Rudy Lee

Oct 17, 2023 | nytimes.com | Rudy Lee

My mother neverwanted me to learn how to play mahjong, fearing it might foster a propensity for gambling. When I was young, though, her sister would visit from London, giving her a sufficient number of players for the game. As dusk settled, I was lured from my bedroom to the table by the shuffling of ivory tiles and clattering of chips after someone yelled, “Kong!” My aunt, as aunts do, made me her proxy, giving me her seat and perching behind me as I played. Her sister acquiesced.