'Casino'
by Sean Dersen
‘Okay,’ the fat man said, putting his money down. The cash demanded respect. It got it, the room quietening down.
‘Count it out.’
He looked at me.
‘Count it out.’
The fat man acquiesced; a careworn smile, creased with age. ‘Okay son,’ he said. His eyes held mine.
I had to break the stare to check what he was doing.
He counted through the sheaf of notes he’d taken back from the table. Tens, all of them. One, he flipped over so the head faced up and towards me, the same as the others.
‘We happy?’ My eyes went back to his. It was like they’d never been away.
‘As Larry.’
‘You want a drink or something?’
I waved my hand. Non-committal. Someone from the edge of the room came forwards. Booze shoshed into and around the shot-glasses on the table.
I wasn’t thirsty. But I drank.
The fat man drank too, then took a handkerchief out from somewhere and patted his forehead.
‘Winner takes all.’
‘Winner takes all.’
The other men watching round the room shuffled. A collective holding of breath.
The fat man took out a coin. Rotated it between thumb and finger slow enough to prove it had two different sides.
I nodded.
He asked the question.
‘Tails never fails.’
He flipped. It span, crazy on its milled edge for a twisted moment, then toppled over. Tails.
He looked at me, the fat man. Then brought the revolver up to his temple and -