It was New Year's Eve. The National Checker League took a week off from play between Christmas and New Year's Day, and Marvin J. Mavin, the superstar captain of the Detroit Doublejumpers, was at home.

Recall that last month Marvin's wife, Priscilla K. Snelson, who was herself the CEO of the international mega-conglomerate Rust Belt Holdings, had hired some high-powered lawyers who got Marvin reinstated, and then some, after he had been unceremoniously dropped from the team during Doublejumper summer camp (see previous stories for full details). The past few weeks had gone well; the Doublejumpers pulled out of their early-season slump and were moving up in the standings.

However, today Marvin wasn't just home for New Year's Eve--- he was home alone for New Year's Eve.

It all started a little over a week ago when Marvin returned from a Doublejumper road trip. The taxi from the airport dropped him off at about ten o'clock at night. Priscilla, it turned out, was waiting up for him.

"Marvin," she said, before her husband even had a chance to take off his winter coat, "I have great news for you!"

"Just a moment, honey," Marvin replied. "Let me just get changed first ... "

"But don't you want to hear what I have to say?"

"Sure I do, but could I just ... "

"Well, listen, then. You know how we didn't spend Thanksgiving with my parents, and we won't be spending Christmas with them either?"

Now, long-time readers might recall that Marvin did not get along with Priscilla's parents, just as Priscilla's parents did not care at all for Marvin. In fact, they hadn't even so much as spoken since Marvin and Priscilla's wedding about a year and a half ago.

"Uh ... what are you getting at, Prissy?" By now Marvin had at least removed his coat and gloves, although he was still standing and holding them. He had put his suitcase on the floor.

"Guess what!" Priscilla exclaimed. "They invited us for New Year's Eve! They specifically invited you! Not just me, but both of us! They even mentioned you by name! Kind of ... "

"Mentioned me by name ... kind of," Marvin said. "I hope it didn't, you know, like twist their faces up or something."

"Don't be rude. No, they didn't twist up their faces ... all they did was ... well, never mind."

"Come on honey, spill the beans. What did they actually say?"

"Well, I was over there for dinner tonight after I left work, and they said that they'd like to have me over for Christmas Day. I told them we had already made other plans, which is actually the case."

"Yeah, we're meeting your fancy doodle friends at some swank restaurant ... "

"Like I said, Marvin, don't be rude. So Mom went on with asking about New Year's Eve. I said we hadn't made plans ... "

"Gee Prissy, why'd you say that?"

"Because it's the truth, Marvin, and how many times have I told you not to call me Prissy! So anyhow my Mom said, 'I suppose you ought to bring that husband of yours, too.' And my Dad said, 'Well, if you must, you must. Not that I'll like it.'"

Priscilla's hand went to her mouth. "Oops," she said, "I guess I wasn't supposed to tell you that last part. But still, you're invited, and you're going, right? I mean it's a great opportunity to ... "

"It's a great opportunity to do something besides go there. No, Prissy, I ain't going. Not no how, no way. I ain't really welcome and you know it as well as I do."

"Uh, well, except I already accepted on your behalf."

Marvin glowered. "Well then you can just un-accept on my behalf."

"I'll do no such thing ... "

Things didn't actually get better from that point. A kind of stony silence prevailed in Priscilla's swank condo for the next couple of days, with only brief phrases being exchanged between the spouses. Christmas Day came along and Marvin went with Priscilla to meet her upper-crust friends at Le Menu Magnifique, who featured Christmas dinner at the special rate of $749 per person (of course not including tip and tax). Things thawed a bit then as Marvin was at least somewhat polite with Priscilla's friends--- polite, at least, by Marvin's standards.

Then the morning of December 31 came around. "Are you excited for tonight, honey?" Priscilla asked at the breakfast table. "I made you some scrambled eggs. The staff is off for the day and I cooked for you."

"Thanks," Marvin said, looking down at a plate that contained an unidentifiable item and a yellow substance that could have been scrambled eggs, "I know you don't cook often and I appreciate it. But ... uh ... what did you mean by excited for tonight?"

"Why, that's obvious," she replied. "Now, don't forget, we're due at my parents' place at seven for dinner and we'll stay through the arrival of the New Year. It will be really a lot of fun, and it will just be family. None of my father's business associates this year." Priscilla's father, Winston Snelson, was Managing Partner at the high-powered law firm of Snelson, Nelson, Kelson and Delson.

