Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Wednesday's Words: Sport

  Welcome to #WednesdayWords where I share a snippet of a story using yesterday's word from the New York game, WORDLE. Yesterday's WORDLE was SPORT. 

An excerpt from The Billionaire's Beagle

“So, you plan on visiting your dad for Thanksgiving?” Uncle Matt asked as he slid a couple of fried eggs and a strip of bacon onto a plate and handed it to Letty.

“Yes.” Letty didn’t like talking about her dad, but it seemed like a small price to pay for her aunt and uncle’s generosity and hospitality.

Uncle Matt carried his own breakfast to the table and sat across from Letty. While her dad was trim and sported a year-round tan—compliments of a tanning salon—Uncle Matt was almost as round as the tennis balls her dad liked to lob over nets. “This is a first for you, isn’t it?”

Letty nodded before she concentrated on seasoning her eggs. A weak autumn sun streamed through the windows and landed on the gleaming white counters and stainless-steel appliances. All the shining light made the kitchen feel more like an interrogation room than a breakfast nook.

“You know, you have to forgive him.”

“I’m trying.” Letty glanced up to meet her uncle’s sincere gaze. His eyes looked so much like her dad’s, it hurt. She reminded herself that Uncle Matt might be her dad’s brother and therefore possessed similar DNA, but that didn’t mean they were anything alike. Their moral compasses were as different as their eating habits.

“They say that not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die, but I’m not sure I believe that.” Uncle Matt poked at his eggs with his fork.

“I’m not so mad about what he did.” Letty leaned away from the table, no longer hungry. “I’m more upset that he doesn’t see that what he did was wrong. He stole millions of dollars from people who can now no longer afford to retire because of his greed.”

“He means to pay them back.”

“How?”

“I don’t think he’s figured that out yet.” Uncle Matt sipped some orange juice.

Letty blew out a breath of frustration. “Don’t defend him.”

“I’m not, but I am trying to help you see his point of view.”

Letty blinked back tears. “I’ll never understand.”

“Addiction can make us crazy.” Uncle Matt set down his juice and fixed Letty with an earnest gaze. “We think of addicts sleeping on park benches or begging on street corners, and while it’s true that addiction can take us there, most people are addicted to something. It might be food, or work, or, in your dad’s case, gambling. And it’s a disease. It alters your brain. I don’t mean to lecture you, but your dad deserves your compassion, not anger.”

“I don’t know if I can do it,” Letty said in a small voice.

He pointed his fork at her. “You have to, if not for your dad, then for yourself.”

Letty tried to smile, picked up her own fork, and tucked back into her breakfast.

Uncle Matt continued, “Anger causes the adrenal glands to flood the body with stress hormones and the brain shunts blood away from the gut. Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase, the body temperature rises and the skin perspires.” He waved a piece of bacon at her. “You don’t want to be all sweaty, do you?”

“Don’t worry about me,” Letty told him. “I have an excellent antiperspirant.”

He shook his head. “Some of the short and long-term health problems that have been linked to unmanaged anger include headaches, abdominal pain, insomnia and even skin problems, such as eczema. Not to mention increased anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.”

“Oh, you are just a bundle of joy,” Aunt Shari said as she bustled into the room with a collection of books beneath her arm. She planted a kiss on her husband’s round, shiny bald head.

“I’m just giving her fair warning,” Uncle Matt said.

“You’re such a know-it-all,” Aunt Shari said in a loving voice.

“So are you, Dr. Ashton.”

“But I save my lectures for the classroom,” Aunt Shari said before winking at Letty. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m sure you’ll find your dad very changed.”

“Humbled, in fact,” Uncle Matt said.

“It’s nice you’re close,” Letty said.

“He’ll always be my baby brother,” Uncle Matt said.

He didn’t say it, but Letty thought she heard the words, just like he’ll always be your dad.

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