Shadows of the Moon, Chapter 11

A progressive short story from the Akron Writers’ Group, Wordplay. Written Winter, 2017.

Chapter Eleven: Ken Meyer

Alisha had a conflict of conscience. She had lied to Tessa. Tessa. The only person in this world she could count on.

She had embezzled $50,000 from her employer. She had to replace it before the auditors came Monday morning. Tessa came through. The money was safely returned. Her job was safe.

And now she had the additional $100,000. She considered all of her options. She could double that money with one good night at the casino. She would be set for life. She could shop whenever she wanted. She could travel to exotic places. She could buy that sports car, maybe get that house on the north side of town. The house was in a better school district. Sure. A better school district. She would do this for her girls.

With just a tinge of regret, Alisha drove to Blue Lake Casino. This was for her girls. And that trip to Monte Carlo. And the car. And….

She lost at the slot machines. Before her balance went below $50,000, she went to the Black Jack table. She chose the table with the best looking dealer. That always brought her good luck. She brought her balance to a little over $100,000.

Alisha heard a shout. Someone was winning at the roulette wheel. Feeling lucky, she joined the group at that table. For an hour, she played. Her balance grew. And grew. And grew. She had $300,000 in her account. The heady atmosphere pushed her forward. Even when her luck changed. It was going to happen again. On the next bet. The next one. No, really, the next one.

The crowd was gone. Even at the casino, gamblers are loathe to hang around a table with a loser. Alisha was not going to give up, though. She had $20,000 left. She pushed half her chips onto number nineteen. Before the croupier said, “Bets all in,” she pushed the rest of her chips to the same space.

The croupier spun the wheel and let the ball loose. The wheel turned. The ball bounced. The eyes that remained at the table were trained on Alisha.

The wheel slowed.

The ball landed on seventeen.

Alisha was stunned. She had gambled everything away. The life she imagined for herself…for the girls…was…gone….

Then she remembered Tessa’s life insurance policy. A half million. She was still the beneficiary.