Try a Little Humility Next Time

The trash-talking began with the first glass of wine. Keeper assured our dinner hosts and Scrabble opponents that they didn’t have a chance against us. After all, his wife (that would be me) was the Queen of All Word Games.

I worried all through the salad, the pasta, and the veal courses. Personally, I find that bragging about one’s supposed expertise prior to a competition is just asking for trouble. Keeper had put me on a shaky pedestal and dared anyone to knock me off.

Our opponents were humble and self-deprecating, describing themselves as a non-native English speaker and a bad speller. This was true on the surface, but in reality Luda is a highly intelligent Russian with a degree in Classics, and Tom has a mind like a steel trap.

Sure, I’m a professional writer and a good speller. But my husband, himself a brilliant writer, had a spotty education. He attended…(Read more)