The Dice are Loaded: Part II

PART II

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The kid wakes without blinking or a yawn and when he opens his eyes they just stay open. At first he doesn’t question the pale, gray light and feels nothing. Relief, perhaps. He adjusts slightly and feels the first indications of soreness. His surroundings are becoming apparent and he’s outside the hotel, wedged into a corner of the stone steps. He can’t deny the soreness now and there’s the beginnings of an aching head. He shifts in the jeans sticking tight to his skin. 

It’s a beautiful morning with a cloudless sky and the mountains vivid and surreal in the golden sunlight. The strip is quiet and there’s some cars and morning-walkers and a few others that look more like the kid. He rises quickly and slips into the street. 

Water is the only thing on his mind and he stops at the first store he comes to. The clerk glances at the kid's face with mild disinterest and rings up the medicine and bottles of water. The kid reaches in his pocket for the money clip and his heart drops when he feels it empty. He quickly rummages through his other pockets and pulls out a few crumpled bills. He curses and puts one of the bottles to the side. The clerk gives an audible sigh when he breaks the bill and the kid darts out the door. 

Full blown nausea has set in and the kid stops to rip open the medicine and swallows half the water. He catches a glimpse of his reflection in the window and it’s bruised and purple and there’s blood caked and matted in his hair. He just about doubles over from the pain and fear and he can feel the tenderness in his ribs and the nausea is disorienting and the sweat drips in his eyes. 

His vision blurs momentarily and he leans against the window with shaky breaths. He’s got to get off the street. It takes a great effort but he regains vision enough to stagger back along the street and up the stone steps to the hotel. He garners little attention from anyone or at least doesn’t notice and he makes it into the elevator of the Venetian. 

In his room the kid immediately peels off the clothes starched and sticking with dried sweat. He lets the shower run over his shuddering body and a mind-splitting headache obscures his thoughts. Those damn girls. He gets out from the shower and runs to be sick in the toilet. 

After some time he regains control and clarity enough to examine himself in the mirror. His dark hair is slicked back and his eyes are sunken and bruised and there's a split in his lip. Not bad for a pool cue. He considers his ribs and back and it's all a sickening mix of grays, yellows, and blues. His shaky breaths are shallow and he fights to remain calm and the kid pulls out his jeans looking for the remaining cash.

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It’s a pretty sobering experience to walk through a beautifully lit morning with only the scenic mountains to distract you from the reality you just escaped. Not that we needed sobering. Our business deals had all gone south, compounded with our losses at the tables and we had long since switched to lime and salt waters anyway. We talk the whole while and keep our minds partially occupied and really it doesn’t feel all that strange to navigate those streets in our clothes from the night before. As we near the hotel I insist on stopping for breakfast but my associate and our client are having no part of it. Well I think they’re quitters and I know that the best part of being up in the early morning is a heaping plate of eggs and potatoes and a cup of black coffee and christ I need to feel somewhat normal. Besides you can only imagine what creatures of the strip must still be moving in the early hours of a Las Vegas diner. 

So they leave me and stagger up to our hotel and I take a stool at the bar of the diner across the street. It must be a weird place because no one takes notice of my mumbling bumbling stumbling all through the meal and I just stare when they ask if I’m in town on business. They give me a big plate and a fly buzzes all through the food. I’m trying to avoid attention but there’s a waitress at the bar who won’t quit and finally I give up and listen for a while.

... There’s Kip, same booth every morning. Watch now the cook comes out and sits across from him, tells him what he’s gonna have today. Everyday it’s somethin’ new they talk about. Today I heard him somethin’ like chainsaws or other. I can’t stand football season…

… and over here that’s Larry in the corner. Comes in every Wednesday and just sets there real quiet. Same booth every Wednesday. I never seen him on a weekend before so I best go check on him…

…You sit here long enough you’ll get your education too…

and she goes to check on Larry. I just dip my toast in the last of the jelly and leave cash on the counter. 

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The kid is already fully dressed and exiting the elevator into the lobby. There’s an increasing flurry of guests checking in and out and moving around but he pays them no mind and steps with long, sickening strides. He’d allowed himself to dip into the precious funds for a pair of sunglasses and a coffee but now it’s back to the tables. He no longer has enough money for the buy-ins they sent him for, but with some time at the tables he might build up a bankroll enough for a few games and still have some winnings for the flight home. The panging anxiety stabs at his gut and his head that aches and turns with nausea and his body shivers with cold running sweat and his tender ribs allow only shallow breaths. He takes his seat at the same table as before and it’s a new dealer who changes his cash to chips. The casino is mostly empty and there’s only a few other players sitting with coffees at the other tables but here it’s just the kid and the dealer who pushes the chips back. Seventy-five. He takes a shaky breath and fire tears across his ribs and the dealer starts with the cards.

