Gambles
“What in the world were you doing in a casino last night?” she asked me.
“Playing,” I responded.
“Why in the world would you waste your money on something like that?” she asked again.
“I wasn’t playing with my money; I was playing with the house’s money. I’m still up from the last time I played.”
“That’s a poor excuse. You weren’t playing with the house’s money the first time you played.”
“Well, it’s not like I just handed them the money the first time I played, and said, ‘just take it’.”
“Yeah, you bet it, in the hopes that it would win. But what if you didn’t?”
“That’s not the only reason why I played.”
“Why on earth would anybody play except to win?”
“The game itself is exhilarating.”
“It’s only exhilarating because you have the chance to get large amounts of easy money. It’s just a game of chance.”
“True. But I also like the ambiance.”
“Ambiance? You mean a room filled with smokers, cussing and money-grubbing people?”
“Well…, but it can be a really friendly place.”
“You mean kinda like a bar to pick up dates?”
“No, I rarely see that there. There, I am welcome to go in and out as I please. I can watch the game, the other players and the dealer talk with me…”
“And I’m sure you have very intellectually stimulating conversations…”
“Very funny. But…”
“But what?”
“You know, at times, you just want some company, just someone to talk to or have fun with…”
“Yeah, so…”
“Well, sometimes, there is no one to talk to, nobody’s available, no place to go. I don’t wanna go to the usual places I go to, especially when I’m just gonna go there alone…”
“Try volunteer work.”
“Done that, and that’s great, but I’m just in a season where I can’t commit to one of those right now…”
“Try praying. Evangelize to strangers!”
“You just don’t get it. I do all that, but there are times you just want to do something with someone to take it easy. Even God said man should not be alone. But sometimes there’s nobody there to talk to…”
“So you go there for the company. I get it.”
“And I only go there when I’m feeling really sad, or alone.”
“So have you gone there often?”
“Quite a lot.”
“How long do you normally stay?”
“Depends. Sometimes I stay long while I’m still sad.”
“How much was the greatest loss you’ve had in that place?”
“One night, I lost as much as seven grand.”
“Seven thousand! Why?!”
“I just didn’t want to go home yet.”
“You must have been especially sad that night.”
I didn’t respond.
“It still doesn’t make it right, you know.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re gambling money! Seven thousand bucks is a lot to lose.”
“I’ve lost almost fifty thousand on a bad investment! And I never got anything out of that! I didn’t have fun; was never able to recover that. The only ones who benefited were those working for the investment firm who got paid off of my money; I got nothing. At least the seven grand I lost, I won most it back before I went home.”
“But that’s different! That’s an investment! That’s legal!”
“They mishandled our money. It may be legal, but it doesn’t make it right. And the casino where I play isn’t illegal. It’s licensed by the government.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“People gamble everyday, though it may not be at a dealer’s table. And I’m not talking about lotteries, bingo, or any other game of chance either. When they make business decisions, when they decide where to work, which school to go to, whom to marry, what to do with their life, and with these decisions, the consequences are even graver than losing a couple of bucks. The consequences of those kinds of decisions will directly and greatly affect the rest of our lives, but we still make those gambles, betting our very lives that we made the right decision.”
“Dude, with those kinds of decisions, you employ some degree of intelligence, some form of expertise. With the games you play, it’s all chance.”
“But doesn’t time and chance happen to them all?”
“But those are necessary decisions!”
“But sometimes, we all like to take a break, have a little fun, play a game or so. Besides, I play games where your odds are increased if you do employ some sort of intelligence. Although ultimately, it still is a game of chance.”
“And even if you lose, that’s ok with you?”
“Normally, before I even set foot in the place, I am prepared to lose up to a certain amount of money, in exchange for what they have to offer.”
“Offer? Like what?
“Free coffee.”
“You mean the outrageously expensive kind?”
“Yep. Must have drank 28 ounces of those one night.”
“That’s it?”
“I’m kidding. Except for the 28 ounces part.”
“Hilarious.”
“I’m talking about the entertainment! Live band, the chairs, the game, the venue where people can gather around in a safe environment, play a game and chat.”
“Entertainment! So why don’t you just go to a movie?”
“When was the last time a person came to a movie house and chatted with a total stranger! That’s dangerous! At least casinos are well lit. At least, the ones I go to anyway. And when was the last time you walked out of a movie house with more money than you came in with? Besides, if I wanted to waste time microwaving my brain to low-level radiation, I would have stayed at home and watched TV. That would be much cheaper than the going rate of movies and snacks at that place. No, I want to be entertained with chatter, or at least a fun game where people actually interact.”
“So go meet people at a bar… on second thought, how about a park?”
“So it would look like I’m picking them up, like I’m interested? No, thank you.”
“So you’re ok gambling, even if you lose?”
“I gambled on you, remember? And I lost. Lost big time…”
Silence came between us.
“Are you ok?” she asked me.
