

The RN stopped the ball machine and motioned to one of the nurses to bring the prize bucket and some quarters to Scott's table.

"You better check his card. He cheats, ya know," a voice from the back grumbled.

"Mr. Logan, I'm sure that Mr. Summers didn't cheat. We'll check his card anyways, but not for that reason. Finish your cookies."

One of the volunteers came over to Scott's table and he did indeed have a blackout card.

"Congratulations, Mr. Summers. What would you like from the prize basket?"

`Uh, can I get some baby powder please?"

"What's a matter, Summers - got a wet tushie?"

"It's for my wife, thankyouverymuch. Looks like somebody else is having the problems since I won before him, though. What's your problem, Wolvie - need your Depends changed?"

"Very funny, One-Ball, but I'm doin' just fine over here. Would be doin' a little better if Jeannie'd come over and clear my card for me, though."

Scott glared at Logan and waved his cane menacingly in his direction, but Jean stopped him with a hand on his arm and a wry smile.

"Keep your dentures in, it was only a joke."

Logan began to clear off his card and put his number covers in the little box on the table. "You just wait'll tomorrow when we play Yahtzee - I'm gonna kick your ass."