Trivia for Leslie
Leslie, who tragically lost her life in the Ward Parkway shooting, had been to every Wednesday night trivia bout since last June. She and her team, the Mindblogglers, sat at the same table, the one in the corner by the railing, in the sunken part of the restaurant. As a tribute, a framed picture of her sits atop the food-ordering podium. Also, the proceeds from the past couple of weeks of trivia went to her memorial fund, with the Flea Market matching the donations. At tonight’s trivia-fest, which starts at 9 p.m., owner Joe Zwillenberg will present the check to her family.
I went to the Flea Market last night because I wanted to hear more about her and her life. When the game ended around 10 p.m., I wandered over to a corner table and talked to a team called Spatulator, which consisted of a foursome of April, Kyle, Caroline and Steven. They’ve been coming to trivia for the past several weeks. Last Wednesday, Nate, the host, read a heartfelt letter from her team. When Spatulator came in first, they donated their winnings to her fund.
According to Nate, a teammate of Leslie’s e-mailed him the Monday afterwards. “It’s been tough,” he said, still visibly distraught. “I got the e-mail and my gut got all turned around.” He said that trivia was a big deal to her and her friends. “That’s bittersweet, I guess. I didn’t want (trivia) to be this serious of a deal, but life gets in the way.”
Nate gave me a copy of the statement from her teammates that he read at last Wednesday’s game. It reads, in part:
Leslie Noble Ballew, co-founder and cornerstone of the Mindbloggler trivia team and our friend, was taken from us by a madman’s bullet at Ward Parkway Mall on Sunday afternoon.Our confusion and loss cannot be described, and the world’s loss is just as profound. No one can imagine what this brilliant, loving, wonderful young woman was capable of adding to a world desperately in need of her.
Whether you know it or not, you were all a part of Leslie. For the past year, Trivia Night was her favorite night of the week. The camaraderie, the food and drinks, Nate’s colorful comments, and the rare opportunity to draw pictures (with nipples) on a magnadoodle made her laugh and smile all week long. Thank you for that.
“She was so nice,” Nate said. Referring to those who get all riled up during trivia, he added, “She wasn’t competitive, she was very happy-go-lucky. She had reason to lose her cool, but she had a really sweet temperament. I’m glad we could do something. She was a sweetheart. It’s just too bad.” – Jen Chen
4 comment(s) / Post a Comment
