After several hours of playing the five dollar slot machines, he was down five thousand dollars. He wasn’t dismayed; he thought his beginner’s luck just hasn’t kicked in yet. He decided to eat dinner and go to bed, start fresh in the morning.
He awoke at just past eight o’clock. He took the elevator down and headed for the casino. He walked intently towards the slot machines. He learned to tune out the excited squeals when someone hit a jackpot and the annoyed curses when someone lost. He got used to the sticky puddles of liquor that was spilled here and there, and the ever present clouds of cigarette smoke that filled the air.
He inserted the card that carried his credit for the casino and pulled the lever, diamonds filled his screen and a siren loosed from the speaker proclaiming him a jackpot winner. He excitedly watched the balance transfer to the card and continued to play.
Who knows how long later, he had lost the other five grand. He had thought he was gonna make it big; turn the ten thousand into twenty. He should have known better, he silently admonished himself. He was done with gambling, he still had fifty-five thousand usable dollars in the bank account. He would go to the bank tomorrow and withdraw the money to pay off his debt.
Tonight, though, he would take in a show. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to see a musical act or a magic act. Both thoughts filled him with the sort of giddiness he had experienced as a child when he had found and unusual rock to add to his collection. He had long since left such childishness behind, but was amazed he could still feel like this.
As he was pondering his decision he walked between two parked cars and began to cross the intersection. He was distracted by his own thoughts. He was still thinking about his excitement filled adventure, when everything went dark.
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