It’s been more than four hours since we left our
home in Kuala Lumpur to get to this shining, anonymous box
of a hotel in Johor Bahru where the tournament is taking place
this weekend; this is more time than we’ve spent with just each
other since I was about ten, and neither of us knew quite how to
handle it. She tolerated my music for approximately twenty-three
minutes (a playlist heavy on K-pop, indie rock, and Taylor Swift)
before making me switch to her favorite radio station (playing
“easy listening hits,” which seems to translate to “absolutely no
songs from the past ten years”) for as long as it took to get out
of range. Then when the music gave way to nothing but static,
she made me plug in her iPhone so we could listen to some
sheikh reciting Quranic verses.
Verily, in hardship there is relief.
“It’s a lot to take in, okay?” I fiddle with the friendship
bracelet tied around my wrist, then pull the sleeves of my black
top down low so only the tips of my fingers peek out of the
edges. I’m always cold these days. “It’s been a year. I’m just
nervous.”
“Nervous? Buat apa nak nervous?” Mama glances up at
the rearview mirror and adjusts her deep blue headscarf. In
her youth, she was a beauty queen; we have sepia-tinted pictures
of her poised and smiling on stage, her hair lacquered to
terrifying heights, her tight kebaya skimming her curves. Now
she adheres to a strict regime of creams and potions designed
to scare off any wrinkle foolhardy enough to try making its
presence known. “There’s no reason to be. You know this game
inside out. You’ve been playing Scrabble most of your life,
thanks to your father and me.” (My mother likes to take credit
for my word-wrangling prowess, such as it may be, because she
and my dad bought me my very first set. “It will help improve
your English,” she told me on my eighth birthday, when the
present I tore open so eagerly held my first Scrabble set instead
of the long-desired Rock Star Barbie I’d begged for with the
spangled clothes and the hot pink plastic guitar, and I had to
bite my tongue to keep from saying something I’d regret.)
Mama continues, not waiting for my reply. As usual.
“You’re good at it. And you’ll be with all your friends.”
“What friends? I only had one.”
Mama stiffens. Like most of the Malaysian parents I know,
she doesn’t like it when I bring up “sensitive” topics.
Comprehension Questions
1. When did the main character start playing Scrabble?
A. at eight years old
B. When she started fourth grade
C. Just a year ago
2. Why did her parents buy her first Scrabble set?
A. To keep her entertained during the summer
B. Their family has always played Scrabble
C. To improve her English
A. To keep her entertained during the summer
B. Their family has always played Scrabble
C. To improve her English
Your Thoughts
3. Did you like this excerpt? Why or why not?
Vocabulary
4. List any vocabulary words below.