found drama

You’re sitting at a table in a semi-crowded gym. You’re catching up with a friend (A.M.) during a kind of reunion or party hosted there. A tall figure approaches and looms over you, standing behind your friend. In one arm is a baby girl, and in the other is an open box of Scrabble. He nods at you, then at the board. Clearly he is challenging you to a round. You recognize him instantly as Michael Jordan. You don’t want to appear starstruck, but nor do you want to appear rude to your friend. You give a wave back, the kind that acknowledges but also urges patience. Just a second. But he’s insistent. He crouches down and hands over the baby girl to your friend. Hold her for a second, will you? He lays out the board and dumps the tiles into the box top. He makes sure they’re all flipped over, face down. He has your friend mix them up a bit. Speed Scrabble, he explains: you pick up one tile at a time until you can make a word and then you put it down. Within seconds, he is putting down words like QUIZZICAL and PSEUDOPODIA; you manage to get down WORTHWHILE but that’s it. He’s a gracious winner though, and doesn’t make you feel too bad, even if your heart is racing.

About Rob Friesel