SandScript 2023 [Digital Exclusive]

Don’t Ignore the Apostrophes
Taylor Gantz
You don’t trust anyone who cheats in Scrabble.
Your sister’s new boyfriend, Brent, had been trying to convince you for the last two
minutes that contractions are allowed. What an idiot. Everyone knows that contractions
aren’t allowed. He refuses to let you challenge him either because he knows that
“DONT” isn’t really in the dictionary. He’s just being a jackass.
“Fine,” he huffs like you’re the one who’s in the wrong. “I’ll just make ‘TOAD’ and ‘PLANT.’”
Was that really so hard? You write down his score, thirteen points, and he squints at the
sheet as if expecting you to try to cheat him out of some.
The game moves around the table, from Brent to Lindsey, Lindsey to your mom, your
mom to you, then back to Brent. Brent doesn’t try to pull anything else for the rest of the
game, but you’re watching him closely, like a hawk.
You help your mom make dinner. She chops vegetables while you stir the soup pot.
Brent sits with Lindsey at the kitchen table, studying the crystal vase of tulips. “That
looks expensive,” he muses.
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He’s made several other comments like that today. At breakfast, he was interested in
Mom’s fancy coffeemaker, and later he mentioned that your pearl earrings, a special
sixteenth birthday present, were beautiful. “Must have cost a small fortune,” he said. You
don’t know exactly why, but he rubs you the wrong way.
“Are you excited to be graduating soon?” Mom asks Brent as she chops some carrots.
Brent is at the University of Arizona and will graduate next semester with a business
degree. Lindsey is one year younger than him, a junior.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” he says. “But student loans will take forever to pay off.”
Mom shakes her head. “Don’t get me started on the problems with our country.” Then
her knife slips, catching the side of her ring finger. She cries out as blood gushes
from the cut. You rush to help her, wrapping some paper towel around her finger as
a makeshift bandage. She yanks her wedding ring off and tosses it onto the counter
before blood gets on it. You and Lindsey take her to the bathroom to wash off and
bandage the injury. It turns out to be a shallow cut. No harm done.
§
Brent returns to Tucson the next day. Lindsey plans to stay with us for a few more days before
following him. You watch her kiss him goodbye at the airport, and they’re both smiling. You don’t
care much for Brent, but you suppose you’re glad that he makes your sister happy.