Marvin's fork dropped with a clatter. "I thought we agreed that I ain't going," he said.

"We didn't exactly agree either way. But since I made your breakfast, the least you could do is come along with me. In fact you should do that, breakfast or no breakfast. Besides, I thought that you had changed your mind after the great time we had at Le Menu Magnifique."

"No," Marvin said and repeated once more, "I didn't change my mind and I ain't going, and I didn't have a good time with your fancy shmancy friends neither."

"Fine then!" Priscilla said sharply. "Whatever!" She stood up, reached over, whisked Marvin's plate off the table, and threw both plate and contents in a nearby trash can. The plate shattered as it hit the bottom of the can. "No breakfast for you, and get your own lunch and dinner, too!" Priscilla concluded.

Priscilla swept out of the room, and that was the last Marvin saw of her until he spotted her again in the early evening, on the way to their private elevator.

"My limo will bring me home ... whenever! Maybe!" she said as she entered the elevator. The door closed in front of her and then complete silence prevailed through all 5,000 square feet of the condo.

Marvin sighed. He went into his study and picked up a recent copy of Championship Checker Challenges and found what should have been an interesting problem, but he was unable to focus.

Finally he sighed again and closed the magazine, without solving the problem. Maybe he could watch television. He got out his cell phone and put in an order for fried chicken and biscuits from Cackle Club Chicken and then tuned in to the Checker Channel on the small television in his study. But reruns of last season's championships didn't hold his interest either. Eventually his order of chicken arrived and he picked at it in the breakfast room with little appetite. He couldn't shake off a restless, discontented feeling.

Marvin sat for a while, thoughts coursing through his mind. Finally, he knew he had a decision to make and it wasn't an especially easy one.

He called Priscilla's cell phone number, not expecting much, but to his surprise, she answered.

"Yes, Marvin, what is it?" Priscilla snapped. "I'm not especially pleased to hear from you, so make it quick. We're at dinner right now."

"Uh, well ... it's kind of like this ... "

Marvin spoke for a minute or two and Priscilla's reply was about the same length.

It was actually Priscilla who answered the door at her parents' mansion in Grosse Point.

"I'm happy to see you," Priscilla said, and her smile was genuine.

"Same here," came the reply.

"I'm also kind of surprised."

"Same here."

"Well, come on in. There's still a couple of hours until midnight."

Both Priscilla's mother, Hermione, and her father, Winston, looked up in surprise from their seats in the middle of the mansion's Great Room. Winston was the first to speak.

"This is a surprise!" he said.

"Heard that one already," was the reply.

"Don't know if it's a good surprise," Winston continued.

"Winston, really!" Hermione said. "You agreed to be nice ... "

"Yes, dear, yes, I suppose I did."

"A Happy New Year to you both," Marvin said. He went over and shook hands with Winston and then gave Hermione a hug--- a brief one, but still a hug.

A little later on, after the New Year had arrived, when Marvin and Priscilla had made their farewells and finally gotten back home, Priscilla asked, "What made you change your mind?"

"I dunno," Marvin said. "I just kind of thought that maybe it was time to let bygones be bygones and to move on. Your folks did invite me, even if it was in kind of an off-handed way, and I was wrong to not respond to it at first. So I sorta wanted to make it up ... to them, but more than anything to you."

Priscilla smiled and put her arms around Marvin's neck. "Thank you, husband," she said, and then ...

Well, perhaps at this moment we should give Marvin and Priscilla a little privacy.

---

Let's hope your New Year's Eve isn't preceded by domestic drama; it might distract you enough to draw you away from a challenging checker problem. See how you do with today's offering and then click on Read More to see the solution, which involves numerous "star" moves.

Solution

18-14* 25-30 14-9* 6-10 23-18* 30-25 9-6* 25-21 18-14* 12-16---A 14x7 1x10---B 5-1* 21x14 1-6* 10-15 6-10* White Wins.

A---Not 10-15? 6-2 to a piece up White Win.

B---Not 21-14? 6-2 to a piece up White Win.

Today's problem is by Willie Ryan. He called it Mental Cocktail, a very accurate description and perhaps a good choice for New Year's Eve. We hope you enjoyed the story and the problem, and we wish all of our readers the best of the New Year; may it bring every good thing that you might wish for.