Getting Words Right

Playing Scrabble, I had every letter but the “C” for “Celsius.”

“Is Felsius a word?”

“You know it’s not.”

“But it’s 86% of the letters, so...”

“You need 100 percent.”

I pretended to think.

“It’s a word. Trust me.”

“I would need the faith of Abraham. And you would need to be someone else.”

I took my time adjusting letters. Files, flies, fuels... Not enough points.

“Would you go already!”

I could do this for a century if I had to. I had her right where I wanted.

“Fine. Felsius. This is why I hate playing with you!”

It’s called winning.

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For the curious: C is the Roman numeral for 100. In Celsius, water boils at 100 degrees. “Percent” in Latin means “per 100.” A century is 100 years, and Abraham was 100 when his son, Isaac, was born. Also, this is my 100^th story.

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Illustration by Steve Spetseris