Full of the girl, he has still not learned the game (why learn a child's game after all?), but the position looks familiar. He blocks the almost-complete row, but when Marta takes the pencil back eagerly (her fingers touch his for an instant) he sees what is coming. Marta puts her X where it makes two almost-complete rows, and he can block only one.
He knows by now, though, that she will only be annoyed, and finish the figure herself, if he doesn't continue. He puts in his last O, and smiles with the girl as she takes the pencil and draws the last X.
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