LOVE is a Four Letter Word
by Arden Jones
The day had arrived! I was all in a-babble!
I’d never realised I was so good at Scrabble!
I’ve played all my life, but just always for fun.
Then, I smashed quarterfinal, the semi’s… and won!
There was no point in hoping to win this last game.
The last seven years, it’s been always the same.
“Seth wins again! Just who is this guy, Seth?”
“You called?” A voice said. And I gasped a deep breath.
I tried to say something to this gorgeous guy.
But my voice betrayed me, and I spluttered a “Hi!”
“I take it you’re who I’ll be playing today?”
I nodded, but knew there was simply no way,
I’d ever think straight to compete with this man.
To quit while ahead was a much better plan.
But something inside me, it sparked like a flame.
I’d gotten this far. I’ll play just one more game.
We pulled out our chairs, and we both took our seat.
“Are you ready?” he said.
“Er, for what?”
“Your defeat!”
His eyes flashed with something resembling fire.
His need to win only just heightened desire.
My stomach turned over. We reached in the sack.
Took out seven letters, there’s no going back.
His fingers brushed mine, and I felt my cheeks blush.
“You can go first,” I said, all in a rush.
Seth smiled, and he laid his first word, spelling; DATE
He raised an eyebrow as I crossed through with: LATE-R
REALLY, he spelt out. Then using his ‘Y’.
I put down an ‘E,S’ and let out a sigh.
Confused in case everyone’s spellbound by Seth.
His dark eyes, his hair, and his smile…
“Errm, Beth?…
“It’s your turn,” he said, and I looked at the board.
He’d written LOVE, and had double-word scored!
I had to be strong and get back in the game.
To lose to distraction would be such a shame.
I played all my best words, not daring to glance.
Don’t focus on him and you’ll still stand a chance.
Using two words, I could pull this right back,
And knock off his socks and win, play and attack.
“You cheater,” he whispered, and gave me a wink.
And smiled that smile. Oh, I just couldn’t think.
I gathered myself and averted my eyes.
“Well, that’s how you spell it! See… RO-MANTI-CIZE!”
“Never!” he laughed. A ‘Z’s just so absurd.”
I giggled, replying, “You can’t beat that word.”
It touched on a triple and double word score,*
If I’d just had a ‘D’, I sure would’ve scored more.
“I’ll let you off, Beth,” he said, placing a ‘D.’
But even with that, he still couldn’t beat me.
He followed the ‘D’ with an A, T and E,
And said, “Yes, you win. But the drinks are on me.”
He smiled that smile, and sixty years LATE-R,
We’re still playing Scrabble since our first ever DATE…
Copyright: Arden Jones
* A word cannot touch on both a double AND a triple word score. But you know, this is fiction...