Nana Biography

How did you cope?

Well, I could speak – I knew the terms in Italian and all that – and I can speak Italian enough to cope with it, but the first game I sat down, and this Italian – they’re all very attractive, looking, always make you feel good. I mean, Italian men have a way – but my partner Linda across the table and said in Italian short long or long short, you know. Do you play your suit first or your suit first. And I said, I played Goren, and I know all the rules, and if you know, Goren, you can count on me. I won’t let you down. And, with that I played with him.

Did hr know?

Oh sure, they all knew Goren, but they played an Italian system, and I said that I don’t know your system, I can’t even cope with it, so when you play with me, do Goren and will get along fine. I made a mistake, we all do, he almost came over the table, very hotheaded, but I learned that when they had a good hand, they light a cigarette and they tap on the table. Well, we loved those games and those, and they were very chic.

Were they lawyers?

No, they were society people. And one of them was the daughter of the general of the army of Italy, and we went to her place one night, she and her brother had us over and they had red roses all over the place and velvet rugs coming down and foot men with white gloves And the other part about the party, the bridge was about 1 AM, the tray would come in on a cart with big cakes with whipped cream and Scotch whiskey, and this was done and everybody had some kind of a terrible sweet and some scotch or something, and then you’d go on and play till 230, go home, go to bed, get up at seven, Jon would go to the office, Come home at 1 o’clock for lunch, and then we would go to bed again, everybody in Rome, and we had a full two hour nap.

-113-