A few hours before 2010 expires Louis decided to give his luck a last opportunity to reveal itself. Tonight was going to be a night of revelations or slow death, and he knew that better than he wanted to.
The casino stood like an ice castle in the snowy valley and he approached it apprehensively. The train ride and all the thinking he had done on the train hadn't managed to diminish his last ray of hope which like an old oil lamp shone its weak yellow light over the remnants of his life; a divorce, a heavy alimony to his poor, tormented wife, his two daughters that he'll probably never see again, a loanshark and his already expired deadline not to mention his two bruisers that will take care of him in a most painful way the minute they track him down. Still anything can happen in a casino on NewYear's Eve and so he straightened his dark blue tie and brushed the snow off his shoulders before entering the shiny building.
The place was full as expected. On his way to the bar Louis checked the tables and the games to see where everything is located and who were the big gamblers of the night. There was some serious cheering going on around a roulette table and a weird looking gentleman in white was occupied by trying to light a cigar the size of a water pipe. He was obviously the lucky bastard of the pit. All around his table plastic women were giving him lipstic kisses while shoving big silicone boobs against his chest...
He sat on a leather stool at the bar and turned around so that he could see the man who was now draining his glass.
"Good evening...What would you like to drink?" The polite- looking bartender asked.
"Bourbon" he said tearing his eyes off the man in white.
With the drink burning his parched throat he began to focus on the task at hand. He knew exactly what he needed. 400.000 Swiss Francs...approximately 316.9819 euros....How the hell was he going to win that much money he didn't know....He shook his head and emptied the glass.
" Desperrrate maladies rrrequire desperrrate rrremedies" a man's voice said in broken English. Louis looked up and saw the man in white leaning against the bar opposite him with a full glass in his hands.
"What did you say?" asked Louis who was taken aback by the man's sudden appearance in front of him.
"You hearrrd what I said." said the man who took his time rolling his Rs in his mouth using his tongue indulgingly which under different circumnstances Louis would have found funny though not tonight.
"It shows, doesn't it?" he asked having lost all interest in formalities....he WAS a doomed man after all.
"Diseases desperrrately grrrown, by desperrate appliance are rrrelieved or not at all!" said the man offering a long delicate palm which Louis took in his clammy hand.
"You arrre a lucky man indeed to have met me tonight of all nights..I am going to help you, my friend.." said the man and his eyes sparkled.
"Who are you?" asked Louis. A nasty nauseous feeling in his gut made him look in his glass...maybe he shouldn't drink on an empty stomach. He put the glass down.
"Of course..I forrrgot to intrrroduce myself. I'm X Apodo, but you can call me X. Just X."
"And what is it that you do, how are you going to help me?"
"You see Misterrr...."
"Louis. Just Louis."
"You see Misterrr Louis, I am a very lucky man and I can pass some of that luck to you if you like. I have this gift you see and I'd like to sharrre it. Tonight is a special night and I am already a very wealthy man... I feel generrrous!"
"And what would you like in return for your....generosity?"
"Just twenty perrr cent of your earrrnings...if that's not too much for you that is..."
Twenty per cent was not too much for Louis.
"How are you going to pass your luck to me..is it hard?" asked Louis raising an eyebrow.
Mr Ex didn't fail to notice the edge of irony in Louis' voice. He looked at him in contemplation, his eyes hardened just a little but were soon soft again and took the colour of warm honey, such beautiful, captivating eyes.
"It's quite simple actually. I sorrrt of hypnotise you and that's it. It won't last long but perrrhaps it will be enough..perrrhaps not."
Louis couldn't really believe what the man was saying but he had nothing to lose, in fact, maybe, he could do what he says...what the hell...why not?
He smiled and looked at the man who was lighting another pipe-looking cigar with a large gold lighter. Its yellow light fell on Louis' face, the thing looked like a solid bar of gold.
"Let's do it!" he said with determination.
"Close your eyes.."
Louis did as told feeling both embarrassed and ridiculous. Mr X said nothing more so Louis just waited with his eyes closed resisting the urge to take a peep at what the man was doing. A minute or two later Mr X ordered him to open his eyes again. When Louis looked at him Mr X was leaning against the bar with a crooked smile on his face as if trying to repress a laugh..
