Devonne Brown

I looked at the board. “MEDICATE.” My letters covered all but the “C.” Upwords, the word game of all word games, and I scored sixteen points plus a fifty point bonus score. “Eat that!” 

Nick looked at me with fire in his eyes. Not even his Mama, Express of the Galaxy, Sworn Sorceress of All the Empires, should beat him. I laughed in his face, “Ha! ha! ha! ha!” 

Ian’s popcorn started to pop, its aroma ran all the way to the family room to tease everybody. Nick needed a distraction from my wordly coup and followed the scent to the kitchen, anything to get away from the gloating one and to plan his next strategy. Ian’s popcorn was done, shit, it was salt and vinegar. He put in another bag of popcorn and found the brownies, the ones with so much soft chocolate frosting they made your face ooze oil. Thank god there was coffee he could wash it down with. He ate the last bite of brownie just before downing the last drop of coffee when “ding” went off for the popcorn.

Nick returned to the battlefield; popcorn in hand. He’d gotten a beer too, even asked me if I wanted one. I was his mother, after all. He looked at the board and knew he couldn’t win, had to work it off. If I had been his brother, given me a wedgie, and I could tell.

But, I’m the Mom of these pacing and stress munching adults and I gloated about getting the most points in a word game in my happy place. Yes, yes I did.