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“I can’t play
the slots or even roulette much, no human element. There’s gotta be somebody to beat or be
beaten by,” explains the old gentleman over his drink. “I’d rather lose a
thousand to a man then win a thousand from a machine, just how it is.”
His name’s
Reginald Scott, was a cattleman in times past.
Now, he’s a gambler, well then he was a gambler too. Made his fortune rustlin’ his own cattle they
say. No one alive remembers those days
though. He’s outlasted at least three
owners of the Golden Horseshoe, outlived two of ‘em.
“If
it’s all about the beatin’ the guy across from you, why gamble?” asks the man
he’s drinking with. “Couldn’t ya just as easily scare up a game of checkers,
probably save you some money.”
“Son,
I’ve lived a helluva long time, done my share of deeds, good and bad. And you know I don’t remember a one of ‘em
that didn’t have something important at stake.
Now I’m sure I’ve done plenty of things for the hell of it but I don’t
remember ‘em.” Reginald pulls a wad of
bills out of his breast pocket and taps them on the counter. “Son these right here matter. More then most things, they mean life, they
mean death, happiness, sadness. Anything
can be had with enough of them. If I
walk into this here casino and I play this whole stack on one hand of cards
then that hand of cards is gonna be the one I remember. It’s gonna be the one that matters.”
The
man smiles as the barkeep gets him another beer. “You’d play that all on one
hand, seems like a lot to lay at the feet of lady luck.”
“That’s
all we’ve got son, ya strip a man bare and what’s he got left? Naught but his luck and what god done blessed
him with.”
The
man signals to the barkeep, “Would you get this fine gentleman another drink,
oh and a pack of cigarettes for me.”
The
bartender pours Reginald another whiskey and turning to the man asks, “What
kind of smokes would you like.”
“Surprise
me. So Reg, anyone ever taken you up on
your little wager?”
“A
few did, back when I first started coming here.
I always won though. Every time,
they used ta think I was cheating somehow.
But I’ll tell you most everything in my life I have cheated some way or
another. But not cards, that’d be like
writing your name in the good book while St. Peter was out smokin’.”
“You
truly are a man of character. You ever
thought of joining the clergy?” The man
looks down at the pack of cigarettes that had been left on the bar for him.
“Damn, I hate Camels. Doesn’t look like
I’d be winning that money off ya today.”
“Yeah,
s’pecially since I’m partial to Camels.”
Reginald reaches down and grabs one. “Truth be told, you can’t really
tell the extent of your luck from something so inconsequential as a random
bartenders choice in smokes.”
“The
cigarettes are just the period at the end of the sentence. I’ve never wanted anything enough to be lucky
for it. Like these,” he holds up the
pack of Camels, “I’ll smoke ‘em. Just
the same as I’d have smoked a $50 dollar cigar.
You think I ended up in this town ‘cause I wanted to? It’s just that one town’s pretty much the
same as another. There’s people, and
there’s buildings, and there’s problems same as any other.”
“Terrible
way to view the world. I’ve seen my
share of it and it’s not completely without its charm.”
The
two sit there in silence slowly smoking away the cigarettes.
“Would
you like anything more to drink sirs?” the bartender asks.
“Give
us two of your finest scotch, this beer just isn’t doing it for me,” answers
the man. “You know they should really
get a live act in here, might add a little to that charm you’re champ’ning so.”
“Now
son, there’s no need to be an ass.
Though I wouldn’t say no to a sweet little thing crooning about such and
so. They used to have one you know. Got out of town soon as she could, but while
she was here… She brought even more
people in then my beautiful face.” Reginald raises two fingers to the
bartender. “This one’s on me, can’t let you get all the glory here.”
“That’s
very kind of you.”
“Let
me ask you something,” says Reginald as the bartender returns with the two
glasses. “How did you end up here?”
The
man drains his drink, places the glass gingerly on the bar and replies, “It was
the next in line I s’pose. Been slowly
makin’ my way west for the past seven or eight years. Stopping in promising looking towns, staying
in some. Passing through the
others. Never pan out like I’d hope
though.”
“So
how’s this one stand up compared to the rest, does it got what you’re lookin’
for.”
Smiling
slightly the man turns to the bartender, “Two more drinks.” He turns back towards Reginald, “Lets find
out shall we.”
Reginald
smiles back, “Now we’re talkin’ son.
Took ya a bit longer then I’d figured, but I knew you’d be game.”
The
two pick up their drinks and amble over to an open table. They settle themselves as a dealer walks
over.
“What
will you gentlemen be playing tonight?” he asks.
“That
is a good question, it’d only be proper that this young man to my side be the
one to chose.” Reginald says as he
gestures to the aforementioned.
“Let’s
do it proper then. We each draw a card,
high wins. Let luck decide.”
“You’ll
risk five thousand bucks on a single card?” Reginald whistles. “I knew ya’d do right be me kid.”
Reginald
pulls the wad of bills from his pocket and tosses it onto the table. Slowly the other man counts out fifty hundred
dollar bills and places them beside the old cattleman’s. The dealer shuffles the deck of cards and
pushes it towards the middle of the table.
The man cuts the deck and Reginald draws the top card. Rolls reverse and the two turn over their two
cards, an eight and a three.
“Well
son, I guess this town’s not what you’re lookin’ for either,” Reginald quips as
he gathers up the two piles of cash.
“I
don’t know, it might just be.”
“You
just lost five thousand dollars and this is the town you’re lookin’ for?”
“Like
ya said, you strip a man of everything.
That’s when ya see what’s really there.”
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