"Is this your idea of a joke? Are you having a good time humiliating people?" asked Louis standing up.
"It's done. You can go and play.." said the man calmly.
"That was it? You hypnotised me and I have your luck now..right.."
"Only for a while...go trrry it...and don't forrrget...twenty perrr cent. I will be rrright herrre to collect. Herrre's a chip to get you starrrrted."
The man placed a green rectangular chip with the number 500 written in gold letters on the bar. It was as big as the gold lighter.
Louis looked at the chip and back at the man before picking it up.
"Ok, I'll give it a try."
"Good! Go to that little wheel over therrre.." he said pointing to the table he was before, "The crrroupierrr is a fine gentleman...and don't forrrget to tip!"
Louis left the bar and walked towards the roulette table rolling the chip between his fingers..
"Place your bets!" the croupier said as Louis approached the empty table. The man looked at him and then shot a glance at Mr. X who nodded back.
"Maybe luck has nothing to with this after all" thought Louis who trusted fraud more than luck. He looked at the numbers on the table.
5...10...23...7. His eyes lingered on 7. Seven made him feel all warm and cuddly inside, but why? His mother's face floated on the surface of his memory pool; his 7th birthday and the huge cake she had made just for him, what was the big present he got on that day...
"Seven" he said and put his chip on the red square.
"Straight up!" announced the croupier "No more bets"...
And then the wheel started to spin. Louis looked at the small ball calmly. Seven would not let him down, he knew..7 was good.
"7" announced the man and placed a stack of chips in front of him. Louis looked at them and turned his head towards the bar where Mr X was standing with a wide sparkling smile on his face. He pointed to his gold watch for Louis to see, reminding him that he would have to hurry.
He turned back to the numbers on the table. The warm 7 feeling had gone so he started searching again. 10...15...28...31. This 31 stood out from all the numbers...it was actually glowing. Its golden light fell on the numbers around it...31 was his wife's...ex-wife's lucky number. How odd, he hadn't thought of that in years. She loved all the months with 31 days, she thought those last days were lucky, but were they? He couldn't remember.
"31" he said and placed the stack of chips on the black number.
"No more bets" the croupier said and the ball roamed in its round pool.
"31" The croupier placed a taller stack of chips if front of him. Louis looked at the numbers again but he knew he didn't have to. He had felt the cold breath near his heart where the warmth of his newly-found luck had been a minute before. It was over, but this wasn't enough; he needed more. All the chips went inside his jacket pocked and he rushed back to the bar not forgetting to tip the croupier who said: "Merci pour les employes" in immaculate French.
"I want more..I need more..please... give me more.."
"I'm glad you found the experrrience pleasant but I'm afrrraid we're rrrunning out of time, it's 10 minutes after 11 and I will leave when the year expirrres..you see I am a busy man Mr. Louis."
"Please, here's your 20 per cent, we have 45 minutes before you leave...I'll give you 30 per cent if you like".
Mr X pocketed the chip Louis gave him and looked at his watch again.
"Therrre is a game that will enable you to get the money you need fasterrr, if you are interrrested in playing something heavierrr.."
"Heavier?" Louis asked with a frown.
"Black Jack. There is a prrrivate game going on rrright now and I know they arrre always looking for players. I prrromise you I will make sure my gift last longerrr in therrre, you will be playing against prrrofessionals afterrr all.....Arrre you game Mr Louis?" Mr X asked putting out what was left of his cigar.
"I am, let's go.." answered Louis who had a sudden qualm about the safety of the venture but chose to ignore it. It was just a game of Black Jack and nothing more.
The two men walked outside. The cold had reached its peak and Louis felt his bones complain undertneath his feeble jacked. But the walk didn't last long, they soon stopped outside an old wooden door which stood at the back of the casino, attached to a seemingly desolate brick building. Dead silence surrounded them. The house behind the door seemed completely empty; no light, no sound came out to greet them.
