“…Heading…” Phyllis recited out loud the 7-letter word Pamela had placed vertically on the scrabble board. Her baby boy drooled to a deep slumber in the carrier she had worn that was strapped to her chest. Alice was busy keeping score by quietly adding up the numbers in total.
“That’s twelve points you’ve earned there, Pamela,” Alice declared happily after looking at the notepad and pencil in her hand.
“Good job!”
“Did I?” Pamela was complete starstruck. She barely ever got any praise at all. Least not at home very much.
“My turn!” Phyllis chirped, peering at her own wooden square letters displayed neatly on the slat. After several long seconds of contemplating, she finally picked up a letter and leaned across the card table to set it.
“Aheading!” she exclaimed placing the letter A in front of Pamela’s word.
Alice pointed towards it. “That’s really not a word.”
“It is so,” Phyllis argued.
“How?” Alice cocked her head. “Use it as a sentence.”
“The Cub Scouts are aheading to safety,” Phyllis recited.
Pamela was crestfallen, but Alice knew better and remained calm.
“You’d say, ‘The cub scouts are heading to safety’, not ‘a-heading’ because that doesn’t make any sense. That doesn’t even sound right, Phyllis.” She had now reached across to remove the letter A from the word grid board.
“Try again or pass your turn before I go next.”
“I know how to play the game, Alice,” Phyllis scolded. “All thanks to very special six children!”
“Then you should know that you can’t make up any words,” Alice sighed impatiently.
“What time is it? I promised Kevin I’d be home by ten,” Pamela had her thumb stroking her son’s left onesie foot.
“Nine-thirty seven,” Phyllis glanced at the blinking tail-wagging cat clock hung on the chimney brick wall.
Pamela carefully raised herself with the baby off the metal foldout chair and began gathering up her belongings—diaper bag, pop-out book, teething ring, baby bottle.
“I’ll have Fred drive you, Pamela,” Phyllis offered. “He should be in the study room.”
“I will bring you home,” Alice insisted.
“Two forfeiters?” Phyllis chortled. “Guess I win the game!”
“Hurrah for you,” Alice spoke with sarcasm. She gestures Pamela to continue on getting ready.