Winning Is Not For Cowardly Women
Especially if they’re on a team with a man.
As I walked home from the bar, I felt a mix of shame and bewilderment. I am not a competitive woman. I don’t like to cause a fuss. Typically, I will be the last person to outwardly challenge a person on something that they strongly believe, especially if that fact is trivial. But that night, I wish I had stood up for what I believed.
I had been having a blast, cracking jokes and chatting with my new friends. We had gathered at a neighborhood bar to play trivia — although the game was really just an excuse for us to get together. I had even been the one to suggest it.
My boyfriend was in charge of recording our answers in the little booklet that the trivia “Gamemaster” had handed out to each table. This was a responsibility that he volunteered for and no one had objected. It seemed an obvious role for him to play. He was confident and great at memory recall games. His friend Dan sat across from him, anxiously leaning over the table to help with the answers.
When I had arrived, the group was already seated. I slid into the booth next to Dan, the first round of trivia just beginning. It was the music round and we had to name songs and artists based on a few seconds of music.
