“I’d love to watch you play.”
He looked over at the poker tables to survey the scene. “On second thought, I won’t be able to concentrate. It’s all men over there right now. Those guys are gonna be all over you, and I really don’t feel like getting into another fight tonight. Why don’t we split up for a little bit. You go play your pennies, and I’ll come find you once I’ve played a couple of rounds.”
I pointed to the slots diagonally across the room. “I’ll be over there, then.”
As I walked away, I thought about how I should have asked him why it bothered him so much if guys hit on me. I was the single one after all. Didn’t he say it wasn’t my place to care about him? So, why did he care about that if he’s with Chelsea? I had to endure watching his girlfriend all over him right in front of me, so why shouldn’t he have to endure some guy flirting with me?
I wanted to text him that question but wasn’t sure if he had the same phone number from seven years ago. I decided I’d text the old number in my phone anyway to get it off my chest, and if it was no longer his number, then so be it.
Why does it matter to you anymore if other guys hit on me? You’re not supposed to care.
After a few minutes, there was no reply. It wasn’t his number anymore. Well, it still felt good to type those words out.
I chose a Lucky Sevens machine and situated myself next to an old woman whose hair was pretty much blue because it had so much rinse in it.
She smiled over at me. Her lipstick was the brightest florescent pink, and she had a smear of it on her front teeth.
I pulled the lever repeatedly not even paying attention to whether or not I was winning anything.
Her voice startled me. “You look like you have something on your mind.”
“I do?”
“Who is he, and what did he do?”
I’d never see this woman again after today. Maybe I should just let it all out.
“You want the long version or the short version?”
“I’m ninety, and the dinner buffet opens in five minutes. Give me the short version.”
“Okay. I’m here with my stepbrother. Seven years ago, we slept together right before he moved away.”
“Taboo…I like it. Go on.”
I laughed. “Okay…well, he was the first and last guy I ever really cared about. I never thought I’d see him again. His father died this week, and he came back for the funeral. He wasn’t alone. He brought a girl he supposedly loves. I know she loves him. She’s a good person. She had to go back to California early. Somehow, I ended up at this casino with him. He leaves tomorrow.”
A single teardrop fell down my face.
“It looks to me like you still care about him.”
“I do.”
“Well, then you have twenty-four hours.”
“No, I don’t plan to screw things up for him.”
“Is he married?”
“No.”
“Then, you have twenty-four hours.” She looked at her watch and leaned on her walker to stand herself up. She gave me her hand. “I’m Evelyn.”
“Hi, Evelyn. I’m Greta.”
“Greta…fate gave you an opportunity. Don’t fuck it up,” she said before she scooted away on the walker.
Over the next several minutes, I kept thinking about what she said while mindlessly pulling the lever on the penny slot machine. Even if Elec weren’t with Chelsea, the fact remained that he never felt we could be together because of Pilar. I didn’t know if things had changed in that regard now.
My phone buzzed. It was Elec.
I know I’m not supposed to care. But when it comes to you, what I’m supposed to be feeling has never seemed to matter.
In that moment, I’d made a decision. I wasn’t going to be the one to initiate anything between Elec and me, but I would keep an open mind. I wouldn’t rule anything out. I would have hope. Because before I knew it, I’d be 90 and waiting for the dinner buffet. When that time came, I didn’t want to have any regrets.
CHAPTER 15
The lights started flashing on my machine, and it was dinging like crazy. A bunch of number sevens were lined up in a nice neat row. The number of credits displayed kept going and going.
I looked around to find all eyes in the nearby vicinity were on me.
People started clapping.
My heart was racing.
Holy crap. I won.
I won!
What did I win?
I still didn’t know. I couldn’t figure the machine out. It gave the number of credits but no dollar amount. When everything finally stopped, I ejected my ticket and took it to the cashier’s booth. “I think I won, but I couldn’t figure out how much?”