Roulette

 

I was down to my last chip.  I had already smoked my last cigarette and if the drinks weren’t free, this one wouldn’t be sitting here.   This was it, all or nothing.  I had only one chance left, so I had better make it good.

Double zero had the greatest odds, so that’s what I was going to set my chip on.  If I hit, I could get some grub from the cafeteria, buy a pack of smokes and grab the next bus back to town.  If I lost, I had no idea what would come next.  Just walk out to the road and stick my thumb out and hope I catch a ride before the desert sun melts me into a puddle of loser.

As I sat there waiting for them to spin the big wheel, I took a long last look at my chip.  It was an eagle, but it looked like it was in a box.  One of those fake mime boxes, where they put their hands up pretending to be feeling the sides of the box.

That’s me, I thought.  I’m the one in the box trying to get out.

“Place your bets.”

A loud voice startled me.  I looked up and saw all these arms reaching in, putting their chips on whatever numbers they hoped would be lucky.  There was one face in the crowd, however, that was not looking at the table but directly at me.  He was slowly shaking his head no.  I guess, telling me I had lost enough and that I should stop.  Was stopping my only way out of the box?  But how would I feel if I didn’t place my bet and double zero came up.  I’d be thinking of that for the rest of my life. 

        I knew the odds were always in favor of the casino, but then… what if