Pokergeist by Michael Phillip Cash

games was causing Telly to sink to a new low. People made him feel incompetent. It had the opposite effect Gretchen had expected. She had to get him out of that climate before he had a breakdown. She knew Telly, worried about him. It’s hard to keep getting up when you are constantly thrown back down. He needed something safe. How hard can it be to drive a cab? she thought. A few weeks and he’ll be back to his old self. If she were a gambling woman, she would bet money on it. Aside from that, they didn’t have time anymore for experiments. Their lives were about to change in a big way. She filed that problem in the back of her head under bad timing, figuring she’d spring it on him when they were more secure. Instead she said, “I know, honey. But we don’t have the entry fee anymore. I used it up for the car.”
    Telly sighed, his cheeks taut, and ran his hands through his hair. “The car…right.” Gretchen touched his face. Sophie jumped up to lay her paw against his knee, her bulbous eyes appealing. “So much is resting on me winning, Gretchen. You, Sophie, Cheryl…”
    “Cheryl?”
    “She wants to open a pizza place. It’s a long story, but I don’t know, I have a feeling, a good feeling. Something big is going to happen. I can’t give up now.” Telly took her hands within his own. “Just another few days, and then…I’ll give up.”
    Gretchen stood, her face closed, and pulled her purse from the closet. He was merely putting off the inevitable. It was actually harder watching him lose. Gretchen couldn’t understand what he saw in the whole thing. How could he not see what she needed to tell him? She opened her mouth to tell him, but instead huffed angrily, “That’s it, Telly!”
    Telly looked up, surprised. Gretchen never raised her voice.
    “Stop setting impossible standards for yourself. You are always trying to please somebody. You have to stop!”
    “I like pleasing you.” He smiled, and it broke her mood. She smiled at him warmly. You couldn’t stay mad at Telly. He was one of the good guys.
    “I like when you please me too.” She hugged him. “Take a step back and stop being so hard on yourself. You can’t save the world.”
    “I can barely save myself,” Telly said softly.
    Gretchen cupped his face. “I think you are the best man I know. When will you realize that? Stop trying so hard. I have to go.” She took off his glasses and kissed him gently on the mouth. “Try to get some rest.” She rubbed the red spots on each side of his nose and then replaced the glasses gently. “Thick and thin.” She kissed each cheek and then turned to leave.
    “Where are you going? It’s after ten.”
    “One of the girls called off. I figured we could use the extra money.”
    “Come on, I’ll drive you.”
    “I didn’t pick up the car. We still owe another two hundred. They won’t release it.”
    “OK, that’s it. I’ll go fill out an application tomorrow. I give up.”
    Gretchen smiled sadly. “Believe me, Telly. I know how this feels. Look, maybe I can get a payday loan.” She added, “For the car, I mean.”
    “Forget it, Gretch. I knew tonight was my last night. It’s over. I’ll walk you to the bar.”
    Gretchen shook her head. “No, you go to sleep. We don’t want you looking tired when you go look for a job tomorrow.”
    Telly shook his head and stood, ready to escort Gretchen the three blocks to the bar where she worked. They held hands the whole way, admiring the midnight sky flecked with silver stars. Telly pointed out constellations. “That’s the summer triangle.”
    Gretchen stopped to peer into the inky darkness. “I don’t see it.”
    “How could you miss it? Look, there’s Altair, Vega, and Deneb.” He drew an imaginary triangle in the air to show her their location. Gretchen turned to face him.
    “You are so smart.”
    “Yeah, a real Einstein. I’m just a font of useless information.”
    Gretchen grabbed his face, kissing him and smashing his