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I’m up through the casino and standing in our room with all the pale light streaming in from behind the curtains on the window. Now that I’ve eaten it’ll be easy to fall asleep and I do right next to my client. Then the morning passes in a series of brief interruptions and conversations and I think professional golf is showing in the background. My associate is going to exercise in the gym and I’m going too but the pillow stays beneath my head and a few more hours go by. Finally it’s time to do something and my client says let’s go do this by the pool. 

Well of course we’ll go to the pool! And what a pool it is – six of them really, all uniquely shaped and equipped and laid out at the feet of our luxurious hotel. The gypsies are out in numbers as well, and if you ever go to a Las Vegas pool you should know about the gypsies. Well it’s teeming with them, passing dashing splashing by. They’re quite enjoying it and I must admit we are too. We sit at the restaurant and watch them while we order. 

I’ve never seen anything like it, says my client. 

I have to agree and he orders a beer though I’m not sure I could stomach it. 

I may have to call off the negotiations, he says. 

I stay calm, You think so?

My client nods. I’m in no shape for another meeting like that. It may be better to just call off the whole thing now!

I shrug, Take your time, you may feel differently later. 

He scoffs and goes back to watching the gypsies. After a while my associate arrives without so much as glancing their way. Well my client wants to stay but I can’t take it anymore so I excuse myself and leave them to go on some errands. 

The sun is hot and directly overhead and the strip is reverberating with heat. My errands take me all over town and it looks completely different from what I remember the night before. Really I can’t peel my eyes away from the sights and sounds that go on endlessly, each attraction more captivating than the last so I feel I could go on forever and really wish the errands wouldn't end. After the business I invent some more stops and go for a haircut and a shave and buy a new coat. The people seem friendlier than I remember and it may be that the desert air casts some enchantment over the town. But now it’s getting late and nearly time as a dusk descends over Las Vegas and the palm trees sway in the breeze and I’ve completed all my tasks and gathered everything I need. 

My associate and our client are waiting for me when I make it back to the hotel room. Decidedly it is time, so I shower and dress and I concoct the potions far more extensive and less effective and every movement feels slower and more difficult. But ignore all that I’ve made reservations across town and it's time to leave.  

It’s an explosion of colors and lights on the strip and the people are out in droves – all dressed and ready for the same night as us and it’s hard to imagine being anywhere else in the world. We’re in the heart of it now, the pulsing flashing beating heart that pumps blood and chips all down those streets of the town sprung out of a seep in the desert like some hazy oasis mirage. It’s all very exciting and our memories fade of the night before and now there’s only hope and expectation and wonder. Surely these people we pass are lacking our experience our knowledge our know-how of this town I mean they might be fools even the type of fools that Vegas thrives on but not us we are veterans we’ve done it before and we’ll do it again not like those wonderfilled eyes of the people we pass. 

Sitting at the table we have our meal and drink and it's all quite cheerful. Our client is still somewhat unsure but my associate pays him no mind and wears a perpetual, shameless grin. I’m somewhere in between, a sort of buzzing fatigue pulling me back but my curiosity much stronger and drawing me forward. My associate’s smile deepens.

Who’s ready for the tables?

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It’s been a long day for the kid and his luck hasn’t turned. He’d spent some time rotating through the tables and stretching his funds as far as they would go but he’s making very little progress. He’s up and down and down and each time his head droops lower and lower. Evening comes and still the fog in his brain has yet to clear and the pressure and anxiety build and he leaves to try another casino with less money than he started with. 

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The casino really is beautiful and it’s green and lavishly ornamented and we stride amongst the people out in the cunningly crafted city of Las Vegas, Nevada! The game is craps and we feel quite comfortable leaned up against the table though I must admit it’s difficult to overcome our fatigue. But no matter, we’ll soon get the engines started and we only need to catch a wave and where is that waitress? 

My associate is the craps player and he teaches us the ropes while the attendant listens on. 

You’ll want to double that bet, she says. 

Double it? (my associate) Why double? 

You’re playing the pass line and it’s your best odds. 

