Going Home

s we headed towards the blackjack area of the casino I realized that I didn't have any cash on me, so we made our way towards the ATMs set up by the cashier's cage. I withdrew $1,000 and turned to face Linda.

I said, "Here's what I am going to do. I am a big believer in everything happening for a reason, so am going to bet this entire $1,000 on one hand of blackjack. If it wins, then we split the money, sit down, and play for a while. If it loses, then we go get coffee for an hour or so and tell each other the sories of our lives that brought us to this point while the kids have fun playing video games."

"I think it's crazy, just like everything else that has happened in the last 24 hours, but it's your money. Deal." she replied.

We walked up to one of the empty $100 minimum blackjack tables, laid down the $1,000, and told the dealer "money plays". She dealt me a king and herself a nine, then dealt me an ace! Blackjack! I just won $1,500 on that hand! Her other card was a six, so she cleared the table and payed me out my chips. I took the cash and put it in my pocket. I was walking out of that casino, at worst, breaking even as far as the gambling went. I gave Linda $750 in chips and we sat down to play. The first hand, I bet $100 and Linda looked at me like I was stupid or something.

"Like you said before, everything happens for a reason. That first hand was a pretty good sign, why not bet it all? You already broke even, and there are two of us playing. Odds are pretty good that at least one of us will win" she explained.

I pushed all $750 up to the betting circle. Linda did the same. The dealer gave me a ten, Linda a Queen, and herself a seven. My next card was a jack, Linda's was an ace, and the dealer had a three. After drawing a four, then a nine, she cleared the table and paid us out our winnings. I now had $1,500 again and Linda had $1,875. We were doing pretty good! I bet another $750 the next hand, and Linda did the same. I was dealt an eight, Linda got a three, and the dealer got a king. I didn't like the looks of that. My next card was a jack, Linda's was a nine, and dealer's was hidden. I stood on eighteen. Linda looked thoughtful for a moment that doubled down. The dealer quickly flipped up her next card, a seven. Nineteen. The dealer flipped over her card. A seven. She drew another card, a five. Twenty two. She busted. We won again. I got another $750 out of it, but Linda got $2,250 because she doubled down her bet. I didn't think we should press our luck any further, and mentioned this to Linda. She seemed inclined to agree with me so we got up. We had spent less than 10 minutes at the table and I had won $2,250. Linda won $4,125! She tried to give me her winnings since the money came from me in the first place, but I told her that she had won it on her own and was therefore entitled to it. After a little more persuasion, she agreed and we went to cash out.

Once we had our money in hand, we headed towards a little coffee shop off to the side of the casino that was actually in the line of site of the arcade. We could keep an eye on the kids while we had coffee and just talked.