Friday, 5pm. Pay day.. Checkenginelight heads out from work.. Red brake light on... Noise from strut or something underneath creaking as I pulled outta lot.. checkenginelight comes on... then goes off a mile or so down the road...
Cross the river... GD car and it's finickiness <-- dat a word? Bastard swerves off the road... but all is good... it happens to be just the very exit the casino is on.. (hehe)...
Take my little $12 coupon they give me weekly (because I've been so good to them in the past) to the window... met by a 40-something chick... standing behind her was a 50-something man... obviously training her... she completed the transaction in good time.. nervous I could tell.. had a smile... but her eyeballs never once made eye contact with me... I understood, she was so worried about the drawer, the computer, the feller inspecting from behind - she forgot to suckup the best parta the deal - that of business/patron and the wonderful gift from God of simply meeting another's eyeballs. Again, I understood..
Took my seat at the $5 blackjack table.. next to feller I'd sat by before... He's a non-stop talker/joker... the kind most wanna punchout.. but I kinda get a kick outta him... He's teasing the hell outta Heather, the 30-something dealer (with two kids ages: 13 yrs, and the other 7 weeks... She, readily attaches eyeballs to him, to me, and individually to each of the other 5 players at the table... All the while done with a smile - no extra charge... I love blackjack... It's a great place for us sometime introverts to walkup to a table of folks, sit down and have idle chit chat.. It can oft times be worth the pain of losing $40 bucks or so... They'd look at you like you're completely nuts if you walked up to a table of five and sat down at Applebees... here, it's the way... Introvert heaven.
The first beer always tastes the best... then I had another... then one more... then switched to coffee... by now I'm up $40... I've laughed numerous times at Mr. Talktoomuch... and I've gotta pee like a race horse.. Upon return - "did you see anything?" he says excitedly... We're close in age, we've discussed divorces before - so I knew just what he was asking... On this given night - I had seen plenty, but hadn't seen anything he was asking about.. Well.. a few I guess.. but they were too GD young for me...which is actually fancy for "he's too GD old for me." Men are pigs, oink..
And then it happened... The cashier hadn't eyed me, and she coulda... Heather the dealer was all about eyeballs and smiles... Mr. Loudmouth talked outta the sidea his mouth - produced smirks - and eyed every person at the table... everyone, except the intent Chinese feller playing 3rd base, people watched alst the while...
Gentleman, maybe 22, holding the arm of lady, probably same age... he very obviously without the gift of sight... Didn't keep him from plastering a wonderful smile across his face... and she shared his joy by flashing her own smile.... they sat at a table across from us... her chair back 3' from the table.. but she was the eyes and communication for his cards/the dealers cards... his lifeline... For a long moment in his life, he was regular... God Bless this lady.. for she assisted in making this happen... sacrificing her perhaps want of dropping twenty bucks in a slot... or maybe even just an aimless stroll around to people watch...
We take so much for granted... Sight is a huge one... Every waking moment we see... Imagine not being able to... ever.. It would be literal hell depending so much upon another... To look at those two - ya'd never know it though as their stay there was about as normal as normal could be...
I'm truly sorry this gentleman could not see.. I'm truly greatful he didn't emit that sorrow himself.. Would be easy to give up... yet so wonderful to go do... again, God Bless this lady - and the parents that raised her to be who she is..
When it came time to leave - I was down $20. So, discounting the $12 coupon, my night cost me $8. What an inexpensive evening to see such wonder - and to make me stop and realize just how lucky I am to participate healthily in this thing called life. GD (gosh darn) I hope my car starts.
Loveya, Victurd.
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