Page 28 of Love is a Game
She turned back and made a face. He just grinned and waved.
Sadie stepped out into the sunshine, pleased with how much she had accomplished. And despite what Andrew had said, she had a feeling that when she returned, the boxes would be right where she left them.
Chapter Ten
In the late afternoon, as school-aged children and teenagers began to trickle in, Andrew pushed a television on a wheelie cart from behind the circulation desk out to the story-time rug. He’d been advertising a National Spelling Bee viewing party for the last few weeks and was happy to see that there were already a handful of people gathered, mostly teenagers and a couple of mothers with their younger children. Gracie and the rest of her study group had come out of the conference room at the sight of the television being moved, and they joined in as well. Not a bad turnout.
Everyone settled in on chairs and pillows taken from the reading nook and cheered as the program began. These were the things Andrew enjoyed most about his job, getting people together like this. Maybe it was his own selfish desire for company, but he hoped it was making a good impact on the community as well.
When he got the library job, he’d negotiated with the county to make the previously part-time position into a full-time one, even though they weren’t sure the patronage numbers deserved it. He’d promised them that he could bring in more people, and with events like the Spelling Bee, he’d been successful. Still, more often than not, he sat in an empty library with nothing to do but ruminate on the past. He had plenty of quiet hours at home to dwell on painful memories; he didn’t need to make it part of his workday too.
As the first round began, they made guesses about who would win, what words meant before the judges gave definitions, and what they would do with the prize money. It was getting loud, but Andrew didn’t mind. There were only a couple of other people in the library, and he hoped the noise might draw them in.
When a young girl was given the word sirtaki, Evan let out a frustrated sigh. “Aren’t these words supposed to be English?” he asked.
“Well, the English language borrows a lot of words from other languages,” Andrew explained, “especially culturally specific words like this. Seems silly to have a separate English word for a Greek dance, doesn’t it?”
“But how are you supposed to study?” Gracie asked, indignant. “You can’t learn the spelling rules of every language.”
“It’s not just about learning rules. I think they try to memorize individual words. These kids spend hours studying word lists everyday,” Andrew told her.
Evan looked at him, his face twisted in confusion. “That sounds so boring. Why would anyone want to do that?”
“Because they want to win.”
Andrew turned at the sound of Sadie’s voice. He hadn’t seen her come out of the office, but there she was, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
“What is all this?” she asked.
What did it look like? With all the time she’d spent at the library, she must have seen his flyers.
“It’s the annual gathering of Briar Cove Etymology Enthusiasts,” he teased. “You can grab a seat if you want to join in the fun.”
Sadie didn’t sit, but she didn’t leave, either, which he hadn’t expected.
She’d been slightly less annoying ever since he gave her the box of tax forms. In fact, sometimes it almost felt like she was trying to be nice to him. He’d struggled for two days over the decision to help her, even in such a small way. The longer she spent digging through boxes, the more time he had to get his application in and hopefully stop her company from taking over the hotel. However, the disappointment on Julie’s face that night at the diner had really gotten to him. He would give anything to have more time with his family, and if it was in his power to give that to someone else, he knew he had to. If not for Sadie’s sake, then for Julie’s.
The judge on the screen announced the next word, and a young boy in glasses hesitated before asking for the country of origin.
“He’s stalling. Who here knows it?” Andrew asked. No one answered. He’d envisioned this as a more participatory event when he came up with the idea. Apparently, it was up to him to break the ice. “C-h-i-h-u-a-u-a. Chihuahua,” he said quickly.
“H-u-a,” Sadie corrected, standing a little straighter.
“What?” he asked, turning to her.
“C-h-i-h-u-a-h-u-a. You spelled it wrong.”
“Wait, he’s spelling it now,” one of the teenagers cried, bringing everyone’s attention back to the screen.
The boy in the glasses spelled the word correctly and sat back in his seat. Everyone turned to Andrew, and the teenagers began to laugh.
“You got it wrong, Mr. Price!” Evan cried.
Andrew shifted in his seat. Of course, Sadie had been there to see him stumble. “I know how to spell it, must have been a slip of the tongue,” he said defensively.
“Try to get the next one, then.” There was a challenge in Evan’s tone, that unique brand of seventeen-year-old arrogance. This was not how Andrew had meant for this to go.
The next word was proprioceptive, and before the contestant could begin, he spelled it out correctly. Hopefully that would salvage his reputation with the teens at least.