He looks at us and throws the chips down on the table and we do the same. The dice land and the table cheers and the attendant passes out our chips. My associate leans towards the attendant and they talk numbers the rest of the game. She looks bored and maybe hostile but my associate doesn’t care and his grin never changes with any roll of the dice. I look to our client. 

We need a waitress. 

Well we spend some time watching and waiting and really paying no attention to the game that takes more and more of our money and still we can’t find a waitress. At last one stops and we try to order double. 

I’m not bringing doubles, she says, you guys didn’t tip. 

Well we look at each other and all I have is twenty-five dollar chips and we scramble in our pockets for loose cash but she’s already gone. 

Damn.

So we keep playing at the table, a little wounded, and now no one is winning and even my associate is feeling dampened. 

It’s a cold table, he announces. We need one with some energy. 

Well I’m not tired (I lie). Are you?

Our client shakes his head. 

We need a drink, my associate says, C’mon we’ll try a new spot. 

He leads us through the casino and back into the night filled with warm desert wind. We stop at a new place and he tries for craps again but I want to play cards. So I sit for a while and the table is dull I mean no one is talking and I think maybe this dealer is a little hostile too. I can’t stand so much losing so it’s not long before I pick up again and join them at the craps game. 

Have you guys found a waitress? 

They shake their heads and I curse. 

What’s with this place? I bet you’re losing too!

They confirm it and I storm off to another room to go lose at those tables for a while. They find me and say we’ve got to try another place so we do and we’re back in the night and quickly at new tables and still losing losing losing and still it’s all rude and hostile and are there no waitresses in this whole effin’ town??? Okay so one more place I mean surely our luck will change and at least we can walk through all the beautiful lights and architecture and people of the strip and this looks like a good spot here sit down and our luck will change but no she is rude and we’re losing more and how can this happen? And still no waitress but man we’ve got to make it happen and one more place!

Well it’s the same casino from the night before so we know where to find our tables. The dealer is pleasant and the chair is comfortable and I start to believe that our luck has turned. Well, let’s begin then I’ll be here if you need me! They leave to find their own tables and I throw cash in for a stack of chips. It’s not long after that I’m winning and chatting and the waitress is very attentive so sweet relief! It’s like my head has cleared and I can breathe again. Yes! This is what we came for! 

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The kid watches his third bet in row miss on the wheel and he picks up his chips for another try at blackjack. He hasn’t eaten and he only has enough for a few hands but he has to win or he can’t go home and he’s sick with anxiety and nausea. 

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I’m up pretty big and generally everyone is feeling much better. My associate and our client come to find me and it’s time we made it for our final reservation. Well you’re right enough of this business, cash in the chips and here’s one for you sir and we all agree then so it’s a short walk to all the smoke and music and flashing lights and it’s a good deal of enjoyment to be had after such a grueling trip. We stay quite a while and why not there’s nowhere else to be but soon our client comes to us and says he’d like to close one more deal before it’s time to go. Well his flight is in a few hours but we hurry and make the calls and are urgent about the arrangements and it’s quite a blur but we get a car to pick us up and we’re rushing through the strip and laying out the negotiations the entire way. We arrive to the meeting and skip the formalities I mean these professionals are accommodating us and they’re busy so it’s straight down to business. Things are going much smoother than before and better than could be expected and we’re closing deals and our spirits are high but our client needs money. Well I float him a loan and he takes the cash and I never do find out how the negotiations transpire because he’s gone with the professionals and the next I hear he’s already left for the airport. My associate assures me the business was very profitable and I relax and our spirits are high and we toast a drink to close the weekend. We stay a while to soak it all in but it’s getting late and actually it’s early so my associate leads us back out into the night. 

It’s still dark but quite warm and we’re walking back towards the strip. 

I think I’ll stay a while longer, my associate says. What about you? 

I’ll be out all night, I reply. Anywhere you say. 

My associate grins and slaps me on the back and we walk up the stone steps of the Venetian. I find a table I like and he sits with me and we throw the cash down without care because even our losses can’t outweigh our profitable business deals. A waitress comes past and he orders two lime and salt waters. 

