Page 25 of Rough

“Was?”

“Yes, she passed my freshman year of college. Someone robbed her at gunpoint while she was at a stoplight. The caught him, though.”

“I’m sorry. What about your father?”

“He left when I was four.” It was a sore subject, so I kept my response short. “No comment.”

“Some people are shitheads. Remember that.”

“More knowledge from Bradley’s vault of wisdom?”

“I’ll try and give you a slice of good advice every day. That’s today’s.”

“I’ll cherish it.”

He smiled a sarcastic smile and then situated his letters on the board. Using the K in muzjik, he spelled K-A-U-R-Y.

“Gimme eight.”

“Hold on a minute,” I said. “Kaury? Really?”

Although I was sure he’d never cheat, I wanted to challenge the word anyway. Doing so would be the highlight of his day. He’d probably even tell his wife about it when she got home.

“Challenge it or stop yapping.”

“It’s not a word,” I spouted.

“It sure as fuck is.”

“What is it, then?”

“It’s a god damned word, that’s what it is. You want to know? It’ll cost you a turn to find out.”

“Only if it’s in the dictionary. If it’s not, you’re lose a turn.”

“I’ve been playing this game for about forty-five years of the sixty-seven that I’ve graced this earth with my presence. Never lost a turn yet.”

“That’s because no one challenges you.”

“They know better,” he said dryly.

I jumped up and pointed to the board. “You, sir, have been challenged.”

He shot me a laser sharp glare. “Are you shittin’ me?”

“No. I am not. Prepare to lose a turn. Kaury.” I chuckled. “Sounds like a name for a redheaded kid.”

“It’s a tall, white, straight-grained tree indigenous to New Zealand.”

“It’s a lost turn if you can’t prove it’s a word.”

He glared at me, reached for the box, and pulled out the dictionary.

“Let me look it up for you,” I said.

“Sit down, you little shit. I can get by just god damned fine. Prepare to lose a turn.”

He rested the dictionary in his lap, and then began flipping through the pages with his fingertips. After fighting to keep the book open with one hand, he used his hand that was protruding from the sling to steady the cover of the book and keep it from closing.