“I will be.”
-A. L. E.-
“Playing,” I responded.
“Why in the world would you waste your money on something like that?” she asked again.
“I wasn’t playing with my money; I was playing with the house’s money. I’m still up from the last time I played.”
“That’s a poor excuse. You weren’t playing with the house’s money the first time you played.”
“Well, it’s not like I just handed them the money the first time I played, and said, ‘just take it’.”
“Yeah, you bet it, in the hopes that it would win. But what if you didn’t?”
“That’s not the only reason why I played.”
“Why on earth would anybody play except to win?”
“The game itself is exhilarating.”
“It’s only exhilarating because you have the chance to get large amounts of easy money. It’s just a game of chance.”
“True. But I also like the ambiance.”
“Ambiance? You mean a room filled with smokers, cussing and money-grubbing people?”
“Well…, but it can be a really friendly place.”
“You mean kinda like a bar to pick up dates?”
“No, I rarely see that there. There, I am welcome to go in and out as I please. I can watch the game, the other players and the dealer talk with me…”
“And I’m sure you have very intellectually stimulating conversations…”
“Very funny. But…”
“But what?”
“You know, at times, you just want some company, just someone to talk to or have fun with…”
“Yeah, so…”
“Well, sometimes, there is no one to talk to, nobody’s available, no place to go. I don’t wanna go to the usual places I go to, especially when I’m just gonna go there alone…”
“Try volunteer work.”
“Done that, and that’s great, but I’m just in a season where I can’t commit to one of those right now…”
“Try praying. Evangelize to strangers!”
“You just don’t get it. I do all that, but there are times you just want to do something with someone to take it easy. Even God said man should not be alone. But sometimes there’s nobody there to talk to…”
“So you go there for the company. I get it.”
“And I only go there when I’m feeling really sad, or alone.”
“So have you gone there often?”
“Quite a lot.”
“How long do you normally stay?”
“Depends. Sometimes I stay long while I’m still sad.”
“How much was the greatest loss you’ve had in that place?”
“One night, I lost as much as seven grand.”
“Seven thousand! Why?!”
“I just didn’t want to go home yet.”
“You must have been especially sad that night.”
I didn’t respond.
“It still doesn’t make it right, you know.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re gambling money! Seven thousand bucks is a lot to lose.”
“I’ve lost almost fifty thousand on a bad investment! And I never got anything out of that! I didn’t have fun; was never able to recover that. The only ones who benefited were those working for the investment firm who got paid off of my money; I got nothing. At least the seven grand I lost, I won most it back before I went home.”
“But that’s different! That’s an investment! That’s legal!”
“They mishandled our money. It may be legal, but it doesn’t make it right. And the casino where I play isn’t illegal. It’s licensed by the government.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“People gamble everyday, though it may not be at a dealer’s table. And I’m not talking about lotteries, bingo, or any other game of chance either. When they make business decisions, when they decide where to work, which school to go to, whom to marry, what to do with their life, and with these decisions, the consequences are even graver than losing a couple of bucks. The consequences of those kinds of decisions will directly and greatly affect the rest of our lives, but we still make those gambles, betting our very lives that we made the right decision.”
“Dude, with those kinds of decisions, you employ some degree of intelligence, some form of expertise. With the games you play, it’s all chance.”
“But doesn’t time and chance happen to them all?”
“But those are necessary decisions!”
“But sometimes, we all like to take a break, have a little fun, play a game or so. Besides, I play games where your odds are increased if you do employ some sort of intelligence. Although ultimately, it still is a game of chance.”
“And even if you lose, that’s ok with you?”
“Normally, before I even set foot in the place, I am prepared to lose up to a certain amount of money, in exchange for what they have to offer.”
“Offer? Like what?
“Free coffee.”
“You mean the outrageously expensive kind?”
“Yep. Must have drank 28 ounces of those one night.”
“That’s it?”
“I’m kidding. Except for the 28 ounces part.”
“Hilarious.”
“I’m talking about the entertainment! Live band, the chairs, the game, the venue where people can gather around in a safe environment, play a game and chat.”
“Entertainment! So why don’t you just go to a movie?”
“When was the last time a person came to a movie house and chatted with a total stranger! That’s dangerous! At least casinos are well lit. At least, the ones I go to anyway. And when was the last time you walked out of a movie house with more money than you came in with? Besides, if I wanted to waste time microwaving my brain to low-level radiation, I would have stayed at home and watched TV. That would be much cheaper than the going rate of movies and snacks at that place. No, I want to be entertained with chatter, or at least a fun game where people actually interact.”
“So go meet people at a bar… on second thought, how about a park?”
“So it would look like I’m picking them up, like I’m interested? No, thank you.”
“So you’re ok gambling, even if you lose?”
“I gambled on you, remember? And I lost. Lost big time…”
Silence came between us.
“Are you ok?” she asked me.
“I will be.”
-A. L. E.-
