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Little did I know that I would be spending all my days playing online mah jongg when the coronavirus pandemic started. But here I sit day after day playing with my computer bots trying to hone my mah jongg skills. Walter Walcarpet, Moira Less and Mel Tingpoint are some of the players seated around my virtual table. They are keeping me entertained as only bots can.

Before the quarantine shut down all social interaction, I was playing mah jongg twice a week at our community clubhouse. Not only is it about the game, it's also a time to get together and have fun. We would compete, of course, but we also shared stories and laughs. We enjoyed ourselves.

In early December, however, our mah jongg table became a hot spot for germs. One of the women had recently returned from a trip to China, yes China, and began sneezing and coughing all over the tiles. I politely asked if she could please cough into the crook of her elbow and not in her hands. She fixed me with an icy stare and replied that she had been to the doctor and was taking medication. The other players looked at her in disbelief. The coughing continued.

The next week she was still coughing. I could see the droplets falling all over my tiles. "Please," I begged. "Can't you cover your cough?"

"I'm on steroids." she said defiantly. "I am not contagious."

I did not believe a word she said. And I was not going to take any chances. When I went home, I washed every single one of my tiles with warm sudsy water. My tiles were not going to be contaminated. Steroids or not.

Two months later the clubhouse was shut down. No more playing with the other ladies. No more socializing. No more spreading germs. We were sent into isolation.

Now I am playing with my bot friends. Cody Pendant, Millie Terry and Noah Zark are very skillful players. Most importantly, they will play with me on demand whenever I want.

I appreciate that they never gloat when they win. I appreciate that they never snicker when I make a silly mistake. And they support me when I win. They are the perfect playmates.

But do you want to know what I like best about them? They do not sneeze and cough all over the game!

- Natalie Cinelli

Natalie Cinelli is a freelance writer who has had articles published in theBoston Globe, the Boston Herald, American Babymagazine and on Boston's NorthEndWaterfront.com.She wrote a humor column, "In a Nutshell," for theSuburban Newsin Reading, Massachusetts.She also worked as a lifestyle editor and columnist for theLawrence Eagle Tribunein Lawrence, Massachusetts.