The Gamble

 I clutched on to the wooden coffee table. It left wet blotches from my sweaty palms. I took a deep breath. So, this was the poignant moment. The moment that would decide my fate. I gathered my courage and looked him in the eye. He sat across the table, grinning at me. His yellow teeth disgusted me.

‘So, are you ready?’ he asked, laying back on his shiny leather chair.

The yellow light bulb cast an eerie shadow on the wall. It looked larger and meaner than him. My throat closed. So, I nodded.

He took a pair of dice in his hands. As he rolled them between his palms, I bit the inside of my right cheek. I tasted blood and it calmed me. I closed my eyes and heard the rattling of the dice against the golden ring on his index finger. He took his time, teasing and toying with my desperation.

‘Take it,’ he gave the dice to me.

My hands shivered. I took a deep breath and dropped the dice on the coffee table. I saw them rolling on the wooden surface. The few seconds seemed an eternity. Everything that had led me to this moment flashed before my eyes.

First, I gambled away my beautiful, ‘Le Royal Grande’ hotel. As I failed to pay off my debt, he snatched my villa overlooking the snowscape in Shimla. One by one, I gambled away all my money hoping to win back my property. All I have left now is a flat and a coffee shop.

The dice stopped rolling and came to a standstill. I couldn’t bring myself to look at the table.

‘A four and a two,’ he yelled.

I gaped at the coffee table. It took me a few seconds to comprehend what had just happened. I stared at him. His eyebrows furrowed with rage.

‘I did it.’ I stood up and fist-pumped in the air. ‘I did it. I’m getting back my five-star hotel.’

‘Duh, it’s not real,’ he rolled his eyes.

‘I don’t care.’ I beamed as I moved my piece on the Monopoly board. I procured his mansion and bought my hotel with the money. ‘Ha! I win, you lose.’ I bowed down to my imaginary audience.

‘You are such a baby,’ he said.

‘Your teeth are yellower than the Sun,’ I teased. ‘And you are twelve but still afraid of the dentist.’

‘Oh, shut up.’ In one quick motion, he swept all the pieces on the board inside a plastic bag. He put away all the coins and cash, too. He frowned at me. ‘You know I let you win on purpose, right? You are a cry baby.’

‘Oh, the loser speech.’ I giggled.

He tightened his fists and stood up. As he walked towards me, he banged his little toe against the coffee table. He howled in pain.

‘It’s not your day, brother.’ I laughed and walked towards the door. ‘We can play again after you come back from the dental clinic.’

I winked at him. 😉