The Gambler 1

I'm a gambler. I'm a forgetter. I'm a misanthrope also. I'm sick to death of people. They really make me sick in the stomach and I feel like I got some alien living inside of me that I want to puke out. That's why I became a gambler cause I can live my life in complete oblivion, drinking booze and not caring about one fucking thing. I usually make about a thousand a day, going to different casinos, travelling and all. This young teenage girl. I don't even know what her name is. She hitched onto me. She never says a fucking thing and sleeps in a different bed in the rental, but she's devoted to me. She likes listening to Dylan and Jim Morrison and she really doesn't bug me cept that I'm paranoid. She's only 16. I can't pretend to be her father, you know, a short Asian washed out guy like me with a young attractive Caucasian girl. It's really not the right thing, but she's got no home and she imagines that she's gonna be a great singer. That's the only time I hear her, when she sings. She's not that bad but she wants me to write the lyrics and I just don't give a shit about rock and roll either. Oh. Here she is, waking up now. "I'm gonna hit the Mirage." She nods. I can tell she wants to come along. Maybe I should dye my hair blonde or something. We tried that already but it didn't work. "You'll have to pretend to be a high class prostitute." She agrees. THE MIRAGE is a beautiful hotel. It is literally like a mirror. When the sun hits it, it reflects it right back in almost a volcanic, blonde moment. Inside, it is beautiful too. I can't describe it to you right now, but will later. I sit down at a table and she sits next to me. Do I appear to be some type of Japanese businessman with a high-class prostitute? I love the shuffle. I see the cards. +3. Low cards. Sometimes, I can almost feel the cards. I place a low bet. Other people come to the table. I look around, then back at the cards. I place a high bet and I lose. This may be a bad night. I order a drink with the waitress, one for me and one for what was her name? People are looking at me. I am dressed in a tux, but I really don't enjoy being looked at. I win. I win. I win. I'm on a roll. I'm trying to concentrate. The Queen of Spades. That's a card I don't like. It's a bad sign. I take a drink and look at the cards. I look at my little friend. Actually, she's not so little. I go all in. I win. She smiles. She's my goodluck charm. WE dine at some fancy restaurant. I'm a voracious eater and all I can see is food when I eat. She looks at me like I'm a pig. I'm supposed to behave. I smile at the waiter and tip him generously.