The story behind what’s that word goes back ten years. Since 2014, I’ve been privileged to explore New York City one or two weeks a year. My wife has been a delegate and then a trustee on the board of a NFP with offices in NYC. I, along with several others, call ourselves plus ones.
In my first year, 2014, a pair of local members guided us around the city and offered options. Among other things, I walked around the Statue of Liberty with a plus one from Vancouver in a storm (it was a cold October day), biked around Central Park, and went to a couple of Broadway plays.
Several of us with similar interests, or at least we chose the same options, hung out together. We became friends for the week. My friend from Vancouver was there with her husband as was another from New Mexico. English was a second language for the girl from New Mexico. I speak only English, and sometimes poorly, so I have much respect for anyone who is multilingual.
Let’s Go See a Play!
The three of us went to see a new play titled “It’s Only a Play.” We were in the mood for a comedy. The cast included Matthew Broderick, F. Murray Abraham, Stockard Channing, and Nathan Lane. The play was about a first-time wealthy producer throwing an opening night party for the cast and crew. There was gossip, arguments, drinking, and drugs as they waited for the overnight reviews. As you might guess, the reviews weren’t great.
Just before the intermission, Stockard Channing walks center stage to berate someone. I think it was a reviewer or a columnist. As the curtains close, a cast member asks what she really thinks of the person. Channing says, “She’s a C-word.” Except she didn’t say the C-word. She said the word. The audience is stunned and then breaks into hysterical laughter.
Yes, Randy, What’s that Word?
When the laughter quieted down, our friend from New Mexico, who was sitting in the middle, asked Vancouver and me in a conversational voice, “What is this C-word?” She was unfamiliar with it. Vancouver and I just sat there for what seemed like an eternity when finally Vancouver said, “Yes, Randy, what is this C-word?” I gave her an evil look and said something witty like, “You Know.”
New Mexico looked at me and repeated the question, “Yes, Randy, what is this C-word? Now remember, these two friends aren’t saying C-word. They’re saying the word while sitting in the audience as others watch and listen. I recovered and told her to ask Vancouver at, which Vancouver whispered in her ear. She gasped, turned red, and said, “Oh my.” I‘ve never been asked to define the word since then. I couldn’t make this stuff up.
And There’s a Book of Humor
Want to read a collection of humor pieces? Writing I Think I’m Funny: and it gets me in trouble all the time has been a labor of love. Of the 47 stories in this book, more than 30 are true tales from my days on this planet. Most of those make it clear how my warped sense of humor gets me in trouble.
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Photo by Liam McGarry on Unsplash
