Scrabble
by Greg Hatem
I was walking down Inman Street in Cambridge the other day, from Inman Sq. to Central. As I approached Massachusetts Ave., I noticed an older woman sitting on the porch of a random elegant old home. She was looking rather haggard, as if she was down on her luck. She confirmed this by asking me for exactly 70 cents, perhaps to supplement a bus fare. I was drawn in by the specificity of her request as well as her seemingly good-natured intentions. I searched my pocket for the 70 cents, but I came up a bit short. ”Oh, honey, I’ll take whatever you got,” she reassured me. She stared me down for a second, as if she was reading me. I started to walk away when the most amazing words came out of her mouth.
“Hey! You wanna play Scrabble or something?” Read more »
Tags: Greg Hatem