Member-only story
You Need to Calm Down, Marjorie
A Story Inspired by Taylor Swift Songs (Part the First)
Betty and Dorothea from the nursing home were giving Marjorie a hard time during her volunteer shift — again.
Daylight spilled through the French doors in the activity room. A heated murmur of noise buzzed through the residents in their wheelchairs while their eyes stayed glued to what lay on the fold-out table: a Scrabble board filled with all manner of words, some Marjorie didn’t even recognize — and she had to be the referee with pocket Webster dictionary in hand.
The usual competitors were there: Betty and Dorothea in one corner, Ivy and Andrea in the other — though it was down to a three-person game since Andrea appeared to have fallen into a mid-afternoon nap.
“Sorry, ladies, but I have to award Ivy 76 points for her word — chutzpah,” Marjorie said, though Betty looked ready to protest.
“What kind of word is that?” Betty asked, but Ivy didn’t seem to hear — probably because the latter always pretended her hearing aids weren’t working in the vicinity of the former.
“Who wins this round of Scrabble? Me!” Ivy grabbed hold of the prize winnings of the day: Little Debbie snack cakes and fake money that could be exchanged at the weekly “Joy Market” arranged by the nurses…
