Every night, the elderly Carol and her husband Reginald played cards before bed. It was as much a part of their life as breathing was.

Even in the painful weeks when Reginald's condition worsened, they played. On bad nights they couldn't make it through even a single hand, but still they played.

The day Reginald died, Carol was sad but not surprised, since he'd been ill for so long. That night, she lay down in bed, exhausted.

Carol could not fall asleep.

At last, at two AM, she pulled herself out of bed and found herself walking to the table. She picked up the deck of cards still lying there from their last game and dealt out a hand of solitaire.

From the moment she started playing, she felt sure she would be able to sleep.

She lost the game.

As she crawled into bed, a bittersweet smile came to her lips. She closed her eyes.

"Oh, Reggie, you always do win."