Derrick scribbles it down. “Done.”
The host returns with a tray of drinks, and Derrick slides him the paper. Glancing around us, I estimate there’s about sixty or seventy people here. Most of the teams are just like ours. It’s a sea of dress shirts and ties, composed almost entirely of men. The few other women I catch scattered throughout the room look like rare, colorful birds in a forest of gray and navy.
“Okay, here we go,” Derrick says as he removes his coat. The screen flashes to life with the categories: “World Capitals,” “’80s Music,” “Theme Parks,” and “Foods of the World.”
“I have agoodfeeling about this,” Leon grins, rubbing his hands together as soon as he finishes reading the categories.
He wipes the “’80s Music” category clean (because he lived it), I steamroll “World Capitals,” and Andy and Ted tag-team “Foods of the World” like they’re trading Pokémon cards. And “Theme Parks,” well... guess how that one went.
By the end of the first round, the scoreboard flashes with an announcement that we’re infirst place.
In round two, the categories get trickier: “Pop Culture,” “Classic Hollywood Films,” “Parts of the Body,” and “English Literature.”
We stumble hard on “English Lit.” None of us can remember which Shakespeare play has the line about “sound and fury.” The points slip away, and the other teams surge ahead.
In the final round, we claw our way back with the categories “Dogs,” “World Architecture,” “Wines,” and “East Asia.”
And suddenly, we’re back in the game. It all comes down to the final question.
The screen flashes. I read aloud, “What landmark structure requires braces to correct it?”
Derrick squints. “No clue.”
“Same,” Ted says.
Andy hazards a guess. “The Golden Gate Bridge?”
Leon and I make eye contact, trying not to laugh. “No,” I say, biting back a grin. “It’s the Leaning Tower of Pisa.”
Ted leans in, unsure. “Didn’t they fix that? Drained the soil or something?”
“They did.” Leon sighs. “And added steel cables. It’s been ongoing for twenty years.” He gestures at me. “Kaori knew too. She’s clearly keeping up with world news better than you.”
Ted throws a tortilla chip at him. “Hey, sleep-deprived fathers can’t be expected to process world architecture. I’m just proud I remembered the tower was leaning.”
“Barely,” Andy mutters.
We hand in our answer, and a few suspenseful minutes crawl by.
The scoreboard flashes.Tied for first: Nacho Avengers & The G-ForceFive
Our table erupts and I take it all in. Derrick fist-pumps. Andy jumps to his feet and starts bowing. Leon looks like someone granted him early access to retirement.
“Wait—we won?” Ted rubs his eyes like he can’t believe it.
“We did!” Derrick exclaims. “Finally! No more second place for us! Kaori, you’d better join us every week from now on. You’re our good-luck charm.”
We exchange high-fives. My body warms. It feels so good to be part of a team. I’m glad I came tonight.
Leon lifts his phone and snaps a picture of our triumphant chaos. “Gotta send this to my boys. They’ll get a kick out of it.”
Derrick blinks. “Hold on—you have kids?”
Andy smacks the back of his head. “Of course he does, genius. He’s told us about them before.”
“I didn’t know.” Derrick glares at Andy.
“Because you neverlisten.”Andy tosses another chip at him.
