The Elusive Letter Z
My oldest son recently asked me what my happiest memory was of the two of us. That’s a difficult question to answer. I was instantly flooded with flashes of us laughing uncontrollably through the years, but the one that came flooding to the forefront of my mind was ‘The Z.’
He knew exactly what I was talking about.
When my kids were younger, we played the alphabet game relentlessly. Anytime we drove anywhere, whether it was across the state or across town, letters were yelled with a fierceness that rivaled mortal combat.
Now I have since learned that there are several ways to play the alphabet game, so for the sake of eliminating confusion, we play like this:
· Two or more players can play.
· The first player who goes all the way through the alphabet in order wins.
· You must call out the letter and the word the letter was found in to advance to the next letter.
· Each word/source can only be used once, for one letter.
· Everything outside of the vehicle is fair game!
For example, if there is a sign that says, ‘Fred’s BBQ,’ you can simply call ‘E in Fred’s’ and no one else can use that Fred’s again. Things start to get a little dicey when we drive a mile down the interstate and see another sign for ‘Fred’s BBQ.’ That’s a completely different sign than the one we just passed and that Fred’s is fair game. If you still need the F, you better call it before your little brother calls the E you beat him to a few minutes ago.
I’m not one who believes in letting people win, even my children. I’m not a sore loser, but if you’re going to win, you need to win fair and square. That’s true for board games. It’s true for card games. And it’s definitely true for the alphabet game!
You may have guessed, things tended to get very competitive very quickly, especially when Qs or Zs were involved.
And so, it was on this particular instance. The kids and I were traveling back from Columbus, Georgia to our home in Warner Robins. The road was fairly isolated without an abundance of signage. We were all stuck on the last letter. I had resigned to wait until we got closer to town where the options were better. My youngest was in the back seat. He had started playing video games and wasn’t paying very close attention. My oldest was riding shotgun. We had started chatting about something or other.
There was a semi in front of us and I moved over to pass it. Obviously, we’re still in the game. I glanced over at the tag and around the truck but didn’t see the letter in question.
That’s when he saw it. Burying in the DOT identification markings decal. He found a Z!
My child turned to me and yelled like he was trying to get my attention across the crowded tarmac of a busy airport. He clearly thought I was a thousand yards away because when he screamed “ZZZZ!” I felt my eardrum pass through my skull, out my other ear, and bounce off the window. For a moment, I thought I was a character in one of those old Looney Tune cartoons.
He was so proud.
After I made sure we weren’t going to wreck, I explained to him that it wasn’t necessary to yell quite so loudly. I might not have been as motherly as I intended. He was too excited to listen.
It took a couple of hours for my ears to stop ringing. He wanted to play again immediately afterward, but I refused. I couldn’t hear a thing.
We’ve laughed about that stupid letter many times since then. I miss the days when I had both kids in the car going to this place or that. Perhaps it’s time for another road trip, but I think this time I need to let him drive so I can really focus.
