Finding Beauty in the Darkness - Nikki Ash Page 0,79
from everything and since we’re here, I figured she would enjoy experiencing a casino for the first time. Since she was living with me when she turned twenty-one back in April, there was a good chance she hasn’t experienced being at a real casino before.
The guard who checks IDs recognizes me immediately and lets us through.
“Have you ever gambled before?”
“Nope,” she says, looking around and taking it all in.
“Let me give you a tour.” Holding her hand and guiding her around the casino, I show her all the different areas, ranging from the penny machines, to the blackjack tables, to the poker tables, and ending at the roulette tables.
“I want to play this one,” she says.
“Roulette? You know how to play?”
“No, but I like how the ball rolls around the spinner thingy.”
I chuckle at her innocence. “Okay, sit here.” I point to the chair and sit on the one to the right of her, pull out several bills and setting them down in front of us. The dealer scoops up the money and gives us a stack of chips. I attempt to explain how the game works but when she gives me her adorable look of confusion, I go with the easy version. “Take your chips and place them on the numbers you think the ball will land on.” I place a couple chips on a few different numbers and Aria follows my lead.
“What’s this?” She points to the outside betting area.
“You can place a bet on whether you think it will land on red or black.”
“Oh! That would mean I have a fifty percent chance of winning!” She takes two chips and places them on red. The dealer calls last chance and then spins the wheel. The ball lands on a red twenty-three and Aria squeals that it’s on red. The guy sitting next to her laughs at her enthusiasm.
“Do I take my money?” She reaches for the chips.
“They’re chips, and no, the dealer will distribute your winnings.” She watches with wide eyes as the dealer takes the chips and distributes them back out to those who won.
“I got like double the amount I started with!”
I find myself grinning at how animated she is. I’ve learned quickly that Aria finds pleasure in everything she does. Whether it’s learning to cook and bake with Maggie, taking photos and developing them in her darkroom, or playing a game of roulette here at the casino, she approaches everything with equal excitement and enthusiasm.
The dealer starts the process all over again and everyone picks their numbers. This time Aria loses everything she won plus a few extra chips, making her pout. When a waitress comes over and asks us for our order, Aria orders a coke and I order a Macallan neat. She plays several more rounds, losing more often than not. I keep giving her more of my chips until she’s down to her last few.
“Where did all the chips go?” She looks around us like I’m hiding the chips from her. She grabs my hand and searches in my lap.
The gentleman next to her cracks up laughing. “You lost them all. That’s what the casino does to you, sweetheart. It’s a mindfuck. You start off winning so you gain confidence. The more you win, the more you think you’re invincible. Then, little by little, the house takes from you in such small increments you don’t even realize you’re being robbed with your eyes wide open, until you’re sitting in this chair, thousands of dollars poorer.” He gives Aria a small wink and if he didn’t look to be in his eighties, I’d probably have decked him for flirting with her, but seeing as he’s old enough to be her great grandfather, I simply chuckle.
“Wait! What do you mean thousands?” Aria turns to me. “How much did we lose?”
“We?” I laugh. “You lost all our money.” She bites on her lower lip nervously looking around like the money will reappear. Running my thumb over her lip, I pull it out from her teeth. “Did you have fun?” She nods. “Then that’s all that matters. What do you want to play next?”
We grab our drinks and she says bye to the guy sitting next to her.
“How much did I lose?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s my casino. I get it all back regardless.”
She rolls her eyes. “Okay, but just tell me. If it wasn’t your casino, how much would I have lost?”
“Two grand.” I shrug.
Aria splutters out her drink. “Two thousand dollars?”