*****
The group sit around the table, cards flicking down to each of the players in turn. Al slips a look at his cards. “What are we starting at?”
“Minimum five,” says the dealer.
Al sniffs and smiles. “We can make it more interesting than that.” He slides his chips forward. “Twenty.”
*****
“Another one?” says Al.
“Didn’t you say you needed to be getting back?”
“Yeah, sure, but not yet. The night is yet young.”
“You’re almost out anyway.” His companion nods down to where a substantial stack of chips has dwindled to nothing.
“I know,” Al shouts over his shoulder. “Hey, can I have another two hundred here please.”
*****
Richard
“What do you have there, Charlotte?” She’s reading through a stack of letters. Some have that pre-printed look. Others are handwritten. Her lip curls as she speaks….
Contempt?
“Chaser letters,” she says, “from casinos and game houses….” She pushes a couple towards me. “They’re asking for payment, some politely, some not so politely.” She snorts. “The amount of money he just…. threw away….”
better than any the lengths
waste of any
her, a real
*****
Forty-Two Years ago
his expression neutral. “I
fiddles with his pen. “Yes, I know I’m a little late with the payments, but I’ll have caught up by the
that? The fact is that you are not ‘just a little late’. You have missed two monthly payments and the next would be due
no, but by the end
to me how you come to be late with the payments? When the bank forwarded the funds to you, you were
You know how it is. We had some storm
my experience that children become more expensive as they grow older, not
have it settled by the end of
well, we’ll leave it at that for now
*****
messages for me,
called. He asked that you get back to him as
possible? Did it sound urgent? I was heading out
very specific, sir.
*****
Abe. What can
a word to this wise. And we’ve not had this
“Understood. What’s the problem?”
you covered if Al Kimberley
pause and then, “Is that
that’s after he assured me that
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
This is exclusive content from Dramanovels.com. Please visit Dramanovels.com to support the author and the translation team!