It’s a full table and complete with all the characters of a morning casino. The creatures of Las Vegas. The viejo with his dark skin pulled tight and leathery against his cheek bones keeps a cigarette burning always in his hand though I’m not sure I ever see him draw from it. He speaks little and maybe only in Spanish but looks at me and laughs soft and hoarse every time my associate hits on a bad card. I know he lives here. The fake cowboys sitting next to him talk a lot and really are from Florida and wear dark felt hats in the dead of summer. They rib at the dealer who smiles politely without reciprocating but really his english isn’t that good either. While the viejo wins they lose almost every hand and celebrate every bust like it’s the lottery. The coffee drinker next to them is different from the rest of us – when our night is ending his day has just begun and he’s quiet and serious playing the game and barely answers when spoken to. I think he’s in town for the weekend but really it’s probably three weekends a month and he plays smart and loses a lot. The kid is sitting last at the table and has very little chips left and his dark sunglasses do little in the way of hiding his bruises and cuts and numb despair. 

I watch the kid carefully and he shivers and sweats and plays very conservative and hangs on every flip with bated breath. My associate pays no attention and talks to the fake cowboys who have their luggage and are leaving soon for the airport. The viejo holds the smoke in one hand and taps the table with the other. 

I’m honestly not sure if I’m winning or losing but I’m watching the kid who’s ordering tequilas and his chips are running out. The waitress accosts him for not tipping and I throw some chips on her tray. He taps for a card and busts and his head drops a little lower. The dealer turns four low cards in a row and busts on twenty-two and the rest of the table pays out. The kid finishes his tequila. 

He’s down to his final chips and the dealer has to wait when it’s the kids turn to play. He sits there unmoving and the dealer taps him lightly on the shoulder and the kid jumps and taps for a card. It’s a face card on a seventeen and the dealer takes his cards and chips and he’s down to his last hand. He pulls at a waitress and mumbles something and the waitress shakes her head. He mumbles louder and it’s not making sense and the waitress gets angry so the dealer calls for security. They stand at his back and he’s still mumbling loudly and they ask him to stand and he doesn’t stop mumbling. Finally they grab him by the shoulders and his head rolls to the side and he’s mumbling nonsense and knocks over his drink and they drag him out of the casino and the dealer picks up the kid’s chip. 

The cowboys play for a while longer but eventually leave to catch their flight and the coffee drinker has long since left for another table. My associate wants to go to bed so we cash in and tip the dealer and I say goodbye to the viejo and he smiles back at me. 

When we open the doors the light streams in bright and golden and the mountains burn in the distance. The sky is cloudless, pristine blue and it’s hot but the breeze is nice and the air feels light. It’s funny how clear and quiet the buildings of the strip stand in the desert haze and the morning casinos are calm and almost peaceful. Their magic and allure is completely different in the daylight but still every bit as enchanting. Las Vegas must be the perfect experiment of a city and it’s scientific and magic all at once and after a while you forget your questioning and wonder and it becomes more like reality than anything you’ve ever known and leaving is what feels strange and more absurd is the world outside. Maybe another trick of the desert.

My associate goes to the room for a few hours of sleep but I know there’s no use so I sit at the tables to lose the rest of my money. I’m exhausted from the walk and the heat and the night but I have another lime and salt water and order a coffee. There’s some people moving around now and I sit with a married couple at the tables and I’m amazed at the pleasant conversation they have with the dealer. It’s still early in the morning but she’s very warm and friendly and they laugh together while her hands move expertly with the cards and she counts without breaking sentence and the couple wins and I lose. For her it must be just another casino morning with an eager couple and a disheveled businessman and there’s no shock or surprise in her voice as she recounts her favorite hikes in Vegas and she’s planning a roadtrip to Yellowstone and to Utah. Well I’d like to go there too. 

I guess I can’t help but wonder about the beauty of Las Vegas with it’s colors and lights and velvet carpets and is that real art on the wall? Is all this real stone archecticure or am I falling for the trick? The mountains are beautfiul and real and the desert has it’s own allure. The heat and the sun are real and they surely drive you to the exquisite pools and the drinks you order quench the thirst of the dusty air. What about the uniforms they wear? The staff of Las Vegas is very polite and knowledgeable and I think their hair must be perfect and yes of course sir and my pleasure ma’am, how else may I assist you? Either way I sit up against the table and push my chips forward and watch as some of the gypsies gamble at the tables next to me. I don’t think they know the rules that well but they seem pretty excited and one of their friends wagers and wins on a whole stack of chips. Well it’s a lot of money and he doesn’t chip up but collects the towers stacked in his hands and I guess they go to cash in but I just stay at the table and play another hand. 

THE DICE ARE LOADED

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