garbage day? Mine falls on Monday, and it just agitates me like no other. Monday is already a busy day.”
“Thursday is our garbage day,” I replied. Realizing he was taking a short break from the game to chat, I relaxed in my seat and turned my attention to him.
He nodded in acknowledgement. “You know what I wonder? Why not take it out yourself or at least let me know about it? Why trap me like that?” Lincoln said, shrugging as he looked over at the kid.
“I know how that can be. I’ve been married to Susan for over thirty years, and we still seem to get into it once in a while. You’d think after a while you just wouldn’t have anything to argue about anymore.”
Suddenly, Lincoln took his stack of chips and matched the kid’s raise and then raised it another grand.
Looking at the cards on the table, I wondered what he could have. It had to be a bluff; he didn’t even look at his cards before the flop. I raised his bet—this time, ten grand.
Robert was already all-in and said, “Woah . . . looks like things are heating up.”
I smiled over at him. “Don’t have all night, right?”
Lincoln called my bet without hesitation.
The turn card came—two of diamonds.
It was up to me. The two did nothing for me, but I had to play my two pair. I raised it another grand.
He doubled it.
I tripled it.
He called. “Feeling confident, Mr. Alderman?” he asked.
Shrugging, I laughed. “Been rockin’ it so far. Just hoping to ride the wave.”
Frankie flipped the river card over: it was an ace.
Secured the full house. Three aces and two kings. Glancing at my watch, I saw it was already almost nine now. I bet the same amount, only a grand.
It was up to Lincoln. He raised it to fifteen thousand.
Got him.
Pushing all my chips in, I said, “All-in.”
Lincoln grinned. “Flip ‘em.”
“You calling?” I asked.
He nodded softly as he tossed out a pair of pocket twos. “Four of a kind,” he said. My mouth fell open.
Robert flipped over his cards, a queen and a king.
And I flipped over my ace and king.
“It was nice playing with you, Blaze ,” Lincoln said as he stood up from his chair and reached across the table to shake my hand.
Shaking off the shock, I stood up and nodded. “That was a solid win, Mr. ?” I said, shaking his hand.
“Lincoln’s fine, my friend,” he replied, smiling as he took his cigar and put it out in his ashtray. “You can pay Bear on your way out. I assume you brought cash?”
Nodding, I said, “Yes. And okay. Thanks for letting me come.”
Leaving the table, the kid followed right behind me. He patted my shoulder. “You were so close, man!” He began walking backward with a jump in his step.
Coming up to the door to leave, I pulled out my wallet. “Here you go,” I said, handing Bear the two grand in the form of hundreds.
He counted it out in front of me and then stopped. “Where’s the rest?” Bear asked.
“What?” I said. “That’s all of it. Should be two thousand there.” I leaned over his hands that held the money.
“It was twenty thousand,” he replied coldly.
A knot the size of a baseball twisted inside my chest as my anxiety came rushing back like a wave crashing up on a beach. “What do you mean?” I said with a shaken voice.
The kid pushed my shoulder. “Twenty G’s, just like I said.”
“You said two,” I replied sternly back to the kid.
“Yo, Link! We got a problem,” Bear shouted over my shoulder across the room to Lincoln. His voice bounced around the room, finally reaching Lincoln.
The knot twisted harder.
In a loud whisper, I said to Bear, “Hey . . . Robert said two thousand! What is this? I don’t have that kind of money.” Lincoln walked over to us from the table.
“What’s the problem?” Lincoln asked, looking at all three of us.
“Bobby’s friend here doesn’t have your money.” He growled under his breath my direction, setting my heart off in pounding that I couldn’t stop.
Lincoln pulled his
“Thursday is our garbage day,” I replied. Realizing he was taking a short break from the game to chat, I relaxed in my seat and turned my attention to him.
He nodded in acknowledgement. “You know what I wonder? Why not take it out yourself or at least let me know about it? Why trap me like that?” Lincoln said, shrugging as he looked over at the kid.
“I know how that can be. I’ve been married to Susan for over thirty years, and we still seem to get into it once in a while. You’d think after a while you just wouldn’t have anything to argue about anymore.”
Suddenly, Lincoln took his stack of chips and matched the kid’s raise and then raised it another grand.
Looking at the cards on the table, I wondered what he could have. It had to be a bluff; he didn’t even look at his cards before the flop. I raised his bet—this time, ten grand.
Robert was already all-in and said, “Woah . . . looks like things are heating up.”
I smiled over at him. “Don’t have all night, right?”
Lincoln called my bet without hesitation.
The turn card came—two of diamonds.
It was up to me. The two did nothing for me, but I had to play my two pair. I raised it another grand.
He doubled it.
I tripled it.
He called. “Feeling confident, Mr. Alderman?” he asked.
Shrugging, I laughed. “Been rockin’ it so far. Just hoping to ride the wave.”
Frankie flipped the river card over: it was an ace.
Secured the full house. Three aces and two kings. Glancing at my watch, I saw it was already almost nine now. I bet the same amount, only a grand.
It was up to Lincoln. He raised it to fifteen thousand.
Got him.
Pushing all my chips in, I said, “All-in.”
Lincoln grinned. “Flip ‘em.”
“You calling?” I asked.
He nodded softly as he tossed out a pair of pocket twos. “Four of a kind,” he said. My mouth fell open.
Robert flipped over his cards, a queen and a king.
And I flipped over my ace and king.
“It was nice playing with you, Blaze ,” Lincoln said as he stood up from his chair and reached across the table to shake my hand.
Shaking off the shock, I stood up and nodded. “That was a solid win, Mr. ?” I said, shaking his hand.
“Lincoln’s fine, my friend,” he replied, smiling as he took his cigar and put it out in his ashtray. “You can pay Bear on your way out. I assume you brought cash?”
Nodding, I said, “Yes. And okay. Thanks for letting me come.”
Leaving the table, the kid followed right behind me. He patted my shoulder. “You were so close, man!” He began walking backward with a jump in his step.
Coming up to the door to leave, I pulled out my wallet. “Here you go,” I said, handing Bear the two grand in the form of hundreds.
He counted it out in front of me and then stopped. “Where’s the rest?” Bear asked.
“What?” I said. “That’s all of it. Should be two thousand there.” I leaned over his hands that held the money.
“It was twenty thousand,” he replied coldly.
A knot the size of a baseball twisted inside my chest as my anxiety came rushing back like a wave crashing up on a beach. “What do you mean?” I said with a shaken voice.
The kid pushed my shoulder. “Twenty G’s, just like I said.”
“You said two,” I replied sternly back to the kid.
“Yo, Link! We got a problem,” Bear shouted over my shoulder across the room to Lincoln. His voice bounced around the room, finally reaching Lincoln.
The knot twisted harder.
In a loud whisper, I said to Bear, “Hey . . . Robert said two thousand! What is this? I don’t have that kind of money.” Lincoln walked over to us from the table.
“What’s the problem?” Lincoln asked, looking at all three of us.
“Bobby’s friend here doesn’t have your money.” He growled under his breath my direction, setting my heart off in pounding that I couldn’t stop.
Lincoln pulled his
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