distinction

The difference
between a spouse and a bridge partner
is the time you spend looking at, not into,
your partner’s eyes;
bridge partnership rules are rigid
and the cards are flexible, but in a marriage
it’s in the cards that something else is rigid
and the rules are flexible;
a wink to your spouse can set things in a new direction,
but a wink to your partner can mean a call to the director;
you can set the table for your spouse
but neither you nor your partner wants to be set at the table;
a bridge partner is often pleased to be made the dummy:
but never even hint . . . !