Mr X raised a hand and banged on the door twice. When the echo of the second knock subsided, bright yellow light escaped from the bottom of the door's frame and deafening music animated the whole building so suddently Louis stood aghast at the sight. The door opened and revealed a crowded room, filled with grey smoke and a lively, festive atmosphere. They walked inside and Louis felt his spirits rise as the mellow sounds of the trumpets, the saxophones sweetened his ears and the lovely ladies who looked at him hungrily warmed up his bones.
Everyone seemed to know Mr X. They hugged him and called out his name. He knew everyone and returned all the hugs and kisses from both the men and the gorgeous women of the room.
The walked further inside and even further. Drinks were placed in their hands and large platters of food danced before them. Louis took a couple of the delicious orderves that passed- by him, licked his fingers and picked up all the little crumbs that had fallen on his jacket, he had never eaten anything like that his whole life. Then a feline lady gave him one of the pipe-like cigars that Mr X had been smoking all evening, she even lit it between her red, pillowy lips. Louis took a long whiff and filled his lungs with Cuban magic and then took another and another...and all the while they were walking further inside.
If he could, he would have sworn that the building had looked much smaller on the outside but right now he refused to think and feel anything less than this.
Content and up-lifted Louis followed X to the end of the room and to another wooden door.
"This is wherrre they play the Jack. We both go inside, they give you a seat and you play...but firrrst close yourr eyes.."
Louis let his heavy eye-lids drop and the music fill the darkness behind them.
The door opened and the two of them walked inside the room. Six men were sitting around an wooden semi-circle table filled with cards and ash trays. One of them, the oldest of the lot stood up the moment they entered the room. Louis saw X nod to the man who then ran out without looking back. Everyone's heads were turned to the open door which closed as soon as the man had gone. The large grandfather clock attracked Louis attention in the silence. Its heavy pendulum was ticking the last minutes of the year away. It was 20 minutes to 12.
"Have a seat" X said.
Everybody looked at the newcomer from head to toe as he sat down between two younger men who looked like they had escaped a gangster movie. Their hats were resting on the table next to them and on their shoulders Louis could see the braces that were supposed to keep their trousers in place.
Louis emptied his chips on the table and piled them neatly in front of him. The men looked at the chips unimpressed.
"Let's play.." he said.
"He still has 20 minutes..he can still walk out if he likes." said the man sitting opposite him without looking up.
"Fine." X said "One game. He wins, he walks."
"If I lose...then what?" asked Louis shrugging his shoulders.
"You'll stay" said the man next to him.
"I think I'll just leave now..." said Louis standing up.
The men started to laugh, some revealing golden teeth at the back of their mouths.
"Your time is running out, and so is your luck.." said X taking out another cigar from his breast pocket.
"Sit" said the man opposite him.
Louis did as he was told and the man opposite him started dealing the cards. He stared at them without picking them up.
"Hit!" said the man on his left and placed a tall stack of chips to the centre of the table.
Bang....bang....bang......went the clock with every tick as loud as a gunshot.
It was Louis' turn who pushed his chips to place his bet.
The 'dealer' looked at X who nodded in response.
"Where are your chips?" Louis asked to the man on his right.
"Long gone..." replied the man.
"And how do you play?"
"I play with years..Black Jack years." said the man who looked down at his cards and shook his head sadly.
Louis could have fled, his time hadn't expired yet. He could have screamed, cried, fainted but he did none of the above.
In reality, he had nowhere else to go, it was this or the loanshark's bruisers. His family was broken beyond repair, he had noone to turn to...perhaps this was not such a bad way to spend...the rest of his life.
The clock's ticks had suddenly turned to whispers. The minutes were flying away.
He felt his heart relax and a calming sensation washed over him as he picked up the two cards that the dealer had given him.
5!, the trumpets, the saxophone, the singing had stopped, 4!, the people outside were casting 2010 away, 3!, they were counting loudly 2!, Louis looked down to his two cards, 1....
The grandfather clock boomed loudly 12 times.
He had a Queen and an Ace.
"Black Jack" he said and opened his cards on the table.
The door opened slightly and some confetti was blown inside the smoky room exactly where Mr X was standing a minute before. Not knowing what to think, he filled his pockets will all the chips he could carry and walked out of the room.
The door closed silently behind him and he hurried out of the cold, empty house and into his life.
